[MtnGoat]

You bet! Folks who are nature channel astronomers and like the Perseids every year aren't really prepared for this kind of event in terms of crowds. Yes, they know people know about it and a lot want to see it...but as I noted, the astroheads will totally swamp the area *plus* all the casual folks there because it's handy and cool. Madras and every road towards it in every direction will be getting to the Ark on time biblical in terms of traffic volume. Both ODOT and USFS are warning about this to boot, so it's a real thing. We'll be well E of Madras and my goal is to be in place by Sunday morning at the latest. I get to cheat and do some easy scouting this spring because it's only a few hours away. If I find a really nice commando spot, may even head down Friday and just have a nice relaxed multiday car camp before the 2 hours of magic monday morning.

[Malachai Constant]

Unfortunately, the eclipse has been cancelled due to lack of funding

[grannyhiker]

The NASA site has important safety information, including the brands of "eclipse glasses" that meet standards. I'd suggest ordering early.

[grannyhiker]

Persistent check on reservable USFS campsites has had its reward. Three of us tried to make reservations the first second they were open, and only one got through. However, I've been checking since February and a few days ago I was able to reserve a second site (there will be 10 to 12 of us, so we need two). We will be in the path of totality and won't have to drive on the day of the eclipse, which will be a nightmare. So what if the sites are in two separate campgrounds; they're only a couple of miles apart and connected by a hiking trail as well as the road. Technique--I bookmarked all four of the campgrounds in the area I wanted, and checked daily on recreation.gov. Evidently there was a cancellation for the one spot, and I grabbed it! OR State Parks just set up reservations for 1,000 sites in normally first-come, first-serve campgrounds in or near the path of totality, and they all disappeared like magic.

[Stefan]

[MtnGoat]

[Randito]

Some of my best friends from Explorer Scouts and I observed the 1979 eclipse from a ridgeline just east of Yakima (somewhere near the current KFFM-FM transmitter) It was quite spectacular. The were some patchy clouds, but it was mostly clear. It was striking to see Mt Adams go dark, see the shadow sweep across the Yakima valley, hear the birds react, take pictures of the corona and then see Mt Adams light up again and see the light sweep across the Yakima valley. It is still a vivid memory even today. I highly recommend making an effort to be in a location with a wide view and a decent chance of clear weather as near to the center of totality.

[Brockton]

[thunderhead]

https://www.google.com/maps/dir//44.5480714,-120.8339833/@44.5485836,-120.8356463,791m/data=!3m1!1e3 Good high terrain spot on a marginal dirt road just outside the NF boundary... think its publicly accessible?

[MtnGoat]

that site is on my list for scouting in a couple weeks. I'll let you know.

[thunderhead]

Rock. I bet we have some similar lists... I wonder how many thousands of others do as well? lol... could be crowded. Maybe we will just find a tall tree in the NF and climb it

[thunderhead]

Although I was on the rim of the grand canyon for the annular eclipse of 2012 - at an established viewing site no less - and while crowded, it was not a problem. So maybe it won't be that bad...

[Adohrn]

Ok so came to this late. Definitely have not reserved a hotel or campground years in advance. This looks like an excellent excuse for a backpacking trip. Zoo or not. So I'am thinking somewhere near Mt. Jefferson as was suggested. Don't know the area so time to search old trip reports. As a backup trying to find a potential places to backpack near the coast or further east. Any help here would be appreciated. Thanks for the link grannyhiker. Lots of good advice. Really nice to know which glasses are actually safe. Yea Nasa. Found a kmz file over at portlandhikers.org that I'am now using with Gaia. Cool overlay that will tell me where the sweet spots are. A bit of a warning these are all calculations so not to be completely trusted if your at the fringes. https://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/download/file.php?id=62865&sid=f3ad4f6b0e36a0be519e86442a6de520 The kmz file came from this site http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/SolarEclipsesGoogleEarth.html There are also a number of google interactive maps. They don't play at all well with my iPhone se. Your luck my vary. http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/total-eclipse-of-sun-august-21-2017#interactive Thinking of buying one of those apps that tell you exactly where the sun or the moon will be during the day. No real experience here so any advice would be appreciated. There appear to be lots of them. Here is a link with a quick breakdown for those who don't know what I'am talking about. https://www.google.com/amp/s/havecamerawilltravel.com/photographer/apps-for-tracking-the-sun/amp?client=safari For those that like it old school here is a nice detailed map showing the best viewing areas. http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/total-eclipse-of-sun-august-21-2017#maximum

[Steve]

I'm tempted to drive to some podunk town like Santee, SC to see it. Columbia is predicting a crowd of 1M. Eclipse duration will be 2:36. A bit of a drive from Savannah, but I'm sure I won't ever see one again. This link is kind of handy, though maybe it's already been posted. NASA interactive

[RichP]