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Post by deekaye on Aug 17, 2017 18:48:15 GMT
I'm in Southwest Washington and watching the Portland news this morning, the traffic looks horrendous! Make him watch the news before heading down there... that might change his mind. Cousin lives in Newport, on the Oregon coast and, if I remember right, Newport is the starting point of the eclipse. She says people have been coming in to their community for days and traffic is awful. Ugh... I'm working that day so my staff and I will step out the front door with our NASA approved glasses to see if we can see anything.... a few minutes later we'll return to work. Beats driving for hours and sitting in traffic!
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Post by keesha on Aug 17, 2017 19:13:26 GMT
You may find this current situation map helpful: RAPTOR
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Post by mtscrapper on Aug 17, 2017 19:29:42 GMT
I live in Idaho about 2 hours from the totality line. However, my daughter just got married this past weekend and is having an open house in the totality area on Saturday. We were planning on driving there Saturday morning. There is a lot of construction between here and there and it puts the freeway down to just 1 lane in some spots. I'm worried that we are going to be hung up in traffic and not make it to my daughter's open house. We are planning on not staying until Monday (we both have to work), so coming home should be easier. When she set that time, it was a long time ago and the eclipse wasn't on anyone's radar at the time.
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Post by nicoleq on Aug 17, 2017 19:40:02 GMT
The Albany, OR Fred Meyer looked like the bread aisle had been looted last night. I-5 traffic has been bad in the afternoons. Part of the Prineville problem is a concert and festival that is happening in conjunction with the eclipse. Ah Man!! I grew up in Albany!! I know right where you were standing!
My sister lives in Sunriver (Bend Area) and said it's CRAZY!!
Apparently a Japanese? tour group bought every site at Ka-nee-tah Village over a year ago!
My brother is in Corvallis and he said it is crazy there as well.
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Post by anneinwa on Aug 17, 2017 19:43:32 GMT
My dad is driving up from southern California to SW Washington today and tomorrow (possible saturday). I told him I had no idea what to expect for traffic in southern Oregon. Hopefully ok, but to be prepared.
News was saying 6 hours travel time from Portland to Salem (normally is about an hour) to be expected Monday morning. And then another 1-2 hrs for those who have tickets for the fairgrounds just from the exit to the parking lot.
That alone made me realize we were staying home and we sold our tickets.
Sister is flying into Portland Friday evening and didn't even thlnk about reserving a car. She leaves Monday afternoon and I told her to take one of our cars and park it down there and we would go get it a day or so later.
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Post by deekaye on Aug 17, 2017 19:47:12 GMT
Apparently a Japanese? tour group bought every site at Ka-nee-tah Village over a year ago!
Really? We go to Kah-nee-tah every Spring with our RV and usually don't make reservations until a couple of months before hand. We called last December to see if we could get a reservation for this weekend and they laughed and laughed.... 'said the campground and every hotel room has been booked for months... Kah-nee-tah would be an AWESOME place to watch the eclipse! We also wondered if any of the staff members would not watch. I seem to remember something about Native American lore about not watching an eclipse out of honor to nature (or something like that. Don't quote me! )
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Post by marysue63 on Aug 17, 2017 20:08:53 GMT
So we are all talking about the west coast activities, is it just as crazy across the country?
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 4, 2024 18:53:22 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2017 20:12:54 GMT
Very interesting thread! I'm guessing Oregon is prime for watching because they are the first place mainland to get the eclipse? I'm in N Tx so we will get 75% coverage per the news. I'm not interested in looking at the actual event but will be looking online with my 3 yo DGS on Monday. If I had thought early enough, I would have gotten the glasses for us, but I didn't so we will stay inside & watch. I'm sure the news stations will be carrying live reports.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 4, 2024 18:53:22 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2017 20:13:28 GMT
So we are all talking about the west coast activities, is it just as crazy across the country? I was just wondering this as well...
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Post by keesha on Aug 17, 2017 21:07:51 GMT
My mom is in assisted living about an hour and half from me --she is in the path of totality (Oregon). I told her I am not going with my family to Central OR because I don't want to deal with the crowds/traffic. She asked me to come watch with her --but she didn't know if it was "AM or PM" haha. Staying home is fine with me! Awww...it would be cool if you could watch it with her. Something to remember for the rest of your lives. I know... if I thought she would truly enjoy it I would go-totality would be cool. But, she watches the news every day and her dementia makes her worry and stress. She as seen the reports and doesn't want me driving anywhere that day now
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Post by pb on Aug 18, 2017 1:30:50 GMT
I am in Salem visiting my mom. I am not here for the eclipse, it is just how timing worked.
The grocery store had every register open and at least three people in line.
The gas station had cars waiting for a spot.
Traffic is awful.
And it is only Thursday.
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scrapbug
Full Member
Posts: 343
Jun 26, 2014 0:11:46 GMT
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Post by scrapbug on Aug 18, 2017 3:04:56 GMT
Wow. I bet this is the most excitement Madras has ever had. I'm from Bend and I've never heard anyone say they "wanted" to go to Madras. I would just not want to be there right now - not worth it.
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Post by PNWMom on Aug 18, 2017 3:53:27 GMT
My sisters live in Redmond and Terrebonne, Oregon, just south of Madras. They are sheltering in place and not leaving their homes starting tomorrow (Friday) through Tuesday. Long lines at the gas stations have already started, and grocery stores are out of lots of items. Madras has a two lane highway going through it that will not be able to handle all this extra traffic. And, it is the massive peak of fire season in an incredibly dry year. The state patrol is telling people they canNOT just pull over to watch the eclipse--not only will that back things up traffic wise and be unsafe, but the hot cars over dry grass can easily cause a wildfire. They have alerts everywhere about not pulling over. I believe they will be ticketing anyone who does. They are stationing officers every few miles along the roads there to prevent people from doing that.
Honestly--if people couldn't be bothered to plan ahead for this, they shouldn't be trying to just wing it and go. It's not like the eclipse is randomly showing up--this has been pretty publicly discussed for well over a year now. Pulling over with a hot car on a tinder dry roadside is a very bad idea, and illegal camping/squatting is also pretty uncool. My BIL is a firefighter/paramedic in Redmond and they consider this whole thing a state of emergency. It is not if, it is WHEN a tourist starts a wildland fire by unsafe camping or cigarettes or a hot car undercarriage.
A million people planned trips to Oregon alone for the eclipse and have elaborate, detailed plans in place for how they are doing this. It's already going to be a disaster with infrastructure overload withOUT adding a bunch more people who decide to try to drive down on the spur of the moment without somewhere to go or supplies to sustain themselves, etc.
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Nink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,947
Location: North Idaho
Jul 1, 2014 23:30:44 GMT
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Post by Nink on Aug 18, 2017 4:10:27 GMT
I'm in North Idaho and my sister read that we'll have 90% which is good enough for me. My best friend lives in Madras, and my brother lives in Ontario. You couldn't pay me to go either place right now.
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Post by busy on Aug 18, 2017 5:14:07 GMT
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Post by Hayjaker on Aug 18, 2017 5:27:35 GMT
Hmm. I will be headed to Monmouth to watch the eclipse at my DD's house. Monmouth will be at 100%, my location is only at 96% We're not leaving until Sunday to drive about 2 1/2 hours North. I'm fully expecting it to take ALL DAY. And I'm really excited because I remember the eclipse in 1979 and thinking then about this one!
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Post by busy on Aug 19, 2017 0:06:59 GMT
I've spent the past few days trying unsuccessfully to track down glasses (ours were part of the Amazon recall) and it just dawned on me that maybe the ballfield would have them. And indeed... a pair is included with every ticket. What a waste of my time LOL
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Post by busy on Aug 19, 2017 2:09:27 GMT
jumperhop Show your husband this. And it's only Friday! lol
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Post by jumperhop on Aug 19, 2017 2:45:56 GMT
jumperhop Show your husband this. And it's only Friday! lol Oh my goodness!!! That looks so dreadful!! What a nightmare! My DH literally thinks he will be able to get down to Madras take a left turn on some country road and drive for 20 miles into the middle of nowhere and pull over. Yakima's visibility is at 96%. We tossed around the idea of going past Goldendale and watching on the WA side before you get to the river. It's 97% there! Not worth the drive for 1%. My sister drove down to Boise today and said the freeway going west was insane. She said between Durkee and Huntington there are just random fields full of 100s of Parked RVs already. Absolutely crazy. I wish my Grandma who lived in Durkee most of her life was alive to see it. She would have loved her new neighbors and all the attention to the area. Jen
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