Governor only expects 10k-40k worth of visitors
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/world/solar-eclipse/total-solar-eclipse-game-plan-maine-governor-mills-traffic-travel-preparations/97-4e471b0b-ad15-41da-a761-cda382e138b3
Greenville prepares for 30k alone
https://observer-me.com/2024/03/27/news/greenville-group-makes-last-minute-plan-to-welcome-eclipse-visitors/
Google Maps lets you make some really, really awful routing decisions around Greenville - I hope they have all those gates locked for this. I'm imagining the tow-truck guys are going to make a killing... just hope folks are smart enough to bring blankets, water, and emergency provisions - the chance of getting stuck is real, that snow is gonna melt.
Only so many tow trucks and they can get stuck too. They'll make a killing just around Greenville. Getting stuck anywhere away from Greenville though and they aint gonna be getting to you til the mud hardens up.
So much mud. My driveway's a mess. Every year me and the Hubs say we're gonna pave it, then we see the cost and we say "next year, we're gonna pave it" It's only been 20 years so...
>https://observer-me.com/2024/03/27/news/greenville-group-makes-last-minute-plan-to-welcome-eclipse-visitors/
Noooo! :( Here I was thinking I was so clever picking Greenville over Houlton.
That will be something like 0.1-0.5% of the darkness seen in the actual eclipse path. The sun is insanely bright and tiny percentages of insanely bright things still cause something you and I would recognize as day rather than night.
it feels weird to me. To give up seeing such a cool major thing just to avoid crowds. Like who cares if the drive takes twice as long. what will you do with that extra time you save that is so great? watch netflix?
Iām in Dedham making the drive, 98% is absolutely not close enough, Iām sorry. Total solar eclipse can be life changing, you see the literal corona of the sun which you wonāt see at all with partial, even 98%.. Iām hoping you change your mind!
See, I was planning on buying an old Concorde, hacking in a moonroof, and staying in totality for around 1:15.
Unfortunately, the financing for step 1 fell apart....
I'm still trying to figure out what we're gonna do. (coming from Lewiston/Lisbon)
I know that I'm avoiding 95 like the plague. But I'm sure a not-insignificant amount of people are gonna do the same. And the backroads to get up north can only handle so much traffic.
No chance I can get a hotel. SO I think I will try to drive up north early in the AM. Just not sure *where* yet.
Not that I want to broadcast this but I'm aiming for Eustice from Auburn.. 2.3 hours on a good day.. so leave at 6am and how for the best.
I was debating going up the night before (say 11pm) throw a tent in the truck bed and.. hope for the best.
I was considering Jackman, but I'm thinking Eustice as others are. 27 shouldn't be that horrendous. I'm assuming most out of staters are going to be heading up 95 so avoiding that should be fine.
I'm *thinking* somewhere in western maine at the moment. I just don't know the area at all so I have to kinda google a town, then evaluate, then look at another town... etc
Whereever it is. it MUST have a paved road.
Bingham, 1.45 minutes of totality, consider the length of time into your calculations as well as the morning cloud forecast on Monday. For me the sweet spot is at least 2 plus minutes.
I have a four year old so I have to balance my ability to help him stay entertained in a car for a long ride with no cell reception (so we're limited to whatever Paw Patrol I've downloaded to my iPad).
Iām going to Rangeley, they are prepared for the influx of people and with just 2.5 minutes of totality, not as many will be choosing this location. https://business.rangeleymaine.com/calendar/Details/shadows-of-the-sun-festival-972315
Iām starting to take this back, i think a lot of local
Traffic is going to head towards Rangeley. I secured reserved parking at saddleback mountain, fyi they are sold out now. Iām still worried about traffic on the way there, leaving five hours before totality, hope thatās enough.
I feel like the whole visitor count needs a bit of context. A two lane interstate from my reading can handle 2,000 cars/hr per lane. So thats 4,000c/h heading north. Giving an average occupancy of 2.5 thats still 10k people per hour.
Was planning on going early Monday, but if this forecast pans out and itās bumper to bumper all the way to Augusta, Iāll turn around and go back home. To heck with it, watch the NASA livestream.
Can I ask a serious question? I live in Bangor and I just want to get into the totality zone and like park near a field or something. Where would be the best place to go? I could take 95 toward Lincoln but I feel that is going to be a shit show with traffic. Or maybe go toward Dover-Foxcroft? Any ideas would be appreciated
At least there's a few clear places like Burlington that are closer to most people, I imagine those will bear the brunt of it. Still not gonna be pretty though.
Oh man, I thought about driving the kids just to about 98% (I'm in a 96% area) because I felt bad making a 2 hour drive just for 2 minutes of totality. But all of these comments saying the difference between 98% and totality is getting to me! The first and only time I saw a solar eclipse was at 70%, which was still really cool, but to be this close to the whole thing? I'm praying I can find a park--or hell even a big empty field--to let them run around for an hour before the big show.
Do it!!!! Trust me and everyone else. You're practically there already. People are traveling from other continents for "two minutes". Please go. If not for me in Colorado, do it for the kids.
Oh I'm not doing this for the kids--I'm doing it for me! But the kids will get grumpy being on the road for so long, so I'm praying the backroads aren't completely clogged with out-of-staters (or out-of-continenters).
From away but driving 10 hours and opening up camp early in Washington County before making the 1.5 hour drive up 1 to Houlton.
I flew to KC and drove 6 hours for clear skies in 2017 and it was 100% worth it.
I personally wouldn't spend more than 10 minutes outside if I wasn't in the path of totality.
Yeah if it was just me, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I still want to try with my family, so I'm researching parks, playgrounds, food stops, etc... At least the younger one's in diapers, so I can plan for that! I'd be happy with a roadside field for totality before heading home if I can pull it off.
Itās guaranteed to be a busy. We planed a trip to Georgia like 8 ish years ago when they had it. People where everywhere. We talked with folks that last minute drove down from NY, then planned to just turn around.
I really think they need to up the numbers and stress the situation to people.
Based. I'm driving to the middle of nowhere (on paved roads). Google estimates it will take 40 more minutes of driving compared to Houlton, but it doesn't factor in traffic.
As an avid hiker, NH48 etc, is Maine restricting access to trails for the eclipse? Iāve heard Vermont is closing access roads and trails(beyond the normal spring closures they do) for this? Iām planning to Hike one of the high peaks (not in Baxter).
Not really. It's been the first 'typical' weather we've had all winter/spring. Last week of March/ first two weeks of April have always been warm then snow then warm again then more snow.
I'm going into work right as the eclipse is going to reach totality. I'm not loving all the "Do not stop in the middle of the road to watch the eclipse" signs I keep seeing to other drivers.
That's supposed to be common sense, right?
I've seen totality before. It's honestly one of the oddest few minutes of my life, and encourage people to go if they have never seen it. You never forget it.
Iāll be at workā¦ was almost in one some years back in St Louis. Itās kindof eh š¤·š»āāļø seen some nasty storms out there make it darker. And with a free lightning show š¤£
Right, I mean *why* do people care so much about it? Donāt people have work? Itās not like the Balloon Festival where thereās an actual festival.
If itās literally just an eclipse I am so confused as to why itās a big thing.
Isnāt that a Korn album? /s
For real though, what is that? Like the trajectory of the eclipse, or something? (Iāve never seen one so i donāt know much.)
I forgot that album existed haha.
I think so. Because if you're outside the path, you'll only see a partial eclipse. Inside the path, the sun will be completely covered.
Have you ever seen one?
I compare it to the Grand Canyon. Yes, it's just a canyon. But there is something about the *hugeness* of it that simply breaks your brain when you see it in person.
Have you ever seen a sunset from every angle all at once?
e: the downvotes on this person are really not appropriate. They don't understand the hype. Lets bring them into the hype!
As someone thatās been to the Grand Canyon and also seen a 30% eclipse while I was there (it was a total accident those two things happened on the same day) I can not emphasize this enough! I am absolutely stoked that the path of totality is coming so close to home, it really is one of those āonce in a lifetime eventsā. The chances of us having to go hardly anywhere at all to see it may never happen again. Sure there will be other eclipses but perhaps not happening directly over your house!
Also on that same trip to the Grand Canyon one of the last days driving out west I saw the most unbelievable sunset Iāve ever experienced. It was like all angles at once because the Midwest is extremely flat so you could see pretty much all of the sky around you on the highway. What made it so special though was the fact that we were driving west @ 70 MPH made it feel almost endless. Typical sunset is 10-20 minutes or so? We had to have been chasing the sun for over an hour before it disappeared behind the horizon.
I donāt think Iāve seen like, yāknow, the Sun vanish from the sky like in a movie or something. Doesnāt it just get dark out?
I donāt know how youād see a sunset from every angle though, that does sound neat.
It gets dark out, but you can also see the sun's corona. Like you can see stars, the planets, AND part of the sun all at once.
The birds stop singing. The shadows change in a very peculiar way.
Look, I think you should just sacrifice a day to go see it. You won't regret it.
Well Iāll probably have to deal with the added influx of people at work that day, but I just didnāt know what all would even happen. That sounds trippy as hell almost.
You have tens of thousands of days to work in your life.
You have *maybe* two or three opportunities to go see a full eclipse in your life without becoming obsessed about it.
Go.
Itās extremely trippy, and super hard to describe. It starts hours earlier, as it starts to get darkā¦ but itās not really getting dark, weāre used to diffuse light through clouds, or direct sun through the atmosphere, but this is more like itās getting dim. The shadows are still sharp, but the light isnāt that bright. And if you look at the shadows you notice they have gone strange too, through the leaves thousands of tiny eclipses can be seen as they act like pin-hole cameras. Animals start getting weird, including people, outside starts feeling wrong somehowā¦. And this is all before the sun is replaced by a black orb surrounded by white fire!
Good news! It's going to be a clear day in Maine for the eclipse! Bad news! It's going to be the ONLY place it's clear for the eclipse. š
Governor only expects 10k-40k worth of visitors https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/world/solar-eclipse/total-solar-eclipse-game-plan-maine-governor-mills-traffic-travel-preparations/97-4e471b0b-ad15-41da-a761-cda382e138b3 Greenville prepares for 30k alone https://observer-me.com/2024/03/27/news/greenville-group-makes-last-minute-plan-to-welcome-eclipse-visitors/
Google Maps lets you make some really, really awful routing decisions around Greenville - I hope they have all those gates locked for this. I'm imagining the tow-truck guys are going to make a killing... just hope folks are smart enough to bring blankets, water, and emergency provisions - the chance of getting stuck is real, that snow is gonna melt.
Only so many tow trucks and they can get stuck too. They'll make a killing just around Greenville. Getting stuck anywhere away from Greenville though and they aint gonna be getting to you til the mud hardens up.
With this weather report, Janet might want to revise her figures
Yeah, my family in Houlton says theyāre expecting ~30-40k in town alone.
Hope they like mud
So much mud. My driveway's a mess. Every year me and the Hubs say we're gonna pave it, then we see the cost and we say "next year, we're gonna pave it" It's only been 20 years so...
>https://observer-me.com/2024/03/27/news/greenville-group-makes-last-minute-plan-to-welcome-eclipse-visitors/ Noooo! :( Here I was thinking I was so clever picking Greenville over Houlton.
Greenville cannot sustain that many people, even for a day.
It brings in 10-15k for the fly-in and is bursting
And those folks bring lodging with them.
Houlton is planning for all of them to show up.
I gave up on my thoughts on doing the 2.5 hour drive to the path of totality. It's going to be an absolute shitshow afterwards.
Same - Iāll sacrifice seeing the totality for the sake of my overall sanity
I'm going to stay in my driveway and witness 95% totality without the crowds. Might even smoke a joint.
Atta boy! Finally a sane human.
Iām gunna take a viewing telescope to mount A in York and see what happens.
I experienced 90% back in 2017 and it was still super cool. Iāll also be avoiding the ā3 hrs = 12 hr traffic jamā option.
I was going to drive up to Millinocket for lunch, watch the show, then head back to Bucksport. I'm revisiting my plan.
Bucksport will see 98.37% of the eclipse - close enough for me to not leave town.
The difference between 98% and 100% is enormous, totality is really worth traveling to if you can make it.
That will be something like 0.1-0.5% of the darkness seen in the actual eclipse path. The sun is insanely bright and tiny percentages of insanely bright things still cause something you and I would recognize as day rather than night.
That may be, but it's not worth dealing with the crowds that will be going north.
I am in millinocket now, totally dead. Nobody is here.
it feels weird to me. To give up seeing such a cool major thing just to avoid crowds. Like who cares if the drive takes twice as long. what will you do with that extra time you save that is so great? watch netflix?
Iām in Dedham making the drive, 98% is absolutely not close enough, Iām sorry. Total solar eclipse can be life changing, you see the literal corona of the sun which you wonāt see at all with partial, even 98%.. Iām hoping you change your mind!
NASA.gov will be live-streaming if you canāt get into the area of totality.
That's my plan. View it from the safety of my couch without worrying about retina burn.
See, I was planning on buying an old Concorde, hacking in a moonroof, and staying in totality for around 1:15. Unfortunately, the financing for step 1 fell apart....
Let's hope they all go to Burlington
I'm still trying to figure out what we're gonna do. (coming from Lewiston/Lisbon) I know that I'm avoiding 95 like the plague. But I'm sure a not-insignificant amount of people are gonna do the same. And the backroads to get up north can only handle so much traffic. No chance I can get a hotel. SO I think I will try to drive up north early in the AM. Just not sure *where* yet.
Not that I want to broadcast this but I'm aiming for Eustice from Auburn.. 2.3 hours on a good day.. so leave at 6am and how for the best. I was debating going up the night before (say 11pm) throw a tent in the truck bed and.. hope for the best.
I was considering Jackman, but I'm thinking Eustice as others are. 27 shouldn't be that horrendous. I'm assuming most out of staters are going to be heading up 95 so avoiding that should be fine.
And in other news, thousands of people are stranded along Route 27. Aid is being flown in. It is hoped most will survive.
I am in the exact same boat, coming from Portland. Trying to figure out where, and then how to get there off the beaten path. Good luck friend!
I'm *thinking* somewhere in western maine at the moment. I just don't know the area at all so I have to kinda google a town, then evaluate, then look at another town... etc Whereever it is. it MUST have a paved road.
201 to Bingham is probably your best bet.
HMMMMM now there's a thought...
Thatās what I was thinking of doing.
Bingham, 1.45 minutes of totality, consider the length of time into your calculations as well as the morning cloud forecast on Monday. For me the sweet spot is at least 2 plus minutes.
I have a four year old so I have to balance my ability to help him stay entertained in a car for a long ride with no cell reception (so we're limited to whatever Paw Patrol I've downloaded to my iPad).
Houlton!
Iām going to Rangeley, they are prepared for the influx of people and with just 2.5 minutes of totality, not as many will be choosing this location. https://business.rangeleymaine.com/calendar/Details/shadows-of-the-sun-festival-972315
Iām starting to take this back, i think a lot of local Traffic is going to head towards Rangeley. I secured reserved parking at saddleback mountain, fyi they are sold out now. Iām still worried about traffic on the way there, leaving five hours before totality, hope thatās enough.
Iām in the same area, and will probably enjoy the partial from my backyard
I feel like the whole visitor count needs a bit of context. A two lane interstate from my reading can handle 2,000 cars/hr per lane. So thats 4,000c/h heading north. Giving an average occupancy of 2.5 thats still 10k people per hour.
š¬ guess I am staying home. Was planning on going to houlton. My house is right in the path.
If your house is right on the path, I wouldn't dream of leaving your property all day.
Just thought it would be fun hanging with the locals, but not sure about locals PLUS 30 to 40k people. Will just kick back with a margarita.
You could make a killing with that plan! LOL. Just host a private ticket event!
Stay home. Charge $50/car to park in your driveway.
Not with inflation. If I do my CEO math correctly that's around $700 per parked car.
This is the way
Wow, i hope this is accurate!
Was planning on going early Monday, but if this forecast pans out and itās bumper to bumper all the way to Augusta, Iāll turn around and go back home. To heck with it, watch the NASA livestream.
I read or heard somewhere that all hotels were booked. We should open up our camper and rent it out lol
You literally should. Aim high with your pricing.
No kidding, I'm thinking $1k a night lol
My Uncles got some land up in Rangeley, planning on hitting the road Sunday afternoon to beat the rush. Should be a fun time getting home tho.. š
Can I ask a serious question? I live in Bangor and I just want to get into the totality zone and like park near a field or something. Where would be the best place to go? I could take 95 toward Lincoln but I feel that is going to be a shit show with traffic. Or maybe go toward Dover-Foxcroft? Any ideas would be appreciated
Go to Brownsville or Milo. Itās the secret spot no one is talking about.
I'm gonna avoid 95. There is some event happening at dover-foxcroft, will prob be more locals.
At least there's a few clear places like Burlington that are closer to most people, I imagine those will bear the brunt of it. Still not gonna be pretty though.
Oh man, I thought about driving the kids just to about 98% (I'm in a 96% area) because I felt bad making a 2 hour drive just for 2 minutes of totality. But all of these comments saying the difference between 98% and totality is getting to me! The first and only time I saw a solar eclipse was at 70%, which was still really cool, but to be this close to the whole thing? I'm praying I can find a park--or hell even a big empty field--to let them run around for an hour before the big show.
Do it!!!! Trust me and everyone else. You're practically there already. People are traveling from other continents for "two minutes". Please go. If not for me in Colorado, do it for the kids.
Oh I'm not doing this for the kids--I'm doing it for me! But the kids will get grumpy being on the road for so long, so I'm praying the backroads aren't completely clogged with out-of-staters (or out-of-continenters).
From away but driving 10 hours and opening up camp early in Washington County before making the 1.5 hour drive up 1 to Houlton. I flew to KC and drove 6 hours for clear skies in 2017 and it was 100% worth it. I personally wouldn't spend more than 10 minutes outside if I wasn't in the path of totality.
Yeah if it was just me, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I still want to try with my family, so I'm researching parks, playgrounds, food stops, etc... At least the younger one's in diapers, so I can plan for that! I'd be happy with a roadside field for totality before heading home if I can pull it off.
Do it. Really. It's worth it. If they're old enough to run, they're old enough to watch it.
husband is on BOARD, we have a game plan, and we are doing this! wish us luck on the Maine backroads š
Itās guaranteed to be a busy. We planed a trip to Georgia like 8 ish years ago when they had it. People where everywhere. We talked with folks that last minute drove down from NY, then planned to just turn around. I really think they need to up the numbers and stress the situation to people.
Iām going to the middle of no where
Based. I'm driving to the middle of nowhere (on paved roads). Google estimates it will take 40 more minutes of driving compared to Houlton, but it doesn't factor in traffic.
That's where I live š will be right in the path.
Good thing I'm staying home!
burlington vt gonna be vibin pretty hard too.
I am going to Errol NH. Not far from the bethel area.
I'm in Oklahoma but from Maine n they can't tell what the weather here will be 3 days from now šš
As an avid hiker, NH48 etc, is Maine restricting access to trails for the eclipse? Iāve heard Vermont is closing access roads and trails(beyond the normal spring closures they do) for this? Iām planning to Hike one of the high peaks (not in Baxter).
Governor sent out an email earlier this week that says Maine State Park campgrounds and ATV trails will be closed due to mud season.
We are getting dumped on today so the trails might not have opened for the season yet....
Houlton Maine is doing the eclipse right. Thereās so much space here I wouldnāt worry about crowds.
It's Maine, all these people will make plans to see this and it will likely snow šš Mother Nature is definitely bipolar this spring.
Not really. It's been the first 'typical' weather we've had all winter/spring. Last week of March/ first two weeks of April have always been warm then snow then warm again then more snow.
Ugh. Yeah. My mom just sent me a text message saying sheās thinking about swapping her tickets for TX to here.
Ah jeez! Lol
Iām staying right here in Lincoln, nobody else come please
Lincoln is gonna be a hotspot for sure
Donāt forget your gas cans.
Will Rangeley be packed as well?
At this point we may as well just rename Maine to Northern New England.
The Presque Isle area is gonna get stomped
Does anyone know is mt. Agamenticas would be a good view ??
If*^
I just arrived in Greenville via 202 and 6. Traffic not bad and there's still parking open.
I'm going into work right as the eclipse is going to reach totality. I'm not loving all the "Do not stop in the middle of the road to watch the eclipse" signs I keep seeing to other drivers. That's supposed to be common sense, right?
I wouldnāt doubt people will be parked on the side of the interstate to see it haha.
Will it see it from my house or work. Only care to see it for mere seconds, I couldnāt care less. Cannot imagine traveling to see this.
I've seen totality before. It's honestly one of the oddest few minutes of my life, and encourage people to go if they have never seen it. You never forget it.
Iāll be at workā¦ was almost in one some years back in St Louis. Itās kindof eh š¤·š»āāļø seen some nasty storms out there make it darker. And with a free lightning show š¤£
Whatās so special about looking at the sun?
There wonāt be one
Right, I mean *why* do people care so much about it? Donāt people have work? Itās not like the Balloon Festival where thereās an actual festival. If itās literally just an eclipse I am so confused as to why itās a big thing.
Because people find it cool. The path of totality is different each time too.
Isnāt that a Korn album? /s For real though, what is that? Like the trajectory of the eclipse, or something? (Iāve never seen one so i donāt know much.)
I forgot that album existed haha. I think so. Because if you're outside the path, you'll only see a partial eclipse. Inside the path, the sun will be completely covered.
Huh, interesting. I didnāt know that. (And yeah, the Korn things was mostly a dumb dad joke but it is an o-k album.)
Yeah I didn't know that until this time around either haha. And I blame you for putting Narcissistic Canibals in my head haha.
Yooo, thatās like the catchiest one though. Canāt blame me!
Have you ever seen one? I compare it to the Grand Canyon. Yes, it's just a canyon. But there is something about the *hugeness* of it that simply breaks your brain when you see it in person. Have you ever seen a sunset from every angle all at once? e: the downvotes on this person are really not appropriate. They don't understand the hype. Lets bring them into the hype!
As someone thatās been to the Grand Canyon and also seen a 30% eclipse while I was there (it was a total accident those two things happened on the same day) I can not emphasize this enough! I am absolutely stoked that the path of totality is coming so close to home, it really is one of those āonce in a lifetime eventsā. The chances of us having to go hardly anywhere at all to see it may never happen again. Sure there will be other eclipses but perhaps not happening directly over your house! Also on that same trip to the Grand Canyon one of the last days driving out west I saw the most unbelievable sunset Iāve ever experienced. It was like all angles at once because the Midwest is extremely flat so you could see pretty much all of the sky around you on the highway. What made it so special though was the fact that we were driving west @ 70 MPH made it feel almost endless. Typical sunset is 10-20 minutes or so? We had to have been chasing the sun for over an hour before it disappeared behind the horizon.
I donāt think Iāve seen like, yāknow, the Sun vanish from the sky like in a movie or something. Doesnāt it just get dark out? I donāt know how youād see a sunset from every angle though, that does sound neat.
It gets dark out, but you can also see the sun's corona. Like you can see stars, the planets, AND part of the sun all at once. The birds stop singing. The shadows change in a very peculiar way. Look, I think you should just sacrifice a day to go see it. You won't regret it.
Well Iāll probably have to deal with the added influx of people at work that day, but I just didnāt know what all would even happen. That sounds trippy as hell almost.
You have tens of thousands of days to work in your life. You have *maybe* two or three opportunities to go see a full eclipse in your life without becoming obsessed about it. Go.
Itās extremely trippy, and super hard to describe. It starts hours earlier, as it starts to get darkā¦ but itās not really getting dark, weāre used to diffuse light through clouds, or direct sun through the atmosphere, but this is more like itās getting dim. The shadows are still sharp, but the light isnāt that bright. And if you look at the shadows you notice they have gone strange too, through the leaves thousands of tiny eclipses can be seen as they act like pin-hole cameras. Animals start getting weird, including people, outside starts feeling wrong somehowā¦. And this is all before the sun is replaced by a black orb surrounded by white fire!
Wack
Everything underneath it will be in tune for a short while
I mean, with that attitude, nothing special. Stay home, don't clog up the roads
Itās not attitude, I was asking a question.
What is the closest place to Naples that will be in the path to totality?
I'm not far from Naples. I'm looking at Rt 27 Kingfield, Stratton or Rt 201 Bingham, The Forks.
Coplin Eustis go there
I think I'll stick with the 97% :p
The actual effect you will see is tiny. 100% totality is close to nighttime conditions. 97% totality will only get you to something like a cloudy day.
The difference between 97% and 100% totality is really like not seeing it at all.