2024 Solar Eclipse - never too early to get ready

[Biff Tannen 45,691]

I don’t understand the panic.  There are so many unknown nothing roads in the hill country, I don’t see how it would be difficult to just pick one and find a roundabout way to get there. 

[austingirl 2,191]

8 hours ago, texasdago said:

Still leaning on 1) walking to a nearby park and just watching it go dark for 2 minutes (I think we get two minutes or something) OR convincing someone to take the boat out on Lake Austin which I think would be bad ass.

Need AISD to cooperate, though

AISD just sent out their newsletter and it says schools will definitely be open on eclipse day. We were thinking maybe they'd cancel because we didn't have any snow days this year, but no.

[MAUFRAIS 6,629]

I would’ve been annoyed if they canceled school.

[landman 559]

1 hour ago, MAUFRAIS said:

I would’ve been annoyed if they canceled school.

This was a learning event when I was a kid.  Don't get the cancelling going on.

And it will likely be cloudy with storms that day anyway, due to the upfront prep/panic going on...

[deft 6,856]

I don’t understand the panic.  There are so many unknown nothing roads in the hill country, I don’t see how it would be difficult to just pick one and find a roundabout way to get there. 

And how do you get to that unknown road? On a known road? Where will the traffic be? On the known roads?

[Biff Tannen 45,691]

2 minutes ago, deft said:

And how do you get to that unknown road? On a known road? Where will the traffic be? On the known roads?

[deft 6,856]

You want an unknown road? I can get you can unknown road. I can get you can unknown road by 5 o’clock.

[YGIFS 19,452]

Well next April’s episode of “The Texans” sounds cool.  
 

“Stuart!?!?  What are you doing here so early in Fredericksburg for the eclipse?”

-Well I took the 316 to the 207 to the 67.  

[Kennythetiger 9,389]

10 hours ago, Homesickhorn said:

My sister has a horse barn on 32 acres on Hwy 27 just outside of Comfort (12 miles from Kerrville). I’m probably gonna have some folks out there if anyone is interested. It’s far enough away from Kerrville to not get cluster-fucked by traffic, and close enough to I-10 to make your getaway when it’s over.

Pics of sister?  

[Js1 85,409]

9 hours ago, deft said:

And how do you get to that unknown road? On a known road? Where will the traffic be? On the known roads?

“There are known roads and there are unknown roads” - the ghost of Donald Rumsfeld about the eclipse 

[texasdago 7,575]

12 hours ago, MAUFRAIS said:

I would’ve been annoyed if they canceled school.

All I know is local officials are expecting the population of Travis county to double that day.  That will be awesome, I'm sure.

[Captain Ron 12,883]

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

All I know is local officials are expecting the population of Travis county to double that day.  That will be awesome, I'm sure.

And here we’d been told that Austin wasn’t seeing growth anymore. 

[Hagbard Celine 10,871]

i had hoped to make daily entries for the month leading up to the event but obviously that's fetch

here's the imagery i'm using:

https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES/sector_band.php?sat=G16&sector=sp&band=GEOCOLOR&length=24

in the last week we had 1 glorious day where the southern half of totality was in crystal skies, full show from belton south to the border

otherwise it's been pretty abysmal

there was another day where the 2 extremities, clarksville and the radar base, were in the clear, representing a combined 3% of the texas totality path

the only thing going for us at this point is that every day that sucks raises the statistical probability that the 8th won't suck

from the above link, today's shitshow features 3 cloud decks: the low level scud stitched to the edge of the estacado and seemingly frozen over the big country, the mid-level moisture from the gulf moving south to north as it slides east, and the high-altitude jet stream fucking us all the way from goddamn manchuria:

 

[JohnnyRage 1,617]

@Hagbard Celine would you consider keeping Beavers Bend/Broken Bow, Oklahoma in your predictions. I think it's fairly in the path of totality, but the area has also turned into a cluster fuck when Instagram wives discovered it about 8 years ago. Hochatown used to just be a gas station.

[Hagbard Celine 10,871]

here's the showtime +10min from today

rage is chill in broken bow today, in the dead center of the hole that, once again, includes clarksville

the right side of the "V" shaped stripe includes the western edge of totality in the metroplex, albeit still glossed over with the high altitude cirrus, would still have the beads, but no full show

everywhere else is fucked

[Updawg 2,268]

AISD just sent out their newsletter and it says schools will definitely be open on eclipse day. We were thinking maybe they'd cancel because we didn't have any snow days this year, but no.

I expected them to cancel but hopefully they make it a learning event

If they did cancel I would have tried finding some unknown roads and getting as far as I could. But I’ll probably just watch it from sw austin

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13,585]

 

[Newdoc 3,448]

On 3/21/2024 at 7:13 PM, Homesickhorn said:

Hwy 27

That’s still going to be crowded as one of a very few alternative roads (to I 10) in that area that lead out of Kerrville. Comfort is going to be uber crowded as well. But your location is prime. Good luck.

[NoName 16,354]

On 3/21/2024 at 7:24 PM, Biff Tannen said:

I don’t understand the panic.  There are so many unknown nothing roads in the hill country, I don’t see how it would be difficult to just pick one and find a roundabout way to get there. 

they are expecting ~150k visitors in Gillespie County

Kerrville specifically is expecting +100k people (up to +150k)

i've heard expectation of ~+20 to +30k in Mason (total county population <5000)

Kendall County is expecting +50k visitors

San Antonio is expecting double the occupancy vs the same weekend last year. AUS is telling people to get to the airport 2.5 hours early for domestic flights.

lots of backroads, sure, but an incredible # of people driving in because of how close Austin and San Antonio (and even places like Houston) are to the totality.

that's without adding in things like Waze which will route folks on those backroads due to how busy the main roads are.

[utee94 15,832]

It's all going to be crowded.  That's inevitable, so just relax and enjoy it...

[Deej 76,830]

18 minutes ago, utee94 said:

It's all going to be crowded.  That's inevitable, so just relax and enjoy it...

Thanks, Claytie. 

[texasdago 7,575]

22 minutes ago, Deej said:

Thanks, Claytie. 

Excellent reference

[MAUFRAIS 6,629]

Get to the Austin airport 2.5 hours early on the day of the eclipse?

[Biff Tannen 45,691]

1 hour ago, NoName said:

they are expecting ~150k visitors in Gillespie County

Kerrville specifically is expecting +100k people (up to +150k)

i've heard expectation of ~+20 to +30k in Mason (total county population <5000)

Kendall County is expecting +50k visitors

San Antonio is expecting double the occupancy vs the same weekend last year. AUS is telling people to get to the airport 2.5 hours early for domestic flights.

lots of backroads, sure, but an incredible # of people driving in because of how close Austin and San Antonio (and even places like Houston) are to the totality.

that's without adding in things like Waze which will route folks on those backroads due to how busy the main roads are.

Fuck it.  I'm just going out to the lake on Sunday night and taking the day off work on Monday.  Should get a couple of minutes of totality, assuming no clouds.  Going to be a lot of disappointed people camped out in state parks with no way to move locations if the weather doesn't cooperate.

[Jiggy-Z 3,432]

Right now I'm torn between staying at home in southwest Austin and experiencing it on my roof deck and concocting a meeting of flat earthers in the dark zone to convince them that I am a god.

Maybe I should do a surly pole.

[LonghornSean 4,008]

13 days out. I won’t start worrying until a week out maybe.

[Paper_jam 831]

Do these people know that you can see this event just as well from a Waco or Dallas hotel parking lot as you can from Enchanted Rock or Dripping Springs?

 

 

 

[Hagbard Celine 10,871]

good luck moving more than 10 miles after sunrise on the 8th unless you are purposefully 100 miles from population centers

today was a crystal day; this is late, 1 hour after showtime; an hour prior it was full show for 99% of texas totality

get the incense ready

animal sacrifices have been approved

 

[miguelito 11,266]

2 hours ago, Paper_jam said:

Do these people know that you can see this event just as well from a Waco or Dallas hotel parking lot as you can from Enchanted Rock or Dripping Springs?

 

 

 

Yes, but when the sun comes back out, you'd find yourself in fucking Waco or fucking Dallas.

 

(I agree with the sentiment of viewing location, though)

[Boss Hogg 808]

Thought I'd share this news segment on a relative. He takes this shit seriously. 

Here’s a link to some of his past stuff. The calendars he sends out every year are cool. 

 

https://www.randalllight.com

[YGIFS 19,452]

That is a great read/blog.  I figured he'd be like most people in College Station and just stare directly at it like a fucking Maroon.  

[Boss Hogg 808]

15 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

That is a great read/blog.  I figured he'd be like most people in College Station and just stare directly at it like a fucking Maroon.  

He went to UT all the way through. Just ended up in College Station 

[Texas Jeff 1,945]

Consider getting an eclipse app for your phone and practicing beforehand.  I just re-downloaded Solar Eclipse Timer that I used in 2017.  It's not free but it's not that much:

https://www.solareclipsetimer.com/

It uses your GPS location to calculate exactly when the eclipse is starting and stopping and plays some recorded messages during the eclipse to remind you when to look around.

I'm not associated with the person developing this app, it's just the one I picked.  It's nice to have something to tell you when exactly the eclipse is at 100%, and when it's over.

[deft 6,856]

Yeah but the next occurrence to hit near here isn’t for hundreds of years. I’m worried that if I pay for the monthly plan, the developer is only gonna make 70 % of all that!

/noCR kinda?!

[RamjetFDO 10,577]

12 hours ago, Texas Jeff said:

Consider getting an eclipse app for your phone and practicing beforehand.  I just re-downloaded Solar Eclipse Timer that I used in 2017.  It's not free but it's not that much:

https://www.solareclipsetimer.com/

It uses your GPS location to calculate exactly when the eclipse is starting and stopping and plays some recorded messages during the eclipse to remind you when to look around.

I'm not associated with the person developing this app, it's just the one I picked.  It's nice to have something to tell you when exactly the eclipse is at 100%, and when it's over.

I second this particular app -- in addition, gives you good info on photo/filter/glasses on-off times.  It's all provided as audio notifications from your phone, so you don't have to remember.

I'll be busy enough to not have to keep tabs on time, so this is a must-have, especially if you're doing any photography of the event.

[LonghornJones 837]

Just to illustrate the importance of this event and the masses it will bring, Georges in Waco will be open on SUNDAY.

Not even the Super Bowl has that kinda power.

[YGIFS 19,452]

1 hour ago, LonghornJones said:

Just to illustrate the importance of this event and the masses it will bring, Georges in Waco will be open on SUNDAY.

Not even the Super Bowl has that kinda power.

Totality totally goes well, might be showing my "O" face.  O!  O!  O!  you know what I'm talking about.  

[Trey3216 15,347]

Figured out my plans.  

 

In Waco...

 

We have 4:12 of totality. Starting at 13:38:02 and ending at 13:42:14.  

At approximately, 11:30, I'm gonna pop 1/2 a gummy.  

At exactly 12:59:24, I'm firing up "Dark Side of the Moon"

 

Eclipse will start in the middle of totality, and finish precisely at the last second of totality.

 

I will probably add the other half gummy somewhere around 1:15, along with a cocktail or two.  

 

I will be like Bingo (Bluey) staring at the sun in an out of body experience by the time Brain Damage and Eclipse hit, and I'll enjoy every second of it.  

 

 

 

[JohnnyRage 1,617]

19 hours ago, Texas Jeff said:

Consider getting an eclipse app for your phone and practicing beforehand.  I just re-downloaded Solar Eclipse Timer that I used in 2017.  It's not free but it's not that much:

https://www.solareclipsetimer.com/

It uses your GPS location to calculate exactly when the eclipse is starting and stopping and plays some recorded messages during the eclipse to remind you when to look around.

I'm not associated with the person developing this app, it's just the one I picked.  It's nice to have something to tell you when exactly the eclipse is at 100%, and when it's over.

And don’t forget to wear your helmet.

 

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/381443479/texas-standard

 

March 27th
Solar Eclipse
32:37s starts

Pretty in depth, but brief.

[HornOnTheBayou 8,931]

23 hours ago, Texas Jeff said:

Consider getting an eclipse app for your phone and practicing beforehand.  I just re-downloaded Solar Eclipse Timer that I used in 2017.  It's not free but it's not that much:

https://www.solareclipsetimer.com/

It uses your GPS location to calculate exactly when the eclipse is starting and stopping and plays some recorded messages during the eclipse to remind you when to look around.

I'm not associated with the person developing this app, it's just the one I picked.  It's nice to have something to tell you when exactly the eclipse is at 100%, and when it's over.

Why do I need an app? When there is still light, use your eclipse glasses if you stare at the sun. When it is dark, take your glasses off. When the light appears again, put the glasses back on. What am I missing?

[Texas Jeff 1,945]

37 minutes ago, HornOnTheBayou said:

Why do I need an app? When there is still light, use your eclipse glasses if you stare at the sun. When it is dark, take your glasses off. When the light appears again, put the glasses back on. What am I missing?

Well, you can "eyeball" it if you wish...  I was surprised with the amount of glare from the sun during the 2017 eclipse, and how dark it didn't get.  More like dim.  It was tough to tell exactly when it was safe to look, or when the sun was going to suddenly come back.  The app gives you some kind of assurance that you are in totality.

I waited until the app said I could look, counted to ten, then looked without glasses.  I put my glasses back on about ten seconds before the app said it was over.  I am paranoid about retina damage, especially for kids who will need their retinas a lot longer than I will.

 

[landman 559]

Guess I'm in the minority that just doesn't get this.  Seen plenty of them in my life - partial or full, solar and lunar.  Was a teaching event when I was a kid in school, not a reason to cancel and issue disaster declarations.  4 minutes long and heard today someone planning to drive 30 hours from Washington to see it.  Seems crazy.

And watch us end up with thunderstorms all day anyway.

[bernorange 8,362]

I don't get the disaster declarations either.  Is it just a way to give government workers a holiday to enjoy the event?

[LonghornJones 837]

Dallas, TX forecast:

[Your Mom 4,806]

8 hours ago, landman said:

Guess I'm in the minority that just doesn't get this.  Seen plenty of them in my life - partial or full, solar and lunar.  Was a teaching event when I was a kid in school, not a reason to cancel and issue disaster declarations.  4 minutes long and heard today someone planning to drive 30 hours from Washington to see it.  Seems crazy.

And watch us end up with thunderstorms all day anyway.

You have not seen plenty of total solar eclipses in your life. The last one to touch the United States was in 2017 and the one previous to that was in 1979.  And even with those two you’d have had to been geographically located any pretty specific narrow band to see it.  

I don’t think it’s a huge deal for everyone everywhere, you just hear about it more a lot around here because we are either in or very close to that narrow band of totality. The last one to touch Central Texas was in 1878 and the next one will be in 2317.  You’ve seen other eclipses, but likely not in the zone of totality unless you specifically went looking for them  

But I agree, it’s probably going to be cloudy that day.  

[texasdago 7,575]

Man, I hope some of these crazy expensive eclipse events are refundable.  At least if you go to something like that festival in Burnet, you can still enjoy a bunch of bands.

Otherwise... 

[Trey3216 15,347]

1 hour ago, bernorange said:

I don't get the disaster declarations either.  Is it just a way to give government workers a holiday to enjoy the event?

No, it's a way to have add'l gov resources on call in the event of some sort of disaster type scenario where it would be difficult for local municipalities to carry out their daily duties due to massively increased volumes of people and traffic.  

 

Think about a horrific wreck or something where the police/fire couldn't get to the scene for over an hour because there is wall to wall traffic for miles upon miles in every direction.  

[Captain Ron 12,883]

On 3/26/2024 at 10:49 PM, Texas Jeff said:

Consider getting an eclipse app for your phone and practicing beforehand.  I just re-downloaded Solar Eclipse Timer that I used in 2017.  It's not free but it's not that much:

https://www.solareclipsetimer.com/

It uses your GPS location to calculate exactly when the eclipse is starting and stopping and plays some recorded messages during the eclipse to remind you when to look around.

I'm not associated with the person developing this app, it's just the one I picked.  It's nice to have something to tell you when exactly the eclipse is at 100%, and when it's over.

 

23 hours ago, RamjetFDO said:

I second this particular app -- in addition, gives you good info on photo/filter/glasses on-off times.  It's all provided as audio notifications from your phone, so you don't have to remember.

I'll be busy enough to not have to keep tabs on time, so this is a must-have, especially if you're doing any photography of the event.

 

11 hours ago, HornOnTheBayou said:

Why do I need an app? When there is still light, use your eclipse glasses if you stare at the sun. When it is dark, take your glasses off. When the light appears again, put the glasses back on. What am I missing?

 

A really great answer for why do you maybe want this app (not SIAP). This video is really good, at 5:00 he talks with the guy that made this app in question and all the other cool things you can see:

 

 

[Brisketexan 105,154]

9 hours ago, landman said:

4 minutes long and heard today someone planning to drive 30 hours from Washington to see it.

I would drive 30 hours for something 4 minutes long, but that 4 minute long event would have to involve a lovely brunette of a certain vintage.  And sure, I'm being generous with the 4 minute part.

37 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

No, it's a way to have add'l gov resources on call in the event of some sort of disaster type scenario where it would be difficult for local municipalities to carry out their daily duties due to massively increased volumes of people and traffic.  

 

Think about a horrific wreck or something where the police/fire couldn't get to the scene for over an hour because there is wall to wall traffic for miles upon miles in every direction.  

This.  A volume of people and traffic that local infrastructure and emergency services aren't equipped to deal with.  Declaring a disaster simply helps local governments get/stage more resources and have more help available to handle the crush.

[utee94 15,832]

11 hours ago, landman said:

Guess I'm in the minority that just doesn't get this.  Seen plenty of them in my life - partial or full, solar and lunar.  Was a teaching event when I was a kid in school, not a reason to cancel and issue disaster declarations.  4 minutes long and heard today someone planning to drive 30 hours from Washington to see it.  Seems crazy.

And watch us end up with thunderstorms all day anyway.

That's fine.  There are 8 pages on this thread that you could read, where a lot of people have explained why they're excited about it.  But you certainly don't have to be.

 

1 hour ago, Trey3216 said:

No, it's a way to have add'l gov resources on call in the event of some sort of disaster type scenario where it would be difficult for local municipalities to carry out their daily duties due to massively increased volumes of people and traffic.  

Think about a horrific wreck or something where the police/fire couldn't get to the scene for over an hour because there is wall to wall traffic for miles upon miles in every direction.  

Well it IS also a way for municipalities to give non-essential employees the day off, so they're not adding to the mayhem in the middle of those towns, if they don't want to be.

And also, the Dripping Springs announcement mentioned being able to force a shut-down of road construction during the event, which is one way to help out potential traffic issues that might have been caused by road construction companies deciding to work that day, and foul up the roads whilst scores of thousands of extra cars are filtering through the area.  Now they won't have the option.

50 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

This.  A volume of people and traffic that local infrastructure and emergency services aren't equipped to deal with.  Declaring a disaster simply helps local governments get/stage more resources and have more help available to handle the crush.

More resources, shut down non-essential worker commuting, etc.  "Disaster" sounds melodramatic, but it's really just part of a reasonable plan to manage the event.