I had an email from Amazon this morning informing me that the glasses I purchased could not be certified to the ISO standard and they would be refunding the purchase price. We will be throwing them out. I still have 2 pair of eclipse binoculars that do reference the ISO standard. I looked online and prices have increased considerably and what's left are bulk purchases. 100 pair of eclipse glasses anyone?

As I posted earlier:

Do you happen to remember which of the (then-numerous) sellers you purchased from?

I purchased mine on Amazon a couple of weeks ago at a still-reasonable, though increasing price: about $20 for a 10-pack, from GSM Sales (a third-party seller who uses Fulfillment by Amazon, and who apparently actually does get them from American Paper Optics).

(They are now vastly more expensive than when I bought, though when I bought, they had already jumped in price.)

One challenge for eclipse weather forecasts is that the need for viewing eclipse is different from everyday weather forecast, and normal forecasts or historical statistic like “cloud cover percentage” for example do not directly link to eclipse visibility.

Thin clouds even or a thin layer of e.g. smoke does not matter as much with eclipses as the sun is quite visible through that kind of stuff.

But even a smaller amount of coverage by big thick clouds can be very bad and overcast is of course a showstopper.

Some of the web sites on eclipses have separate “chance of overcast” statistics and forecasts which are much more indicative of the chances...

When choosing the location, it is also good to try to select places where you have roads to various directions within the totality track, so you can move a bit if you see clearer skies “nearby” and your location is covered by cloud.

Here’s hoping for clear skies (or just thin clouds) for all of us...

The vendor is listed as Techgear shop. The listing said they were ISO and CE certified but the package has no such claim. They were plastic frames designed to fit over eyeglasses. I paid $12.99 for 2 pair. They are very ugly.

The binoculars were sold directly by Amazon and reference the correct ISO standard. 2 pair of cardboard binoculars for $9.95. Only 2X. Came with an eclipse map as well.

May as well have some craft beer while eclipse-gazing:

https://www.craftbeer.com/beercation...view-breweries

Don't get anxious over not having eclipse glasses. The total phase does not require any protection. And it is the total phase that is the experience. You may miss the final seconds of the partial phase before 2nd contact, but no big deal. By the way, I bought my pack of 25 glasses for $25 back in Feb. even though i had several pair of safe glasses from prior solar eclipses.

I expect that many of the bigger viewing sites will have groups or organizations with extra pairs of eclipse glasses and will also let people look through their gear during the partial phase.

It's true that you can look at the corona during totality. The dangerous part is the near-totality before and after totality. At that time, you won't feel discomfort while looking at the mostly-blocked sun, but its rays can be permanently damaging your retina.

Eclipse viewers are asked to take proper precautions in protecting their eyes. The Kansas City Kansas Convention & Visitors Bureau will be distributing free certified Eclipse Shades through our partners at the following hotels and attractions listed below, while supplies last.

Hotels - All guests checking in at a KCK hotel on Sunday, August 20, will receive a complimentary commemorative certified solar eclipse glasses.

Attractions - KCK businesses will be handing out eclipse glasses to ticket holders and guests on the following dates:

Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark – August 19, 20.
Kansas City T-Bones – August 19, 20.
Sporting KC – August 19.
Cabela’s – August 21.
Richard Petty Driving Experience – August 19, 20.
All Wyandotte County Museums – August 19, 20.
Rowe Ridge Vineyard & Winery – August 21.
Legends Outlets Kansas City (Management or Security Office) – August 19-21.

Visitors may also pick up a complimentary pair at the Kansas City Kansas Convention & Visitors Bureau office anytime during business hours starting Tuesday through August 21, located at 755 Minnesota Avenue. The office will be open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

my glasses showed up in the mail over the weekend...i overpaid at $19 shipped for 3 pairs but that is what i get for procrastinating and not ordering until August 5th.

Today I saw an overhead traffic sign on I-75 near the GA/TN border that read "SOLAR ECLIPSE AUGUST 21 PLAN AHEAD"

​​​​​​Seems to me those who are into it would already have at least rough plans, else it's too late. And for everyone else, they need to "plan ahead" to look up at the sky for a couple minutes? :p :)

Maybe this is just an attempt to reduce the number of panicked 911 calls from people who don't know about it :D

So many things here...

Before the eclipse, across the US, traffic is going to be ridiculous in some stretches of the eclipse path that don't normally get a lot of traffic. If you're counting on normal traffic during the eclipse, you should plan to be late.

On August 21, thousands of drivers will decide they need to pull over to the side of the road, like, right now. Thousands of other drivers will need to accommodate for that.

If the driver in front of me or behind me decides they need to "look up at the sky" for a few minutes, and they're in control of a motor vehicle, yes, I will want to plan for that.

This is a fair point, although spelling out "SOLAR ECLIPSE -- EXPECT HEAVY/EXTREME TRAFFIC" would be better.

I would file these under "situational awareness" and not "planning ahead" but if you want to call that splitting hairs I won't argue...

USAF colleague in the GPS Program Office was late to his own happy hour last week because he had to write up a staff package for the Program Director's signature ...

"Amazing the things I encounter in my job.
Flash fake news report: GPS may see 2 hour outage due to solar eclipse!!

Crap. Now I have to explain that solar eclipses occur all the time and we've never seen an issue affecting users... in a politically correct manner (expletives deleted) to the average Joe who knows nothing about how GPS works and is now worried. Sheesh. I need a beer."

So what is the plan for DC ?

This might be of interest. The 1922 eclipse when they tested Einstein's theory of relativity.:

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles...tern-australia

And a bit about Hopkinsville, KY, arguably the spot with max totality. They got their first inquiry from someone interested almost ten years ago! Looks like hundreds of thousands will attend:

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles...obsessing-over

I'm having a last minute impulse to go see the total eclipse. Since there's not really any hotel rooms left in the path of totality at this point, I think I'm going to check the weather forecasts on Saturday morning and choose between approaching via either Knoxville or Charlotte, knowing that wherever we can find a room for Sunday will require us to drive the last 10-100 miles into the the total eclipse path on early Monday morning. Leaning toward TN if the weather is slated to be decent to avoid traffic coming down the I-95 "driveshed," though I'm sure traffic will be awful anywhere we go.

Got the same email; my cardboard glasses had the "Great Eclipse" design and the ISO label stamped on them, but apparently the seller did not manage to provide Amazon with documentation that they came from one of the small handful of AAS recommended manufacturers in time. It seems unfair to both buyers and sellers that Amazon waited so long to add this additional requirement above and beyond the ISO certification label, though understandable why Amazon would want to act with an overabundance of caution. I tested the glasses myself with a bright flashlight as recommended by AAS and believe that mine are OK to use despite Amazon's disclaimer.

FWIW I drove westbound on I-24 out of CHA this morning, and in TN there was an overhead sign alternating between the messages of "PLAN AHEAD" and "EXPECT HEAVY TRAFFIC"

Got itinerary booked:

AA2462 LAX-DFW connecting to AA1010 DFW-STL Saturday 19th August Scheduled departure from LAX 14h05 PDT
Scheduled arrival into STL 22h43 CDT

A friend of mine in the STL area is willing to take to the area of totality but details still need to be worked out as there are options to go south, southwest or west from STL. Where will depend at least part on the weather forecast which looks "pretty good" as of now.

I'm flying into STL as well and thinking Perryville, as it's an easy jaunt and they have a fair bit going on. Wherever we go, we are making an early start to avoid as much traffic and to enjoy as much local vibe as possible.

That I'm at the St Louis Hilton at $125 per night speaks to some pre-planning, and a conference rate.

Population of Wyoming: 500,000
Expected out-of-state visitors this weekend: 600,000 :eek:

My plan is to re-fuel in Cheyenne, then refuel again the first thing I do when in Casper. That should give me enough gas to crawl back to Cheyenne and refuel for the journey home.

I've only been an occasional reader here before finally joining these forums so I haven't been following this thread, but anyone flying into PDX or BOI should be ready for madness. Reports from people in Bend, OR are saying that a lot of the small towns along the path in central and eastern Oregon are already running out of gas and food.

Another stat: Population of Oregon: 3.5 - 4 million
Expected eclipse visitors to Oregon: 1 million

Also an :eek:

And of course the expected 1 million could end up being more, or fewer.

Website that aggregates weather forecasts from many places along the eclipse route:

http://skythisweek.info/eclipse2017_...wy_weather.htm

I'll be in St. Joe. We're in that "20% chance of precip" range, but it looks like the forecast for everything north and west is "mostly sunny" with no mention of rain. That's a good sign.

Teton, WY (near JAC) is calling for mostly sunny. Some other weather sources are calling for partly cloudy. We shall see.

Hopefully my motel vending machine is well-stocked, and functional!

I may be forced to cancel my trip at the last minute, but if I don't, I am bringing sufficient snack food with me to cover my needs. My rental car will have enough gas for a round trip. One benefit of doing this in a quick hit and run style trip.

Planning to be on the southern edge of totality band and driving south to get back to the airport as soon as totality ends, I have less concerns about traffic than most here seem to have.

I expect the traffic jam out of the eclipse area, in some states, will be colossal.

Gas stations that don't normally sell out, will. Keep your gas tank full.
I'm bringing food & water, cash, pillows, sunscreen... stuff I wouldn't want to be without if I-80 is a parking lot. A lot of roads will be parking lots.

Good luck all.

I'm already with family in Salem, OR at the moment, so I won't have to brave the roads at all to see the eclipse. We are preparing for being housebound for a few days though.

I flew in from Germany for the visit on Tuesday in LH F. Airports didn't seem to be experiencing unusual volume at that time.

Charleston, SC
 

Turns out that I will be closing an airplane at KCHS next Tuesday. Planning on positioning in the day before so it's looking like I will be able to see the eclipse on Monday.

I will probably just watch the eclipse from the FBO's ramp at the airport but if any of the people on here in CHS have a special DO planned, please let me know. Would love to join up with a few FTers if possible.

Traffic into Madras today is already a huge issue, supposedly. Now, in addition to the normal ecliptomaniacs, there are 35K people who are expected to attend the "Symbiosis" festival as well, and all the roads in and out of that area are two lane.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/e...s-11942253.php

This is an interesting article about the "drivesheds" of traffic that may converge on different places. A few random ones that you would not expect could, in theory, be significantly impacted if people primarily drive to the eclipse at the location closest to their homes.

http://www.businessinsider.com/solar...y-maps-2017-8/

I think the Madras traffic at this point is wholly attributable to the festival attendees. I go to very large music festivals and it's really not unusual, especially with the road situation there.

I think the worst traffic situations will come as people try and drive in to totality areas on Sunday or as everybody tries to leave on Monday right after the eclipse.

I'm wondering if I'm crazy for attempting a Mon am fly-in (award ticket of course) to catch the eclipse...

Both MCI and BNA airports appear to have parking garages with an open upper deck that would provide a clear skyward view. Then right back onto a return flight. Could do CAE or CHS too, but forecast isn't looking great.

Pro: I can switch cities last minute if the weather forecast goes bad.
Con: IRROPs.

Or I have a Sun hotel room north of Nashville and a Sun-Mon car rental that I can use.

Pro: No morning stress. Can potentially use car to dodge clouds.
Con: Can't switch cities last minute for weather. And (minor) $$$ of hotel+car.

I wouldn't necessarily count the top level of the MCI garages as the best place. They're the same level as the entry to the terminal, so you might be best riding the shuttle to the airport hotel or the economy lots and watching over there. Less building obstructions.

I was able to book points stay at Greenville SC Embassy Suites (downtown) today. I think a number of rooms opened up today as people had to commit or cancel now that everyone has a 48 hour cancellation policy.

Having spent the last night in Klamath Falls and driving to Redmond this morning, traffic is a non-issue so far. We were advised to use tripcheck.com, and we did.

Though we're staying in Redmond, we're driving to Madras now to check out the area. We intend to watch the eclipse there, but may scout out the area on Highway 26 between Madras and Prineville to see if that's less trafficked.

Happy trails everybody!

Salem area and I5 traffic is currently essentially normal. Total anticlimax so far.

antieclipse... :o

At this moment there are three (!) :) Hilton-family hotels in Downtown Charleston SC that have availability for tonight on HHonors points or a free weekend night cert.!