I suspect it might be a liability issue. Teachers can't prevent some kid from looking at the sun without the special glasses.

Some schools here are keeping kids inside for this reason.

When I was in elementary school (early 90's) we had an eclipse and practically the whole school was outside looking up :cool: Good old days lol

I'll actually be on WN 1577, one of the advertised "Celestial Chaser" flights from SW. The flight will land right around the time of the eclipse. I haven't flown in there for a long time. What's the best route for me to get a clear view of the sky from the ground once I land at STL?

We flew out of Eugene yesterday afternoon, and the airport was pretty quiet. There don't seem to be any extra flights or anything, and it's a quiet airport. A guy at a coffee shop closer to the totality region said people had been flying in in private aircraft and camping at municipal airfields and paying $$$ to camp in farm fields. Your only issue will probably be the roads from wherever you watch back to where things open up a little in Eugene. Hotels and campgrounds weren't full during the week, so it doesn't seem like there were a ton of people getting in place early and they'll all be trying to get into place today and tomorrow.

I am! But my house is in the path of totality so I don't have to go anywhere. That being said, I plan on taking my dog to the dog park during it, because it's further in the path of totality by a couple miles, it's a wide open space so no buildings in the way, and who doesn't love dogs and science?

We have one school district that is pulling that crap, the rest required signed approval from parents. Our kids will be outside for the full event, lasting 2 hrs if I recall. School has made it fun (but safe in planning) for the kids. We have spent the last few days discussing the importance of wearing the provided glasses, as have the teachers, and even local media. Sadly it looks like we may have enough cloud cover tomorrow that the event may turn out to be a dud.

As for me, I will walk out my front door and enjoy it, and likely collect a few shanked golf balls from the golf course next to me.:)

Do you have special glasses for your dog?

Nah, dogs have evolved over the years to be able to detect "once in a lifetime" events (which occur every few years apparently) with their noses. No glasses needed.

Now in Spring City, TN
 

We've arrived in Spring City, TN. Found a close-in parking space and have found a bench in the park near the water. Steady stream of people coming in.

Well, woke up to a gloriously rainy, cloudy crappy day. Was supposed to get 65% partial eclipse.

Oh well.

No traffic on I-40 east thus far, plus it's sunny. ^ En route to my friend's farm now.

I'm just north of Portland, OR, and at T-2 hours we are having the kind of weather that Portland is *not* known for. Sunny, with a cloudless blue sky. Gonna be a beautiful day!

We are supposed to hit 99%, and that's close enough for me.

Heavy rains in KC from 9am until 10am and winds from the SSW meant than Plan A (heading north) was ruled out by my group. We instead headed east, and the skies cleared around 11:30am at Odessa MO -- just under two minutes of glorious totality at 1:09pm central daylight time.

I think from central Missouri eastward the skies remained clear, at least until the Appalachians.

Our international (IB) school chartered buses to take students to the eclipse, departing around 3 am and supposedly driving to a good viewing location. They arranged it this way because they said that hotels weren't available.

Odessa was cloudy when I was heading east on I70. Sounds like I got there too early. I ended up near Sedalia with a thin cirrus cloud in front of the sun, but at least the corona was easily visible.