High Sierra Topix

My brother has reservations in Yellowstone for the eclipse. I'm no Yellowstone/Tetons expert, but in my one visit I really enjoyed the central and northern portions of Yellowstone (Canyon/Yellowstone Falls area, Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley, etc) and Jenny Lake in the Tetons. The geysers and hot springs along the Firehole River in Yellowstone are also a not to miss in my book as well. Nothing is bad, so it's hard to go wrong no matter where you are.

Troutdog 59 wrote:My brother has reservations in Yellowstone for the eclipse. I'm no Yellowstone/Tetons expert, but in my one visit I really enjoyed the central and northern portions of Yellowstone (Canyon/Yellowstone Falls area, Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley, etc) and Jenny Lake in the Tetons. The geysers and hot springs along the Firehole River in Yellowstone are also a not to miss in my book as well. Nothing is bad, so it's hard to go wrong no matter where you are.

The eclipse does not go over Yellowstone. It barely grazes the extreme SW corner. Basically he'll have to drive down to TNP for any totality.

I'm doing something similar: heading to Oregon, but a lot of the upper Willamette was booked, so staying in Eugene and I'll drive up Salem way on the morning of the 21st.

heck I'm bailing and heading to Alaska. Figure with all the people heading to Oregon and other places in line for the eclipse that tourism will have to be down in Alaska in August!

Last year thrashed this out and saved a bunch of links on my XPS laptop I will review again. This is a once in a lifetime event for the USA as the last one was 1945. So yeah this is a HUGE event the media will go nuts about weeks before in August and that will cause millions of people to be too late for making or figuring out plans. A whole lot of clueless people will jam the highways at the end making nightmares, seeing nothing.

Decided the John Day River region was the best choice because being east of the coastal ranges is beyond the coastal marine overcast, clouds, and moist air influence with drier atmospheres and fewer afternoon thunderstorm buildups. There are websites that indicate the probabilities for clear skies on that date and JDFBNM rates high. Those going to the Rockies and Midwest areas have to really worry about thunderstorm clouds. Of note there is a considerable variation of probabilities along the path of totality so those making an effort to go need to do their homework.

The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument with adjacent Painted Hills State Park badlands is there which I have been interested in visiting for decades however have not been north of California much because of the long drives. Will figure out a spot to watch and photogrpah the eclipse with the Painted Hills. There is considerable dispersed camping possibilities in that region including to the south, Ochoco National Forest along US26 and along Burnt Ranch Road just east. One needs to know where all the NF/BLM lands are and have maps ready.

http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.64487,-120.26046&z=12&t=T

Lodging and campgrounds have long been filled and the region will be a zoo with insane traffic as the eclipse approaches. Note there is already a large music festival planned in the region that will be drawing lots of people also. Thus my own plan given that I am retired, will be to get up there about a week before to work the region beforehand and then get set in the best nearby location for the eclipse itself. If weather forecasts look pessimistic, plan B will be to go even further east towards the Idaho border Snake River areas that are even drier though not as aesthetically interesting.

David

Actually Dave I think I would want to be on a boat on the Metolius arm of Lake Billy Chinook. The further e. you go you will have greater chance of having to deal with smoke from fires.

You're correct on that Mike. I should have put Yellowstone/Tetons. They plan to stay the week before in Yellowstone and the from the 19th on at Jenny Lake in the Tetons. Price was high, but he's had the reservations since early 2016.

The further e. you go you will have greater chance of having to deal with smoke from fires.

Yep, that could be a major issue.

IF there is significant smoke from fires in the region, I would not even bother to visit as photography would be unproductive. Better just to watch on TV that is sure to be all over it or join a vast mob right at the beach. That situation will be obvious well before by early August. From mid July up to mid August, I will be busy with short logistical breaks between continual backpacking.

Everyday I wake up to Saturday,
David

I like this site's map and info for the eclipse: http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/path_through_the_US.htm
Under the small black map click: Visit Xavier Jubier's Interactive Google Map
And near the bottom of that page click: I have read and understood the above instructions; take me to the map!

Zoom in for a detailed look at the path of totality, click a spot for times, duration, etc. Note that you can be miles away from the center of totality and still have nearly as long a duration.

I've never witnessed totality, I've heard that if you are on a high point with clear views along the track that you can see the shadow sweeping across the landscape towards and away from you at around 1,800 mph. So if you are on the Divide in the northern Wind Rivers with good conditions the shadow will take a bit over 2 minutes to travel from the Tetons to you.

Bob1957 wrote:you can see the shadow sweeping across the landscape towards you

When I was in Cabo for the '91 total solar eclipse, we were on a high spot over looking the Pacific Ocean.
As totality approached, the wall of darkness sweeping in over the water was pretty impressive...