Pan Am went belly up during this same two week time span, creating a lot of uncertainty for the trip home. But once back a home, a coworker and I were looking at when future eclipses would be and where. While solar eclipses are only somewhat rare, happening less than one per year on average, having them hit major parts of the contiguous 48 states is even rarer. When we saw that a total solar eclipse would cross the entire continent on August 21, 2017, we sent our department Admin a vacation request for that date. She was confused and assumed we meant later that same year, but we told her that, no, we meant we were putting in for vacation in 19 years. So yes, in a very real way, I've been preparing for this upcoming eclipse for nearly 20 years. Surprisingly, we both still work for the same company, although the calendar systems have changed many times since then, and we've both moved jobs a few times. Still, we both will be on vacation to view the eclipse.
I've seen a few other partial eclipses that I can recall. The first was on February 26, 1979. I was in grade school and all the classes paraded down to the Junior High section of the school to view the partial eclipse. The seventh grade science teacher was using a binocular to project the shape of the partially obscured sun onto a white piece of paper on the floor. At that age, I didn't get it and wondered why we couldn't just look through the binoculars at whatever was happening. The big kid part of the school was always a little scary.
The next one that I remember was May 10, 1994. I was working as a mechanic at the time and an annular eclipse was traversing just south of where I was. We all went outside and saw the near annularity. The shop was in a really bad part of town and some of the local denizens were wondering why we were all outside staring up at the sun looking through welders glasses and helmets. My boss tried to show a few of them, but their reaction was similar to my young reaction from 1979. The most dramatic thing I witnessed during that eclipse was how eerie the sky looked - it is hard to describe, sort of how the sky looks with an imminent thunderstorm, before it actually happens. During the period of low light, one of my coworkers yelled out, "Now everybody do as I say or I won't bring it back!" This made us all laugh.
On June 10, 2002, I drove up the road to a farm pull-out with a good view to the west and viewed the partial eclipse of the setting sun. I had made a pinhole camera to view it. I wasn't the only person there and the older couple next to me were viewing directly through a pinhole they made in a 3"x5" card. That is a good way to damage one's vision. However, given the late hour of the day, the risk was probably relatively low. Hopefully for them anyway.
This brings me to August 2017. Looking at the long sloping path of totality, I wanted to be in an area where the sky is big. I also knew weather would be important, so I wanted to be in an area with high potential for clear conditions. I chose Western Nebraska since it fulfilled both of these requirements; I also really love the Sand Hills area.
My more concrete preparation for this trip began over a year ago. I made hotel reservations just outside of totality under the logic that if my immediate area ends up with significant clouds, being just outside would allow easier transport to a clearer area. I didn't think much about it until several months ago when I started seeing news stories on the upcoming eclipse. Since then, I've been shocked at the level of interest this astronomical even has generated. People from around the globe are positioning themselves to see the eclipse. Nebraska, with high potential for good weather is one of the better locations to potentially view it. Regardless of weather, 100s of thousands of people are making plans to be in the path of totality.
As I heard more and more about the level of planning and people this eclipse will draw, I realized that traveling a few hundred miles on the morning of the eclipse was probably not realistic. Far better to choose a location in totality and then be fluid if it is safe and feasible to do so. The worst case scenario would be stuck in traffic somewhere outside of totality. Thankfully, there is family in Alliance, Nebraska, so plans were made to stay there. This was going to be an event. Even if things happen to not allow viewing of the eclipse, I might be able to see something almost as rare - major traffic problems in rural Nebraska. On cancelling my original hotel reservations, I suspect I made someone desperate for a room very happy - and maybe the hotel as well since I'm sure the rate charged for the only room within a few miles of totality was probably much higher than my rate.
Starting at about the three week mark, I started paying attention to the long range weather forecasts from Accuweather and the Climate Prediction Center of NOAA. I tried not to get too excited or frightened, as forecasts at that range are notoriously fickle. I tried ... not always successfully. The best weather would be bright clear skies - I can see the eclipse. The second best would be complete cloud cover over a wide area - I won't be able to see it, but at least I'd be part of the sad event. The absolute worst weather would be 75% cloud cover as I would anticipate some people doing anything and everything to get in an area to see the sun at the last minute - if this happens, I predict it will get very ugly.
Forecasts ten days out are subject to a lot of refinement, but it is at a point where the models can start to converge on likely weather patterns. The ten-day forecast forecast looks OK. Not great, but at least hopeful.
Partly cloudy is hopeful, but I wish it looked like this.
Actually, it should really look like this!
In addition to obsessing over the weather and location, other preparations have been in progress over the last few weeks. The Gold Wing got a good going over ready for the adventure. Things were prepped for a few thousand miles on the motorcycle. All the usual motorcycle specifics have been packed in preparation along with a few other things. I've got a tripod for my camera along with a solar filter for it and some eclipse glasses to safely view partiality.
These preparations helped not only because anticipation is such a big part of any trip, but it also helped put the eclipse in a bit of perspective. I'm getting excited for the trip itself; this is yet another chance to motor through the country for whatever reason. Any reason. And if I get to be a witness to totality, all the better. If not, I'll still be part of a coast to coast cultural phenomenon - but it is just one part of what I'm sure will be a great adventure.
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