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| Before a Solar Eclipse Crosses 14 States, a Great American Road Trip | Before a Solar Eclipse Crosses 14 States, a Great American Road Trip |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| CHARLESTON, S.C. — Americans across the country this weekend began a great, if brief, migration, rushing toward a swath of territory stretching from Oregon to South Carolina for a chance to witness a total eclipse of the sun. | CHARLESTON, S.C. — Americans across the country this weekend began a great, if brief, migration, rushing toward a swath of territory stretching from Oregon to South Carolina for a chance to witness a total eclipse of the sun. |
| By Sunday, roads in many states were jammed as a normally busy summer weekend was overtaken by eclipse mania. But some locations were spared along the 70-mile-wide path of totality, where, weather permitting, viewers on Monday will be able to see the moon completely block the sun for a few minutes. The total eclipse will be the first to touch the mainland United States in nearly four decades. | By Sunday, roads in many states were jammed as a normally busy summer weekend was overtaken by eclipse mania. But some locations were spared along the 70-mile-wide path of totality, where, weather permitting, viewers on Monday will be able to see the moon completely block the sun for a few minutes. The total eclipse will be the first to touch the mainland United States in nearly four decades. |
| Wyoming transportation officials reported nearly 20 percent more vehicles on the roads compared with a five-year average for the third weekend in August. They cautioned that the state’s population of 600,000 could double with people heading for the zone of totality, which crosses the state. | Wyoming transportation officials reported nearly 20 percent more vehicles on the roads compared with a five-year average for the third weekend in August. They cautioned that the state’s population of 600,000 could double with people heading for the zone of totality, which crosses the state. |
| Next door in Colorado, where only a partial eclipse will be visible, the state transportation department warned travelers that Interstate 25 north toward Wyoming could look like “six Denver Broncos games all getting out at the same time.” | Next door in Colorado, where only a partial eclipse will be visible, the state transportation department warned travelers that Interstate 25 north toward Wyoming could look like “six Denver Broncos games all getting out at the same time.” |
| In Nashville, officials were preparing for a greater number of cars on the road and most concerned about drivers stopping during the total eclipse. | In Nashville, officials were preparing for a greater number of cars on the road and most concerned about drivers stopping during the total eclipse. |
| “We just hope the citizens don’t cause any obstructions,” said Don Aaron, a public affairs manager at the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. | “We just hope the citizens don’t cause any obstructions,” said Don Aaron, a public affairs manager at the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. |
| Scientists who have been anticipating this event for years gathered too, in places like Salem, Ore.; the ski resort of Sun Valley, Idaho; and Carbondale, Ill. | Scientists who have been anticipating this event for years gathered too, in places like Salem, Ore.; the ski resort of Sun Valley, Idaho; and Carbondale, Ill. |
| In Carbondale, where the moon will obscure the sun for more than two and a half minutes, 15,000 people are expected to gather in a football stadium to experience it. | In Carbondale, where the moon will obscure the sun for more than two and a half minutes, 15,000 people are expected to gather in a football stadium to experience it. |
| Among them will be Sarah Kovac, a recent graduate of Southern Illinois University’s physics department, who will operate a telescope to observe the sun’s corona, the wispy shroud of super hot plasma that is usually not visible from the ground on Earth. She is one of many scientists across the country who will be studying the corona to gain more insight into its scorching mysteries. | Among them will be Sarah Kovac, a recent graduate of Southern Illinois University’s physics department, who will operate a telescope to observe the sun’s corona, the wispy shroud of super hot plasma that is usually not visible from the ground on Earth. She is one of many scientists across the country who will be studying the corona to gain more insight into its scorching mysteries. |
| Total eclipses are visible someplace around the globe about every year and a half, and Hawaiians experienced one in 1991. But the United States has not seen such a sweeping eclipse — the path of totality drapes across the country like the sash on a beauty queen, covering parts of 14 states and St. Louis, Nashville, Charleston, S.C., and other cities — in nearly a century. | Total eclipses are visible someplace around the globe about every year and a half, and Hawaiians experienced one in 1991. But the United States has not seen such a sweeping eclipse — the path of totality drapes across the country like the sash on a beauty queen, covering parts of 14 states and St. Louis, Nashville, Charleston, S.C., and other cities — in nearly a century. |
| Those who cannot make it to the path of totality will not be left out, however. Viewers in all 50 states will experience at least a partial eclipse, with the moon dancing across some of the sun’s surface. In New York City, about three-quarters of the sun will eventually be blocked. | Those who cannot make it to the path of totality will not be left out, however. Viewers in all 50 states will experience at least a partial eclipse, with the moon dancing across some of the sun’s surface. In New York City, about three-quarters of the sun will eventually be blocked. |
| The total eclipse’s cross-country trek begins in the morning on the West Coast, when beachgoers in Oregon will be the first to experience the changes that occur as the moon begins to align between Earth and the sun. Over 75 minutes the sky will gradually darken as more and more of the sun is obscured until totality at about 10:15 local time, when it will seem that twilight has quickly descended. | The total eclipse’s cross-country trek begins in the morning on the West Coast, when beachgoers in Oregon will be the first to experience the changes that occur as the moon begins to align between Earth and the sun. Over 75 minutes the sky will gradually darken as more and more of the sun is obscured until totality at about 10:15 local time, when it will seem that twilight has quickly descended. |
| Some birds may become confused and start singing their end-of-the-day songs. The temperature will quickly drop, the air will grow still and, if the sky is cloudless, Venus, Jupiter and some of the firmament’s brightest stars will appear. | Some birds may become confused and start singing their end-of-the-day songs. The temperature will quickly drop, the air will grow still and, if the sky is cloudless, Venus, Jupiter and some of the firmament’s brightest stars will appear. |
| But the moon will still be moving. On the Oregon coast, near the centerline of the eclipse track, totality will end less than two minutes after it began and the sky will begin to brighten. | |
| That gradual fading out and in of the light — from partial to total eclipse and back — will last for about two and a half hours in each location. Totality will continue its parade across the country until 90 minutes later, when viewers here in coastal South Carolina will be the last to experience it. | That gradual fading out and in of the light — from partial to total eclipse and back — will last for about two and a half hours in each location. Totality will continue its parade across the country until 90 minutes later, when viewers here in coastal South Carolina will be the last to experience it. |
| On Sunday, everyone was keeping an eye on the weather. Even one cloud, poorly timed, can spoil the party, although viewers will still experience the darkening sky. | On Sunday, everyone was keeping an eye on the weather. Even one cloud, poorly timed, can spoil the party, although viewers will still experience the darkening sky. |
| The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said conditions looked highly favorable in Oregon and the Tennessee Valley, with cloud cover forecast at 10 percent or less. The weather service’s station in Paducah, Ky., closest to Makanda, Ill., where the eclipse has its longest duration, at 2 minutes and 41 seconds, anticipated mostly sunny skies on Monday. | The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said conditions looked highly favorable in Oregon and the Tennessee Valley, with cloud cover forecast at 10 percent or less. The weather service’s station in Paducah, Ky., closest to Makanda, Ill., where the eclipse has its longest duration, at 2 minutes and 41 seconds, anticipated mostly sunny skies on Monday. |
| The forecast was more uncertain elsewhere. Cloudy skies were anticipated in Nebraska, and the prospect of thunderstorms and variably cloudy skies were forecast around St. Louis. The weather service station here in Charleston warned that a storm system near Florida “could interfere with our view of the eclipse.” | The forecast was more uncertain elsewhere. Cloudy skies were anticipated in Nebraska, and the prospect of thunderstorms and variably cloudy skies were forecast around St. Louis. The weather service station here in Charleston warned that a storm system near Florida “could interfere with our view of the eclipse.” |
| Haze from wildfires in Oregon and elsewhere in the West was threatening to affect viewing in some locations. | Haze from wildfires in Oregon and elsewhere in the West was threatening to affect viewing in some locations. |
| There were some human-caused problems too, notably a recall by Amazon of thousands of viewing glasses which the company said offered insufficient protection for eclipse watchers. | There were some human-caused problems too, notably a recall by Amazon of thousands of viewing glasses which the company said offered insufficient protection for eclipse watchers. |
| Here in South Carolina, the College of Charleston planned to distribute 15,000 pairs of glasses for a campuswide viewing party. College officials said they consulted with professors in the astronomy department before ordering the glasses from an approved vendor. | Here in South Carolina, the College of Charleston planned to distribute 15,000 pairs of glasses for a campuswide viewing party. College officials said they consulted with professors in the astronomy department before ordering the glasses from an approved vendor. |
| Proper glasses, which filter out almost all light, or filter-covered binoculars, are the only ways to safely look directly at the sun during the partial portions of the eclipse. They can be removed only during totality. | Proper glasses, which filter out almost all light, or filter-covered binoculars, are the only ways to safely look directly at the sun during the partial portions of the eclipse. They can be removed only during totality. |
| Veteran eclipse watchers said a perfectly fine, and inherently safe option to watch the eclipse was a simple pinhole in a thin piece of cardboard or paper plate, through which the eclipsed sun can be projected on any flat surface. | Veteran eclipse watchers said a perfectly fine, and inherently safe option to watch the eclipse was a simple pinhole in a thin piece of cardboard or paper plate, through which the eclipsed sun can be projected on any flat surface. |
| Also going fast in some locations were groceries suitable for eclipse picnics, including “items that make you think moon and sun, like Moon Pies,” said Melissa Eads, a marketing and public relations manager for Kroger grocery’s Nashville Division in Tennessee. | Also going fast in some locations were groceries suitable for eclipse picnics, including “items that make you think moon and sun, like Moon Pies,” said Melissa Eads, a marketing and public relations manager for Kroger grocery’s Nashville Division in Tennessee. |
| Although much of the path of totality seemed in danger of being overrun, some prime viewing spots were quieter than anticipated, at least for now. | Although much of the path of totality seemed in danger of being overrun, some prime viewing spots were quieter than anticipated, at least for now. |
| Officials in Depoe Bay, Ore., population 1,500, had long anticipated a crush of visitors, and had allocated $50,000 of the annual budget for supplies like portable toilets, soap and paper towels. Volunteers had signed up to walk the streets and hand out eclipse glasses and answer questions. | Officials in Depoe Bay, Ore., population 1,500, had long anticipated a crush of visitors, and had allocated $50,000 of the annual budget for supplies like portable toilets, soap and paper towels. Volunteers had signed up to walk the streets and hand out eclipse glasses and answer questions. |
| But as of Sunday morning the crush had not appeared. There were even some vacancy signs on local motels, a rarity elsewhere in the path of totality, where lodging has been impossible to find for months. | But as of Sunday morning the crush had not appeared. There were even some vacancy signs on local motels, a rarity elsewhere in the path of totality, where lodging has been impossible to find for months. |
| Brandon Cenedella, a motel manager in Depoe Bay, said the unpredictable coastal weather, paired with high room rates — which were doubled in many cases for the weekend — could be to blame. “Everyone’s expecting to it to be foggy and really hoping that it’s not,” Mr. Cenedella said. | Brandon Cenedella, a motel manager in Depoe Bay, said the unpredictable coastal weather, paired with high room rates — which were doubled in many cases for the weekend — could be to blame. “Everyone’s expecting to it to be foggy and really hoping that it’s not,” Mr. Cenedella said. |
| In New York over the weekend, the airports were filled with people heading toward a rendezvous with the total eclipse. | In New York over the weekend, the airports were filled with people heading toward a rendezvous with the total eclipse. |
| John McIntyre and his family, from Mount Kisco, N.Y., had planned months in advance to travel to St. Louis to see a few baseball games. He said they realized three weeks ago their plans placed them near the path of totality for the eclipse. | John McIntyre and his family, from Mount Kisco, N.Y., had planned months in advance to travel to St. Louis to see a few baseball games. He said they realized three weeks ago their plans placed them near the path of totality for the eclipse. |
| Mr. McIntyre said, while waiting for a flight at La Guardia Airport on Saturday, they decided to adjust their itinerary. | Mr. McIntyre said, while waiting for a flight at La Guardia Airport on Saturday, they decided to adjust their itinerary. |
| “What are the chances you book your vacation and something as historic as this is happening?” he said. “It’s eclipse mania and we didn’t know about it.” | “What are the chances you book your vacation and something as historic as this is happening?” he said. “It’s eclipse mania and we didn’t know about it.” |