(08-17-2017, 11:55 AM)rollerjag Wrote:

(08-16-2017, 10:17 PM)TJBender Wrote: I'm committed to the place in Tennessee that I somehow got my hands on earlier tonight. Cloud cover in NC, GA and SC looked like too big a gamble. I will be chilling in a hotel parking lot on Monday watching the moon do its thing, with a very high likelihood of not being clouded over.

Where in Tennessee will you be? I'm going to try the scenic overlook rest stop on US 111 (the view from which is pictured below) in hopes it won't be too crowded.

You have no idea how close you were to inadvertently bumping into me. My target has shifted many, many times over the last 48 hours, to the point where I ate a $60 deposit on a frightening hotel room in Maryville in exchange for a Super 8 in Kingston, which is my final landing spot. I almost booked a hotel room in Hixson instead and that exact turnoff is where I was looking at. I ended up passing it up for two reasons. One, I don't particularly want to have to drive on Monday (not an option for you, though). Two, I could see that spot becoming comedically overloaded as people out driving just trying to find a place to stop see a turnoff. If you're going there, I'd suggest getting there really, really early and making a day of it.

The storm chaser in me feels like the best way to get a clear view of the eclipse and not be surrounded by other people is to get yourself about 1/4th to 1/3rd of the way into the path of totality, find the first side road you can, get off on it and drive until the first open field you come across, then park and wait. I've picked up plenty of great photographs by doing exactly that. Kind of why I ended up in Kingston. It's a compact area with lots of open fields within walking distance of me.

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