• Happy Marine Mammal Rescue Day! 🐳🐬🦭🦦

Any plans for the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse?

last Fall, we discussed having a big cookout/party at the Dayton Canoe Club for the eclipse..........those still working downtown could walk up the bike/hike path along the river to the club then head back to work afterwards. We have cut back somewhat on our big plans.....It started out with schools cancelling classes for the day, now all of the area banks are closing......all campgrounds and hotels within a couple of hundred miles are full......all of the area governments have cancelled leave for 1st reponders out of concern for major traffic gridlock ....area hospitals are setting up sleeping areas for staff and are planning on holding staff over from Sunday shifts out of fear Monday's staff won't be able to get in......It's beginning to sound like Y2k hysteria again!

Mike
 
Looks like we should have clear weather on the 8th in the Adirondacks which is a nice surprise. Planning to leave Albany area early a.m., get to my spot which will have one minute of totality and hang out for the day. Bringing a canoe though I don't plan to view from the water. I bought solar film and fashioned filters from pvc pipe to go over my binocs. Never seen a total so I don't want to miss this. Not too worried about getting there but I'm imagining a real scramble to get back on the Northway and head south afterwards. We'll see.
 
Looks like we should have clear weather on the 8th in the Adirondacks which is a nice surprise.

Hoping so. Our initial plan on Monday was to drive from Lake George where we are staying up the Northway to Plattsburgh, which is very near the central line of totality. But I could also cut northwest into the Adirondacks and go for Paul Smiths, which is also near the central line. That would be fewer miles but could take much longer depending on traffic.

I have no feel for what would be more congested with traffic, going and returning, the Northway between Lake George and Plattsburgh or the interior two lane roads of the Adirondacks.
 
Glenn, and everyone, wherever you go, be sure to find an open spot such that you will get a clear view of the open sky free of trees or other obstacles in the compass direction of 220-230 degrees, at an elevation of 30-50 degrees (two hands) above the horizon. If you choose Paul Smiths, the campus grounds will be very crowded, so try for the soccer field on Easy street. There is a large FD parking lot across the road from it where I once was staged for a SAR incident. Get there early, but do not park to block the FD doors or exits.

Note: Plattsburgh (where my daugher lives) is on an average day often crowded and busy with Canadians coming from across the nearby border, and likely will also be extra so on the 8th for those seeking to be on the center line.
 
Last edited:
I really don't know how to figure it, but I have a feeling that the two lane roads in the areas of totality could get gridlocked. Even on the worst days of July 4 or other big holidays I've only seen bad backups on the Nway when you get down to Albany for the Thruway entrance - there I've seen it backed up to Clifton Park. But my crystal ball is basically useless since this is a unique event. Plan to pack extra food/water/coffee since restaurants probably won't be an option and just be patient no matter what comes up. Starting to look forward to a morning paddle somewhere.
 
Hmm... I was just planning on going to work as usual. I guess that could change or I could work somewhere in the path of totality... hadn't given it much thought yet. (yeah, I'm aware that I'm running out of time... I prefer spur-of-the-moment at times like this) Maybe I'll look online... is there a good source that illustrates the path of darkness?
 
Hmm... I was just planning on going to work as usual. I guess that could change or I could work somewhere in the path of totality... hadn't given it much thought yet. (yeah, I'm aware that I'm running out of time... I prefer spur-of-the-moment at times like this) Maybe I'll look online... is there a good source that illustrates the path of darkness?
You can enter a location here and it will tell you coverage % and timing.
 
Had to change plans, and will be staying local. Not a full eclipse here, but it will still be fun and the weather looks like it will be ok. Plan to watch from the deck of a local ski hill, within walking distance of the bar. :)

Enfield, NH43.6407, -72.1440
42mi from totality.
Partial eclipse begins at 2:15p.
COVERAGE98.3%
PARTIAL DURATION2h 23m
SUN POSITION40°
 
You can enter a location here and it will tell you coverage % and timing.
Thanks for the info. Eastern shore of Lake Erie looks good & it's been a bit since I visited the Dunkirk / Irving / Jamestown area. Almost got stuck in Marietta, Ohio yesterday due to flooding though... (What are the 7 signs again?)
 
I am staying home, my backyard will be at 97.6%. Not worth ALL the hassle of large crowds, traffic tie ups, and the usual idiots on the road. Enjoy the eclipse.
 
I am staying home, my backyard will be at 97.6%. Not worth ALL the hassle of large crowds, traffic tie ups, and the usual idiots on the road. Enjoy the eclipse.
That certainly is your choice, but a very few miles travel north to gain an extra 2.5 % will yield a memory experience and story to tell for the rest of your life. Living in upstate NY, surely you can find an isolated quiet rural road that will take you there. You will never reget the small effort.
 
That certainly is your choice, but a very few miles travel north to gain an extra 2.5 % will yield a memory experience and story to tell for the rest of your life. Living in upstate NY, surely you can find an isolated quiet rural road that will take you there. You will never reget the small effort.
2.5% isn’t worth the aggravation for something that I have already experienced in my life.
 
2.5% isn’t worth the aggravation for something that I have already experienced in my life.
But I will cocntinue to say that it isn't just the 2.5%, it is a lot more like an infiinite difference if you have ever experienced it. Anything short of 100%, even 99.9% might as well be 0% as far as the difference between that much partial and full total is concerned. Again, it is your own personal choice, but I hope others reading this wiould have a different attitude.
 
Just writing to second what @yknpdlr said—totality only lasts for a few minutes, but it is a unique, rare, and awe-inspiring experience that makes for a lasting memory! Looking up and seeing blackness where the sun should be, and seeing the strangeness of the light, it touches something inside you that I’ve never experienced otherwise and that I don’t know how to describe or explain. It kind of feels like the world has come to an end. To each their own, but there is nothing that compares to it, and IMO it is worth taking the time and effort to experience given the opportunity to do so.

(Now, @GeoBoy, if you mean you’ve seen totality before and don’t feel the need to experience it again, disregard the above—I can’t relate, but you don’t need to hear me tell you what it’s like!—but for anyone reading this who hasn’t seen it, I cannot say strongly enough: go, it’s worth it!)
 
But I will cocntinue to say that it isn't just the 2.5%, it is a lot more like an infiinite difference if you have ever experienced it. Anything short of 100%, even 99.9% might as well be 0% as far as the difference between that much partial and full total is concerned. Again, it is your own personal choice, but I hope others reading this wiould have a different attitude.
Whatever, I believe there are far more important things in life.
 
Last edited:
One more amazing occurance in the natural world. I do think it is gaze-worthy. But keep in mind there are so many smaller "miracles" equally mesmerizing which we miss on a daily basis. Maybe it's the Vegas Show stuff which most impresses some of us (not me). That's okay too.
Last weekend I was here:
local lake.jpg

A balmy day in springtime spent getting acquainted with a local lake and it's feathered friends. The loons, mergansers, ducks and geese were all very unco-operative with me so I couldn't take a decent pic. I settled for just the one of the lake. I was however impressed with the rare sighting (for me) of numerous whooping cranes using this rich wetland as a stop over on their way north (way way north).
One more amazing occurance in the natural world.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top