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Eclipse Downstate?

Eclipse Downstate?
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  • Eclipse Downstate?

    Post #1 - August 15th, 2017, 1:40 pm
    Post #1 - August 15th, 2017, 1:40 pm Post #1 - August 15th, 2017, 1:40 pm
    Hi, is anyone planning on a road trip to view the eclipse? We plan to camp Sunday night in Grand Tower near the Mississippi river and Monday morning make our way to the program at SIU Saluki Stadium which is sponsored by NASA and sounds cool.

    Sunday we were hoping to hit up 17th st BBQ in Murphysboro and Scratch Brewing in Ava. Of course they will both probably be absolutely mobbed, but when else will we be down there so we're gonna give it a try.

    Anyone traveling downstate to the totality zone? Any ideas on what we might expect to find besides mega-crowds?
  • Post #2 - August 16th, 2017, 11:43 am
    Post #2 - August 16th, 2017, 11:43 am Post #2 - August 16th, 2017, 11:43 am
    champs2005 wrote:Any ideas on what we might expect to find besides mega-crowds?
    Just reiterating the crowds. I'm heading to KC, then drive north to St Joseph for the eclipse, the drive which would take 50-55mins normally is expected to take 4-5 hours. Totality is ~1:30pm and I have a 7:15pm flight out of MCI which is on the north side of KC so I still feel confident that I'll make my flight.
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #3 - August 16th, 2017, 12:21 pm
    Post #3 - August 16th, 2017, 12:21 pm Post #3 - August 16th, 2017, 12:21 pm
    Good luck!
    May I ask where are you getting your "estimated travel time"?
  • Post #4 - August 16th, 2017, 1:30 pm
    Post #4 - August 16th, 2017, 1:30 pm Post #4 - August 16th, 2017, 1:30 pm
    Tentatively (pending weather) planning to head down to Cahokia, outside St. Louis, on Monday morning to watch eclipse while seated inside Woodhenge (pre-Columbian solar calendar/observatory).

    On a related note, I don't have eclipse glasses yet (my bad, I know); does anyone know of local retail outlets that might carry them?
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #5 - August 16th, 2017, 1:31 pm
    Post #5 - August 16th, 2017, 1:31 pm Post #5 - August 16th, 2017, 1:31 pm
    I was planning on going to Carbondale, but the crowds and the expense derailed that plan. Instead, I'm going to Stony Point, SC to watch the eclipse from the comfort of my friends' front lawn in the middle of nowhere.

    Here's wishing my fellow eclipse watchers clear skies. Remember, "pictures or it didn't happen".
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #6 - August 16th, 2017, 1:39 pm
    Post #6 - August 16th, 2017, 1:39 pm Post #6 - August 16th, 2017, 1:39 pm
    Heading to family in St. Louis on Sunday and planning on driving to Festus MO to watch the eclipse. I'm sure a Pappy's stop will be in order. My friend has been on the phone to the Festus hotline and we're apparently watching it at West City Park.

    David, Cahokia is brilliant I didn't think about going there, report back.
    For what we choose is what we are. He should not miss this second opportunity to re-create himself with food. Jim Crace "The Devil's Larder"
  • Post #7 - August 16th, 2017, 3:37 pm
    Post #7 - August 16th, 2017, 3:37 pm Post #7 - August 16th, 2017, 3:37 pm
    Sweet Willie wrote:
    champs2005 wrote:Any ideas on what we might expect to find besides mega-crowds?
    Just reiterating the crowds. I'm heading to KC, then drive north to St Joseph for the eclipse, the drive which would take 50-55mins normally is expected to take 4-5 hours. Totality is ~1:30pm and I have a 7:15pm flight out of MCI which is on the north side of KC so I still feel confident that I'll make my flight.

    My wife was born and raised in St. Jo and lived in Kansas City for several years before I dragged her up to Chicago. In 38 years of being together we've made close to a hundred return visits to the area. I know the path from KC to St. Jo, and the airport in between, very well. On a normal traffic day, it's an easy 40 minute/40 mile ride. There's no telling what effect eclipse viewers will have on that travel time.

    Frankly, there's little to do in St. Jo other than see the eclipse. No noteworthy places to eat, and not much in the way of tourist attractions (unless you have a deep seated interest in the origins of the Pony Express). If you're genuinely concerned about getting back to MCI in time to make your flight, I wouldn't even leave the airport.

    The path of totality extends all the way south to KC and you'll be 20 miles north of that. The biggest difference will likely be the amount of time you'll experience the eclipse, probably about 40 seconds less than in St. Jo. If you want more time without going the full 40 miles north, split the difference and stop somewhere along the way. Then after the eclipse has passed, head back south to the northern fringes of KC to kill some time. You can grab a throwback smashdown Burger at LC's (different from the BBQ joint) or Hayes Hamburgers & Chili before heading back MCI.

    Just my curmudgeonly two cents. Have a great trip!
    Buddy

    LC's Hamburgers
    7612 NW Prairie View Rd.
    Kansas City, MO 64151
    (816) 741-6027

    Hayes Hamburgers
    2502 NE Vivion Rd.
    Kansas City, MO 64118
    (816) 453-5575
  • Post #8 - August 16th, 2017, 4:18 pm
    Post #8 - August 16th, 2017, 4:18 pm Post #8 - August 16th, 2017, 4:18 pm
    mbh wrote:Heading to family in St. Louis on Sunday and planning on driving to Festus MO to watch the eclipse. I'm sure a Pappy's stop will be in order. My friend has been on the phone to the Festus hotline and we're apparently watching it at West City Park.

    David, Cahokia is brilliant I didn't think about going there, report back.


    If I go I definitely will report back. Lot depends on the weather. If reports the night before are promising, it will be a go.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #9 - August 16th, 2017, 5:25 pm
    Post #9 - August 16th, 2017, 5:25 pm Post #9 - August 16th, 2017, 5:25 pm
    We will be staying in Cape Girardeau, unfortunately about an hour south of Carbondale (the closest hotel I could find three months ago!), where we got tickets to the NASA/Adler presentation at Saluki Stadium at SIU. I'm really excited, but I figured we'd more or less be surviving on whatever fast food or grocery supplies we can find or bring with us. If anyone has any recommendations, I'd be happy to try to make reservations (HAHAHA). Otherwise, I hope you all have a safe and wonderful eclipse adventure!
    “Assuredly it is a great accomplishment to be a novelist, but it is no mediocre glory to be a cook.” -- Alexandre Dumas

    "I give you Chicago. It is no London and Harvard. It is not Paris and buttermilk. It is American in every chitling and sparerib. It is alive from tail to snout." -- H.L. Mencken
  • Post #10 - August 17th, 2017, 8:47 am
    Post #10 - August 17th, 2017, 8:47 am Post #10 - August 17th, 2017, 8:47 am
    Its cool to see other LTHers planning to travel for the eclipse!

    I agree that it seems like other than 17th st BBQ there may not be any foodie destinations and we also plan to pack a bunch of food and drink just in case we are stuck with no decent options. I just made a growler of cold brew coffee to get us going Monday morning!

    But I'm a little disconcerted that the previous poster said his 45 minute drive "is expected to take 5 hours". Really?

    We need to be at SIU Stadium Monday and have a parking pass for the grass area. Is it possible that if we leave our campground, which is 26 miles, 39 minute drive to stadium in "normal conditions", at daybreak, we will NOT make it to the stadium in plenty of time? That's a scary scenario.
  • Post #11 - August 18th, 2017, 2:39 pm
    Post #11 - August 18th, 2017, 2:39 pm Post #11 - August 18th, 2017, 2:39 pm
    I'm staying in Champaign Sunday night and driving down from there. I will attempt to see it in Goreville, IL where the University of Illinois astronomers will be, but if it's too crowded I'll simply go find a nice rural spot and park. I have no intentions of dealing with eating anywhere in that area once totality has passed and even if I did, who wants to deal with the crowds? But I will definitely hit one of my all-time favorite places for thin pizza anywhere in Urbana (Timpone's) on the way home.

    I'm not worried about traffic, if it looks bad, I'll take the back roads. I'm glad I'm not dependent on being stuck in one spot where thousands of people are expected to be.
  • Post #12 - August 18th, 2017, 4:14 pm
    Post #12 - August 18th, 2017, 4:14 pm Post #12 - August 18th, 2017, 4:14 pm
    David Hammond wrote:Tentatively (pending weather) planning to head down to Cahokia, outside St. Louis, on Monday morning to watch eclipse while seated inside Woodhenge (pre-Columbian solar calendar/observatory).

    On a related note, I don't have eclipse glasses yet (my bad, I know); does anyone know of local retail outlets that might carry them?


    I bought glasses at my closest 7-11 last week. There were plenty. They also sell them at Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, and other places. These places all have glasses/brands certified by the American Astronomical Society.

    Welding glasses shade 12 or darker also work.
  • Post #13 - August 20th, 2017, 10:36 am
    Post #13 - August 20th, 2017, 10:36 am Post #13 - August 20th, 2017, 10:36 am
    champs2005 wrote:Its cool to see other LTHers planning to travel for the eclipse!

    I agree that it seems like other than 17th st BBQ there may not be any foodie destinations and we also plan to pack a bunch of food and drink just in case we are stuck with no decent options. I just made a growler of cold brew coffee to get us going Monday morning!

    But I'm a little disconcerted that the previous poster said his 45 minute drive "is expected to take 5 hours". Really?

    We need to be at SIU Stadium Monday and have a parking pass for the grass area. Is it possible that if we leave our campground, which is 26 miles, 39 minute drive to stadium in "normal conditions", at daybreak, we will NOT make it to the stadium in plenty of time? That's a scary scenario.
    It's not a big deal at all, because even if you are stuck in a traffic jam that is a parking lot and not moving, you'll still see the eclipse by getting out of your car.

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