2017 Eclipse

I have to admit that I envy those who will be hiking or in a picturesque spot- so long as they do not have cloud cover.

I will be joining some of my family all sleeping out in a relative's yard in Rigby. I have contemplating taking my daughter's bunny to sacrifice, but will probably just bring the dvd player and projector and throw on a movie for the neighborhood. Maybe someone has suggestions?

I think the people watching alone will be worth the traffic jam getting up there and getting back.
It is only second hand, but my sister is up there for a family reunion this week and she felt the campgrounds and BLM land were already insane and chock full. We are taking our own food and plenty for the kids to do in the van while we ease through traffic- especially traffic coming back home. I already have some songs in mind for the traffic: Pink Floyd, Beatles, Bonnie Tyler, U2 and Elton John, maybe even Violent Femmes will be playing over and over just so the kids in years to come will remember that moment and their crazy dad with his lame play list of songs about the eclipse, or the sun, to look back on.

I cannot wait!
 
Word is there have been requests for permits to do live animal sacrifices in Idaho Falls area. Not sure if that is true. Honestly at this point I can't wait until this event is over. I will be working. Essentially on call from Friday morning to Monday night. Seriously hope the masses come with patience and respect.

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I heard a story mentioned about such permits.. and some for some big bonfires. I am not up there, but I feel there has to be some extreme cases being exaggerated. We won't be any of those extremes... so I hope it is just a good time and an awe-inspiring experience.
 
Bananas are a hot commodity up here apparently and gas prices have started to climb.


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Maybe there are some quick business opportunities then to help pay for the inflated gas prices... hahaha... We already had extra glasses -just by chance- to sell or hand out depending on how charitable I feel.
 
We will be heading to some lots my wife's family owns near Cascade Lake in Donnelly Idaho. We are thinking of hiking up to above Boulder and Louie Lake to view if it looks like the weather will be clear, otherwise we will try to stay mobile. I think that to witness full totality is worth the bit of inconvenience it might bring for a day or two.
 
On Tuesday morning I bought gas for $2.45 today on our way to ride mountain bikes. The Maverick gas said $2.65 I decided to take a picture but my phone was in the back seat. My teenage daughter took her sweet time getting the camera. As I snapped the photo I didn't notice they were in the middle of changing the price! At 5pm when everyone was getting off work it went from $2.65 to $2.69 word is they intend to jack up the price to $3.00
The commercialism around this event disgusts me.

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(in the spirit of Jack Handey)

I'm seeing where all these photographers are spending tons of money on cameras and filters for the eclipse and I think it would be really cool if someone were to buy up a bunch of big colorful fireworks and go to where these people are and just as the sun hits totality, shoot the fireworks off into the dark sky, cause I bet there would be lots of very happy photographers to know they were going to get some good photos after all with all that nice gear instead of just some fringed black donut hole thingy in the sky...
 
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So the animal sacrifice permit request is a myth. Suspected it was but I find all of these rumors floating around highly amusing.

They say the gas price hitting 3 bucks is a myth but I am skeptical of that because it has jumped a lot since last week.


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Rockskipper said:
I've never heard of an animal sacrifice permit. Where would you go for one - animal control? :)
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Right! LOL I heard that a few times around work. So far not seeing increased traffic around town yet. Guess we shall see what tomorrow brings.

The next 4 days should be interesting.

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Nanda said:
ok it's almost upon us. where are people headed? I have a week off starting this weekend and still not sure where exactly to head, for the eclipse first then fishing after. Debating between green river lakes area(maybe just park somewhere and backpack for couple days), or gros ventre area(surely all dispersed sites will be taken this weekend), or Sawtooth area in idaho.
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Fort Laramie National Historic Site. Drive by. Park 5 minutes for the eclipse. Go fishing. Done.
Wayne


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http://gazette.com/eclipse-traffic-...-colorado-highways-cdot-warns/article/1609391

Picture six Broncos games getting out at the same time on the same stretch of road. That’s what traffic generated by Monday’s total eclipse of the sun — a once-in-a-century event in these parts — could amount to, the Colorado Department of Transportation is warning state motorists. And for those stuck in traffic between Friday and Monday, AAA Colorado has some tips and a musical playlist guaranteed to brighten even the darkest day.

“This has the potential to be a major traffic event — both given the heavy traffic volume as well as disruptions due to the eclipse,” said CDOT Executive Director Shailen Bhatt in a statement. “We are asking the driving public to plan ahead, be safe and be patient.”

Authorities anticipate that hundreds of thousands of motorists will be flocking from Colorado to regions of Wyoming and Nebraska where the total solar eclipse will be visible — maps depicting what astronomers call “totality” can be viewed here — and are taking precautions to minimize disruption and difficulty for drivers.

CDOT announced this week that oversized and overweight vehicles won’t be allowed through Wednesday, Aug. 23, on state highways north of Colorado Highway 50, which starts in Montrose and crosses the southern part of the state through Cañon City, Pueblo and Lamar. In addition, CDOT is suspending construction on all road projects from Friday afternoon until Tuesday morning and boosting the number of Courtesy Patrol vehicles on north Interstate 25.

Experts anticipate as many as 600,000 extra people packing into a narrow slice of Wyoming — doubling the state’s population — to view the eclipse, and a good share of them will be driving north on Colorado roads. Traffic is supposed to be heavy starting Friday and continuing through the weekend and then explode on Monday after the sun reappears as everyone returns home. (For those who won’t be venturing into the pathway of totality, NASA will be covering the eclipse.)

AAA Colorado is predicting what it terms “record-shattering” traffic this weekend, potentially tripling travel times into and out of Wyoming and Nebraska. Eclipse-seekers have already reserved all the hotel rooms and campsites within range of the totality, the organization said in a release Thursday. The unprecedented crowds can overwhelm more than just the roadways, possibly straining cellular phone and data services, too, so AAA is urging motorists — even those who might get caught in eclipse traffic — to plan accordingly.
 
Pinedale news:

PUBLIC NOTICE: Saturday, August 19, 8:10AM: Elkhart Park trailhead parking area has reached capacity and is full. The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office is advising that Skyline Drive roadway is becoming quite congested. They recommend avoiding the area if not necessary to go up there and to drive carefully if you do go up. It is still ok to go up if you are dropping someone off or picking them up, but as of the time of this report there is no place to park at the top. Check with Forest Service people onsite to see if any parking spots have opened up. White Pine has parking in their lot at the ski area for $20/car. The Forest Service says the trail to Photographer’s Point is seeing a lot of foot traffic and dispersed camping. If you are looking for a secluded wilderness experience, other trailheads might be better choices. Green River Lakes and New Fork campgrounds are full. Alternate choices might be Scab Creek and Boulder trailheads for less congestion. Granite Creek is full, but nearby options are Cliff Creek and Fisherman Creek in the Bondurant/Hoback area.
 
Things are very quiet in Idaho Falls. I drove through the Driggs area yesterday afternoon and there were fields with more outhouses than people.

If there are any last minute people wanting a free campsite on center line there is BLM land just wests of Sage Junction that had no one camping on when I drove past recently.
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Just remember no fires and bring a lot of water. Also, the state traffic cams are accessible at 511.idaho.gov


FYI Rexburg is the only crazy area I know of so far. There are a lot of college students and so on. There is also a fire on the highway near Beaver Dick Park. I-15 is clear but traffic appears to be picking up at the highway 20 exit towards Rigby and Rexburg.
 
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Am basing myself at a state park here in Nebraska that will be in the totality. busy, but only for this places standards. very quiet really, not much traffic, and few clouds. I think this will be a good area for it, and I don't think I'll be fighting too much for crowds (hope I haven't cursed myself now).
 
A news team from Boulder or Denver went to Nebraska and said the same thing, that it's not that busy. Looking at sat photos, a lot of W. Wyoming looks very hazy from wildfire smoke.
 
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