251 replies to this topic

[Cajundaddy]

Garner State Park Concan TX.  Follow your nose!  

[vodakjack]

For those planning on traveling to places like Uvalde, Concan, etc. keep in mind that once you start getting west of I-35 and south of a line running roughly NW from San Antonio through Kerrville and out to Junction you start getting into remote areas with a lot of ranch and farm land but not much in the way of towns. So the advice to make sure you have food and water with you, and to gas up when you get the chance would be wise to follow, especially if your plan is to "find a country road somewhere to pull over". A lot of people that aren't from Texas or other Southwestern/Western states really underestimate just how far it can be from point A to point B (even in more populated areas like Dallas/Ft. Worth). Also keep in mind if you plan on using your phone's map (or other) apps that in some areas cell service may be weak, spotty, or non-existent.

 

That's not to make it sound like you're going to be traveling through Death Valley in the middle of summer, it's just as I said, a lot of people really underestimate how far distances between two points here can be, and that's without the added influx of people that's expected.

Along these lines, totally agree that cell service is spotty at best. I have Verizon and found that there's a huge black hole of no service in a region roughly bounded by Bandera to Del Rio and Uvalde to the SH41/US83 intersection. Check your service provider's coverage map if you intend to set up in this region

Edited by vodakjack, 11 March 2024 - 04:49 PM.

[KevinFH]

Driving. Leaving the 25th. Taking Airstream to Uvalde area 35 minutes North on Hwy 55.

Just finished testing the rig with a white filter, focal reducer to get fl=650mm.

[mdredmond]

I think I've settled on Gatesville, thanks to the advice of Rossmacman. Keeps me away from the Dallas area, and I was able to reserve parking at the civic center, where we can set up on the adjacent baseball fields. Knowing I'll have somewhere to park, and not have to walk a long distance with my scope setup, lawn chairs, etc. really helps with piece of mind.

I'm wondering how deep down the rabbit hole I should go... I am considering reserving similar parking slots northeast and southwest down the line, just to hedge my bets on somewhere with clear skies. What's $20 when I'm already travelling from Northern Canada for a once in a lifetime experience! My only pause on this is I don't want to be that guy that hogs all the reservations for everyone else. Perhaps if the weather doesn't work out in Gatesville, I'll just shoot for a walmart parking lot in whatever locale I end up chasing the sun into...

Save your money. Once you’re on a backup plan nothing is going to be ideal and if you end up in a random parking lot somewhere it won’t matter. The eclipse will look precisely the same.

I made state park reservations just so I could get set up overnight and have bathrooms available for myself and my daughter. But other than that and the “block party” atmosphere, there is no real advantage to having a reservation anywhere.

In 2017 my uncle and I ended up in a Walmart lot in Casper but moved to a little city park across the street early in the morning. Both locations were great with bathrooms, water, etc. The atmosphere at the park was amazing.

Edited by mdredmond, 12 March 2024 - 04:59 AM.

[mdredmond]

Earlier comments about lack of online maps in some parts of Texas prompted me to buy Espenak’s eclipse atlas on Amazon.  It’s a road atlas with the eclipse path overlaid on it.  Seems like a good idea and a decent souvenir if not needed.

 

 

[Phillip Creed]

Earlier comments about lack of online maps in some parts of Texas prompted me to buy Espenak’s eclipse atlas on Amazon.  It’s a road atlas with the eclipse path overlaid on it.  Seems like a good idea and a decent souvenir if not needed.

Got that and a Delorme Map of Texas if (God forbid...) I want to try dodging clouds, traffic and having to sell a kidney to secure lodging and an observing site in Texas (I'm MOSTLY joking about that last part).

Between my wife and kids we'll have plenty of folks that can navigate, but the paper maps are a nice backup.

I just really hope weather doesn't compel me to drive 1,000+ miles to Texas.  Prices, hype and logistics have really scared me away from Texas.  What's seemingly everyone's choice is my last resort.

Case in point--there was an informal poll on the Solar Eclipse Chasers group on Facebook.  At this point 233 votes have been cast on where folks are heading.  So far:

Mexico -- 16%
Texas -- 41%
Oklahoma--3%
Arkansas--7%
Missouri--2% 
Illinois--6% (...and I'm guessing most of them are targeting Carbondale)
Kentucky--1% (in the path, but no centerline)
Indiana--6%
Ohio--5% (lots of population, but April weather typically sucks)
Pennsylvania--1% (limited path)
New York--3% (weather suckage typically higher than Ohio, if that's possible)
Vermont--0% 
New Hampshire--1%
Maine--1% (April here is also known as, "January", in much of the country)
Canada--5%, eh.

So this means that 79% of respondents are planning to be in the USA and 41% of respondents will be in Texas.  Meaning, of those planning on being in the U.S., 52% of them (41/79) are targeting Texas.

Yes, that's a very small sample size of all the folks traveling to totality.  But those kind of numbers jump out at you.

Clear Skies,

Phil

 

[harpo80]

Canyon Lake for us, AirBnB with a decent yard, flying into San Angelo and repositioning as needed the day of.  Cajundaddy's BBQ may draw us that way.    

[Joe F Gafford]

At my great-nephew's house with a family bash in Jarrell, TX. About a minute and a half more eclipse time than the last one in 2017. Bad weather, NW PA at my cousin's house. Otherwise rove or stay home.

 

Joe

[Cotts]

My friend and CN member Ed Wiley will be hosting me at his remote observatory in the hill country WNW of Austin for 3m54s of totality.  I'm arriving there on the 6th and, after the eclipse, we're staying for another 3 or 4 days for some dark sky viewing.  I don't expect much traffic trouble going in or out

 

However.

 

The cloud-avoidance scramble on the morning of the 8th, should it be necessary, might be a giant traffic jam where one won't even be able to get to the clear skies somewhere else along the totality path.  There may be over a million non-resident people inside the eclipse path in the state of Texas and they are all going to try to drive to the same region at the same time and on the same roads...  Horror show... might just stay put.

 

Dave

[Keith Rivich]

I'll be North West of you in Leakey - about 60 miles away.

We have our observing site in Leakey. Swing by and visit. Clearwater Ranch and Resort. I'll have my 25" there and a friend is bringing his 30". 

[kasprowy]

Got that and a Delorme Map of Texas if (God forbid...) I want to try dodging clouds, traffic and having to sell a kidney to secure lodging and an observing site in Texas (I'm MOSTLY joking about that last part).

Between my wife and kids we'll have plenty of folks that can navigate, but the paper maps are a nice backup.

I just really hope weather doesn't compel me to drive 1,000+ miles to Texas.  Prices, hype and logistics have really scared me away from Texas.  What's seemingly everyone's choice is my last resort.

Case in point--there was an informal poll on the Solar Eclipse Chasers group on Facebook.  At this point 233 votes have been cast on where folks are heading.  So far:

Mexico -- 16%
Texas -- 41%
Oklahoma--3%
Arkansas--7%
Missouri--2% 
Illinois--6% (...and I'm guessing most of them are targeting Carbondale)
Kentucky--1% (in the path, but no centerline)
Indiana--6%
Ohio--5% (lots of population, but April weather typically sucks)
Pennsylvania--1% (limited path)
New York--3% (weather suckage typically higher than Ohio, if that's possible)
Vermont--0% 
New Hampshire--1%
Maine--1% (April here is also known as, "January", in much of the country)
Canada--5%, eh.

So this means that 79% of respondents are planning to be in the USA and 41% of respondents will be in Texas.  Meaning, of those planning on being in the U.S., 52% of them (41/79) are targeting Texas.

Yes, that's a very small sample size of all the folks traveling to totality.  But those kind of numbers jump out at you.

Clear Skies,

Phil

 

The funny thing is, that the chance of clear skies anywhere in Texas is 10% (at best) better than Cleveland. I'll be in Sparta, IL, a bit west of Carbondale, where I watched the 2017 eclipse. Carbondale on Interstate 57 will be a mess.

[kasprowy]

The cloud-avoidance scramble on the morning of the 8th, should it be necessary, might be a giant traffic jam where one won't even be able to get to the clear skies somewhere else along the totality path.  There may be over a million non-resident people inside the eclipse path in the state of Texas and they are all going to try to drive to the same region at the same time and on the same roads...  Horror show... might just stay put.

 

Agreed. If you are looking to scramble spur of the moment, you likely won't make it very far from where you started. Then there is the possible nightmare scenario - you're stuck in traffic under clouds, only to find out that your original site had a cloud break. Roll your dice and stick with it,

[mtminnesota]

I'm staying in San Angelo, 2 hr 15 mins NW of Kerrville, where I have a parking space reserved at a church.  I plan to get there around noon, totality is at 1:32.  The hotel room was $180, the parking space $20, so it's a pretty reasonable trip for me.  It will be interesting to see how Kerrville, a town of 25,000, handles the estimated 150,000-450,000 people that are expected to invade it. 

[Phillip Creed]

The funny thing is, that the chance of clear skies anywhere in Texas is 10% (at best) better than Cleveland. I'll be in Sparta, IL, a bit west of Carbondale, where I watched the 2017 eclipse. Carbondale on Interstate 57 will be a mess.

My contingency plan for Illinois is to be in nearby Marion, but somewhere EAST of I-57.  It will sacrifice a tiny amount of totality duration.  But the idea is that those going home on I-57 will have to head west if they're east side of Marion.  I'll just head east and drive towards Evansville in a direction much fewer people are going from Marion.

At least that would be the plan.

Clear Skies,

Phil

[NickLandis2023]

I've already had Delta call me this week because they already overbooked my return flight. I'm sure the airports are going to be fun!

[bonjorno]

Red River County Chamber of Commerce website has info on (maybe available?) viewing sites.  I'm planning on Clarksville, TX area.

https://www.chambero...&eventid=482401

[naztronomy]

We're driving down to Austin (Marble Falls to be exact) from Boston! With an 11 month old. My wife and I love road trips and so far, our son has been pretty good on 4-6 hours driving (with a break or two). we'll be Pushing the limits but we had this trip planned before we even knew we were having a baby. 

 

My wife and I are flying down on the 6th through the 9th into/from Houston. We got lucky in finding one of the few remaining cheap flights and booked a hotel about an hour outside path of totality. We haven't decided if we will be going into Waco or somewhere else, but in that general area most likely. Curious to see who all ends up in the same area

Nice profile pic! 

[ResidualRichey]

I'll be traveling from Massachusetts to an RV park near Lake Tawakoni. Leaving Mass on the 4th and making a couple of stops along the way (some National Parks). Took two weeks of vacation from work. This will be my first solar eclipse, first time in Texas, and first time driving the RV this far. Plan is to get a couple of shots (using Eclipse Orchestrator).

[BRCoz]

Leave on Friday, and stay in Georgetown Texas on the 7th.  Then head west for the eclipse.  After we will try to continue west to Fort Stockton for a night then head back to Arizona.  I10 most of the way.

 

I will have a scanner and am working on getting any info about the roads.

 

 

Enjoy the eclipse everyone.  It will be the last one for me in my lifetime.

[vodakjack]

I was looking at Uvalde for a backup site. The city hasn't said much about any huge festivals, etc and it seems like a promising location. There is some sort of event going on at the fairplex south of town. Anyone else going to Uvalde or forsee any issues setting up at a city park there?

[johnpd]

Going to Brackettville which is about the same distance west of the centerline as Uvalde is east.

 

JohnD

[KevinFH]

I made reservations 2 years ago at an RV park 35 minutes north of Uvalde.  After that, I’m going to work my way around New Mexico. My plan is for doing some Astro-landscape as well as deep space.

i have been looking around NM online and I found some cool places to visit.  I’ve been to Rusty’s a couple times.  I might go there for a dip in the hot tub.

These are places I may visit:

Cosmic Campground…………..DS

Valley of Dreams………………..AL

White Sands……………………..AL

Rusty’s……………………………DS/HT

Sunset Reef Campground……..DS

Trinity Site……………….………Tourist

Roswell………………………….Tourist

Hanksville Butte(?)……………..AL

 

Does anyone know any good places in Western TX or NM?

[agavephoto]

I made reservations 2 years ago at an RV park 35 minutes north of Uvalde.  After that, I’m going to work my way around New Mexico. My plan is for doing some Astro-landscape as well as deep space.

i have been looking around NM online and I found some cool places to visit.  I’ve been to Rusty’s a couple times.  I might go there for a dip in the hot tub.

These are places I may visit:

Cosmic Campground…………..DS

Valley of Dreams………………..AL

White Sands……………………..AL

Rusty’s……………………………DS/HT

Sunset Reef Campground……..DS

Trinity Site……………….………Tourist

Roswell………………………….Tourist

Hanksville Butte(?)……………..AL

 

Does anyone know any good places in Western TX or NM?

FYI, the Trinity site is only open on two days a year, and the April open house date for 2024 has been cancelled already.

[agavephoto]

I made reservations 2 years ago at an RV park 35 minutes north of Uvalde.  After that, I’m going to work my way around New Mexico. My plan is for doing some Astro-landscape as well as deep space.

i have been looking around NM online and I found some cool places to visit.  I’ve been to Rusty’s a couple times.  I might go there for a dip in the hot tub.

These are places I may visit:

Cosmic Campground…………..DS

Valley of Dreams………………..AL

White Sands……………………..AL

Rusty’s……………………………DS/HT

Sunset Reef Campground……..DS

Trinity Site……………….………Tourist

Roswell………………………….Tourist

Hanksville Butte(?)……………..AL

 

Does anyone know any good places in Western TX or NM?

Another thing you might enjoy is seeing the Very Large Array (make sure you go to the actual VLA site off HWY60 West of Magdalena, some maps show a location in Socorro and there are no radio telescopes there  ). They have tours on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month, and a large open house event on April 20th. https://public.nrao....urs-and-events/.

 

You've already got White Sands on your list, well worth it, I think. From White Sands, if you head N through Alamogordo, you could see the Three Rivers Petroglyph site https://www.blm.gov/...petroglyph-site, which could be nice for some astro-landscape work with the moon up a bit. There's Apache Point observatory and the Sunspot solar observatory (no longer NSO run) near White Sands (you can see some of the structures atop the mountains from White Sands). From there, continuing N on 54 and then W on US-380, you come across Valley of Fires, a relatively recent lava flow. https://www.blm.gov/...valley-of-fires. The Owl Bar in US-380, where some from the Manhattan project ate, has some nice green chile burgers. There's Carlsbad Caverns in Southern NM as well that's pretty fun to see. If you're going farther N in NM, then there are many places to see, depending on your interests, but one highlight is Chaco Culture National Historic Park, which has good, dark skies, and the buildings have alignments that tie into a culture that knew much about astronomy (if it's been rainy, call ahead to see if the road is passable!). I don't think their night sky program will be active in April, though as they usually run that May-October. 

[jrussell]

So I went and scouted out my campsite and primary viewing location yesterday. On the way back I thought I should warn about traffic here again. Where I'm going to be is several miles west of Hillsboro. The center line will cross I-35 a couple of miles south of Hillsboro. Where I got back on to I-35 to head north is just south of town and maybe a mile north of the cross over point. When I got on the freeway this is what the southbound lanes looked like. When I got into Hillsboro going southbound a few hours earlier traffic was heavy but wasn't backed up like this. It's possible there was something I wasn't aware of further down the road to cause the back up but I don't think there was as I've seen it backed up like this more than once. Traffic flow along 35 on weekends tends to be heavier northbound at the start of the weekend, then heavier southbound at the end of the weekend. Where I took this was at the north end of Hillsboro. I don't know how far south it was backed up like this, but it started getting like this about a mile north of where the 35E-35W split is. Keep in mind this was a Sunday afternoon about 3:30, without anything special going on, without the influx of several thousand additional people. And Hillsboro is a fairly small town.

 

Additionally, if any of you will be traveling along I-35 I won't say there is a lot of radar monitoring of the speed limit in Alvarado, Grandview, and Georgetown. But I will say if you exceed the speed limit through these areas there is a heightened chance you will get the opportunity to meet a local LEO. Just sayin'.

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