2024 Solar Eclipse - never too early to get ready

[Captain Ron 13,133]

17 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

Fuck it, Surly eclipse party on a highway.

Just don’t throw rocks off the overpasses. 

[NoName 17,148]

On 2/1/2024 at 12:25 PM, utee94 said:

My BIL has a decent chunk of land outside of Fredericksburg, so we're hauling our RV trailer out there for the weekend.  They've got a Barndominium on it now, so I'll actually get to see what one of things really is, in real life. The parents-in-law will stay in that, the BIL will have his own 5th-wheel there, and we're making a small family reunion out of it.  I actually love their whole family and it should be a great time.

it is absolutely, completely and totally going to 100% be a shitshow in Fredericksburg.

need to plan to be stuck out there most of the time you are in town and steer clear of HEB/Walmart for groceries. expect very poor cell service and gas.

not even kidding. initial expectations for the county were supposed to be in the 80k range, then upped to 100k and now it's over that.

very seriously, it's going to be crazy as hell.

hope y'all enjoy it!

[utee94 16,088]

7 minutes ago, NoName said:

it is absolutely, completely and totally going to 100% be a shitshow in Fredericksburg.

need to plan to be stuck out there most of the time you are in town and steer clear of HEB/Walmart for groceries. expect very poor cell service and gas.

not even kidding. initial expectations for the county were supposed to be in the 80k range, then upped to 100k and now it's over that.

very seriously, it's going to be crazy as hell.

hope y'all enjoy it!

Thanks.  We'll be out on the property camping.  Didn't really have any plans to go into town.  We're 100% self-contained for freshwater, wastewater, heat, cooling, etc. 

And we'll have plenty of guns as well, if it turns into a zombie apocalypse survival thing, with all of the Fredericksburg tourists scattering into the wilderness searching for food and water.

 

 

[texasdago 7,770]

On 2/3/2024 at 3:58 PM, MAUFRAIS said:

Will be out and Lake Austin. Trying to think what the best spot out there will be. Bridge would be cool but probably way too crowded. Probably go way upriver and try to find a spot to ourselves.

Now that I think about it, I like the Lake Austin idea... hmmmm... I think I can make that happen

 

[NoName 17,148]

38 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Thanks.  We'll be out on the property camping.  Didn't really have any plans to go into town.  We're 100% self-contained for freshwater, wastewater, heat, cooling, etc. 

And we'll have plenty of guns as well, if it turns into a zombie apocalypse survival thing, with all of the Fredericksburg tourists scattering into the wilderness searching for food and water.

that's great news, seriously. it's going to be wild.

[Trey3216 15,452]

On 2/1/2024 at 12:29 PM, UTexasFight said:

I’m sure it was discussed upthread but too lazy to look

is this event when the Covid vax chips will be activated?

are there varying degrees of impact depending on where you are relative to path of totality?

[Newdoc 3,511]

1 hour ago, NoName said:

not even kidding. initial expectations for the county were supposed to be in the 80k range, then upped to 100k and now it's over that.

Those towns around there don't have the infrastructure to support that amount of craziness.  We have a family ranch not too far away and I'm not sure if I want to brave going to that area and leaving after it's done. My house in Central Texas is in the area of totality and only 20 seconds under the very center of the eclipse line time.

[utee94 16,088]

7 minutes ago, Newdoc said:

Those towns around there don't have the infrastructure to support that amount of craziness.  We have a family ranch not too far away and I'm not sure if I want to brave going to that area and leaving after it's done. My house in Central Texas is in the area of totality and only 20 seconds under the very center of the eclipse line time.

Leaving after it's done is the primary concern to me.

I expect that people will arrive in someone staggered fashion throughout the weekend leading up to it, but since Monday is a school/workday I'm guessing a lot of folks will be trying to leave very shortly after the eclipse and get home to be ready for work/school on Tuesday.  Gonna take a lot of patience to exit the area Monday evening.

[NoName 17,148]

5 minutes ago, Newdoc said:

Those towns around there don't have the infrastructure to support that amount of craziness.  We have a family ranch not too far away and I'm not sure if I want to brave going to that area and leaving after it's done. My house in Central Texas is in the area of totality and only 20 seconds under the very center of the eclipse line time.

oh man, no kidding. the concerns are very real for all the little towns north of FBG - expecting something like 15-20k in Mason. Burnet County is expecting 100k+. Kerrville is going one way in and one way out.

it's really going to be insane.

 

[Trey3216 15,452]

On 2/1/2024 at 1:09 PM, utee94 said:

On 2/1/2024 at 1:05 PM, YGIFS said:

Can we come too?

Sure!

"Hey bro, the internet people are coming.  If anyone arrives on the property and yells out

[kevwun 16,438]

A friend has a cabin 30 minutes from Fredricksburg on the Llano River.  We're gonna hang out there and watch it.  Close enough for me and no crowds.

[Wally Fairway 5,675]

So I started this thread about 6 years ago, and the media hype has finally caught up with the event.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2024/02/24/precisely-319-years-from-today-totality-will-strike-the-midwest-why-one-town-is-preparing-now/?sh=59d2cb3d74eb

 

Quote

Total Eclipse In The Heart

Thousands of festivals, activities, and observation events are being planned across the path. Lebanon in Boone County, Indiana—population 15,000—is putting together a time capsule they hope will be opened on February 25, 2343—319 years from today. That’s the date of Lebanon’s following total solar eclipse. Its last one was 819 years ago.

I was this article, and I will let someone else start the thread for the next total solar eclipse in Lebanon, Indiana are putting together a time capsule for the February 25, 2343 . I will let someone else start that thread, as I maybe sidelined for that one, or bored with them from seeing them around the country.

[YGIFS 19,458]

Well what time are we opening it on February 25th, 2343?  Because I have something at 11.  

[MAUFRAIS 6,740]

I just figure we’ll be in our 300s by then, so we can make it our beeswax to be there on time.

[YGIFS 19,458]

So like that then?  300 years from now, we'll still carry around binders with our schedules in them?  Or?  

[utee94 16,088]

3 hours ago, YGIFS said:

So like that then?  300 years from now, we'll still carry around binders with our schedules in them?  Or?  

[YGIFS 19,458]

Yeah, like I'll still be playing racquetball and lunching with that fucking douchebag Larry Linder, 300 years from now.  

[utee94 16,088]

2 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

Yeah, like I'll still be playing racquetball and lunching with that fucking douchebag Larry Linder, 300 years from now.  

Linder, Larry... sounds like a real bastard.

[MAUFRAIS 6,740]

Eat up Martha

[Parliament 14,598]

Ohio is cancelling schools and planning parties.  Lotsa couches gonna get burnt.

[Trey3216 15,452]

23 minutes ago, Parliament said:

Ohio is cancelling schools and planning parties.  Lotsa couches gonna get burnt.

Just make sure to carry them out of that diesel engine residence.  Don't want home to burn down, too.  

[Kennythetiger 9,627]

23 hours ago, MAUFRAIS said:

Eat up Martha

Eat up, Martha. 
Punctuation matters. 

[Steamboat1874 4,358]

I was thinking of driving up to Gatesville (from Georgetown) becasue it is in dead center of the path.

Pretty cool little town and I went there a lot when I was young because my grandparents had a small ranch there right across the dirt road from the golf course.

Not sure if it will be worth the hassle with traffic though.

I may just watch it from home in GT where it will still be pretty impressive.

[LonghornSean 4,103]

Met him at the Surly tailgate in Tuscaloosa

 

[RamjetFDO 10,653]

Got my solar filter and wanted to practice a bit... Look! Sunspots!

[CleverNickname 1,345]

I was at the building supply store in Goldthwaite, and they locals were freaking out about being overwhelmed. They ran out of no trespassing signs. The worker pointed them to the purple blaze paint, but the lady wasn't having it. She said that she works in a law office and that the purple paint "wouldn't hold up - too many foreigners who wouldn't know." After she left I assured the checker that, as lawyer, it is true that purple paint is a legal method to mark no trespassing. But then I got to thinking, and if I were her lawyer and she was planning on shooting the hordes, that yeah... maybe more than purple paint would be a good idea. So anyway, nobody go get shot.

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.30.htm#30.05

[Biff Tannen 46,168]

6 minutes ago, CleverNickname said:

I was at the building supply store in Goldthwaite, and they locals were freaking out about being overwhelmed. They ran out of no trespassing signs. The worker pointed them to the purple blaze paint, but the lady wasn't having it. She said that she works in a law office and that the purple paint "wouldn't hold up - too many foreigners who wouldn't know." After she left I assured the checker that, as lawyer, it is true that purple paint is a legal method to mark no trespassing. But then I got to thinking, and if I were her lawyer and she was planning on shooting the hordes, that yeah... maybe more than purple paint would be a good idea. So anyway, nobody go get shot.

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.30.htm#30.05

Idiot world

[Updawg 2,385]

Never knew purple paint meant no trespassing

[NoName 17,148]

43 minutes ago, CleverNickname said:

I was at the building supply store in Goldthwaite, and they locals were freaking out about being overwhelmed. They ran out of no trespassing signs. The worker pointed them to the purple blaze paint, but the lady wasn't having it. She said that she works in a law office and that the purple paint "wouldn't hold up - too many foreigners who wouldn't know." After she left I assured the checker that, as lawyer, it is true that purple paint is a legal method to mark no trespassing. But then I got to thinking, and if I were her lawyer and she was planning on shooting the hordes, that yeah... maybe more than purple paint would be a good idea. So anyway, nobody go get shot.

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.30.htm#30.05

Our very small HOA is putting up nice no trespassing signs everywhere, 100' apart. It's funny.

[deft 7,059]

Got my solar filter and wanted to practice a bit... Look! Sunspots!

What’s your rig? I’m running an old xt8 dob with a standard manual movement dobsonian base. I bought 12x12” filter sheet and rednecked it with some cereal boxes and tape to fit over the opening of the tube. Need to try getting the chinesium cellphone to eyepiece adapter to work better tho

[RamjetFDO 10,653]

34 minutes ago, deft said:

What’s your rig? I’m running an old xt8 dob with a standard manual movement dobsonian base. I bought 12x12” filter sheet and rednecked it with some cereal boxes and tape to fit over the opening of the tube. Need to try getting the chinesium cellphone to eyepiece adapter to work better tho

Just got a Nikon Z6ii (replaced my old D5100), 24-120 f4 S lens, and a good solar filter ... put it on a sturdy tripod and remote shutter release.  ISO200, f/16, 1/500s.

 

[Wally Fairway 5,675]

Early forecast from Accuweather (maybe 2% better than the Old Farmers Alamanac a month out from the eclipse).
I hope it is true - because that is looking good for Wally!

 

https://www.accuweather.com/en/solar-eclipse-2024/solar-eclipse-weather-forecast-accuweather-provides-1st-cloud-outlook/1628495

[crimsonlonghorn 2,313]

Having been to the one in Missouri back in 2017, let me jump in here and say two things in this thread:

1) If you are inclined to go see it, GO! The one in 2017 was absolutely one of the most unique and transcendent experiences I’ve ever had. DO NOT just shrug and say, “Well, it’s __% here, so that’s close enough.” Trust me, it’s not at all close enough. The difference between 99% and 100% might as well be the difference between 99% and 1000000000%. There is no comparison at all seeing the sky get dimmer and dimmer and then dark and seeing the corona and the red beads and hearing the birds suddenly be quiet for 4-5 minutes in the middle of the day. It’s so cool, I’m absolutely going to go to Austin that weekend and fight traffic and put up with the hassle, just because it’s totally worth it. You might get annoyed getting there, but you absolutely will not regret it when it’s over. 
 

2) An interesting thing about eclipses is that there is no need to go anywhere special. As long as you are within the path of totality, you get to see it. Think about it this way: assuming the weather is clear you can see the sun anywhere you go, right? Well, then you can see the eclipse too. There is no need to go to a state park or a special property or any of that shit. Just pull over into a parking lot or go out in your backyard and you will see the exact same thing people are seeing in Fredericksburg or Enchanted Rock or whatever. 
 

Again, yes it’s going to be a pain in the ass, but it’s something that is exceedingly rare and absolutely 100% worth experiencing. 

[PTINS 3,521]

6 minutes ago, crimsonlonghorn said:

Having been to the one in Missouri back in 2017, let me jump in here and say two things in this thread:

1) If you are inclined to go see it, GO! The one in 2017 was absolutely one of the most unique and transcendent experiences I’ve ever had. DO NOT just shrug and say, “Well, it’s __% here, so that’s close enough.” Trust me, it’s not at all close enough. The difference between 99% and 100% might as well be the difference between 99% and 1000000000%. There is no comparison at all seeing the sky get dimmer and dimmer and then dark and seeing the corona and the red beads and hearing the birds suddenly be quiet for 4-5 minutes in the middle of the day. It’s so cool, I’m absolutely going to go to Austin that weekend and fight traffic and put up with the hassle, just because it’s totally worth it. You might get annoyed getting there, but you absolutely will not regret it when it’s over. 
 

2) An interesting thing about eclipses is that there is no need to go anywhere special. As long as you are within the path of totality, you get to see it. Think about it this way: assuming the weather is clear you can see the sun anywhere you go, right? Well, then you can see the eclipse too. There is no need to go to a state park or a special property or any of that shit. Just pull over into a parking lot or go out in your backyard and you will see the exact same thing people are seeing in Fredericksburg or Enchanted Rock or whatever. 
 

Again, yes it’s going to be a pain in the ass, but it’s something that is exceedingly rare and absolutely 100% worth experiencing. 

Don’t go to a parking lot.

Go someplace with trees that have individual leaves, so you can see the crescent shaped shadows.

[F250 29,201]

My place is in the totality zone so I will just go outside and watch it. My cousin is in Ingram and extended an invite to see the corona but I ain't dealing with that traffic afterwards.

[Jersey Man10 3,801]

I live 2 miles from the line so I’ll be chilling in my front lawn.

[deadshank 24,654]

Headed to deer camp in Uvalde county.  Will be there the Thursday before and leave Tuesday after.  Hoping to avoid all the traffic.  Don’t plan on driving into Uvalde.   We are 5 miles off the paved highway and difficulty to get to.  
 

Plan on watching from atop Greasewood Hill which is the high point on our pasture.   It has an incredible view of the hill country off to the north and the Frio below it to the south.  

[Kennythetiger 9,627]

16 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Headed to deer camp in Uvalde county.  Will be there the Thursday before and leave Tuesday after.  Hoping to avoid all the traffic.  Don’t plan on driving into Uvalde.   We are 5 miles off the paved highway and difficulty to get to.  
 

Plan on watching from atop Greasewood Hill which is the high point on our pasture.   It has an incredible view of the hill country off to the north and the Frio below it to the south.  

Cisco, TX for us. 

[deadshank 24,654]

3 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

Cisco, TX for us. 

My artillery can reach that far. 

[Kennythetiger 9,627]

42 minutes ago, deadshank said:

My artillery can reach that far. 

I talked to your hunting buddies. Your aim is nothing to fear. 

[deadshank 24,654]

28 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

I talked to your hunting buddies. Your aim is nothing to fear. 

You will be at Walmart for your wife.  Walmart is a big target.  

[Armybrat 41,408]

On 3/2/2024 at 9:17 PM, deft said:

What’s your rig? I’m running an old xt8 dob with a standard manual movement dobsonian base. I bought 12x12” filter sheet and rednecked it with some cereal boxes and tape to fit over the opening of the tube. Need to try getting the chinesium cellphone to eyepiece adapter to work better tho

Mine (now owned by my son) is a 60mm equatorial refractor by Unitron made in 1961.

 

[Kennythetiger 9,627]

1 hour ago, deadshank said:

You will be at Walmart for your wife.  Walmart is a big target.  

So is my wife. 

[T-shirt Sip 2,207]

I just found out my vacation day was cancelled… because the office is going to be closed for the eclipse. So cool that my boss decided to close the doors on the 8th rather than have half the employees off that day. 

[deadshank 24,654]

1 hour ago, Kennythetiger said:

So is my wife. 

She's warm in the winter and shady in the summertime.

[InkaUtexas 26,893]

24 minutes ago, T-shirt Sip said:

I just found out my vacation day was cancelled… because the office is going to be closed for the eclipse. So cool that my boss decided to close the doors on the 8th rather than have half the employees off that day. 

Wife was told she had the day off. New supervisor said nope, all must be present. At least she gets to be outside and will see it, but means I am not getting laid during an eclipse. Might have to have words with this bitch supervisor.

 

[Hagbard Celine 11,255]

that accuweather red/yellow/green has historical veracity

i've been following this event for 20 years and the average historical cloud cover "north of austin" is 50/50 on 8 April

there is a location near the border with an 84% chance of clear skies (highest in the path in the US) with no permanent border patrol facility if one follows a particular route to and from austin

pm me for more details, this must not go viral, otherwise the advantage is lost

and if you have figured it out for yourself, DON'T FUCKING POST IT IN THE CLEAR OR SPOILED

[T-shirt Sip 2,207]

4 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

Wife was told she had the day off. New supervisor said nope, all must be present. At least she gets to be outside and will see it, but means I am not getting laid during an eclipse. Might have to have words with this bitch supervisor.

 

That's some bullshit. 

[Jersey Man10 3,801]

Yeah, I have to go to work that day but fuck that I’m calling out.

[Nuge 2,032]

I'll be in Dripping Springs all weekend for a wedding reception/eclipse campout.  I'm not planning on leaving until tuesday so hopefully the traffic has dissipated.