<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/VMuZBB-TONA" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/VMuZBB-TONA</a>]]> This year's expedition to the Lower 48 for RE is
BOOKED! 
After going through many different scenarios such as driving the Al-Can in SaVannah or driving it in my Ford Explorer SUV and leaving that down there as a transportation vehicle for future trips; or taking one or the other on the Ferry from Seward to Bellingham, I finally went with Door #3, I am doing a more traditional Oil Age trip of flying down to Seattle and then renting a vehicle. I'm not ready to leave Alaska permanently yet, and too many things with SUN☼ are still in flux to be confident of a move in any particular direction at the moment. I still have my big SSA Hearing on August 16th. Don't know how that will turn out, so making permanent plans until I have a better idea isn't possible.
However, once that is over with
(they want them done in a half hour, I am going to drag it out for at least 2 
), other than the periodic Pro from Dover appointments, I have nothing on my schedule until I file a new appeal with the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. So, almost immediately after I exit the SSA Hearing, I will be heading over to Blue Diamond Long Term Parking to drop off the Ford for a nap while I am gone, and taking the
FREE 24/7 Shuttle Bus to the Alaska Airlines terminal to catch a Red-Eye to Seattle. I leave at 12:05AM Aug 17th.
Main reason for this date is the fortuitous chance of the first
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN☼ in the Lower 48 in almost 50 years, and the first one to span the entire swath of the North American Continent in the Last Century. I have never seen a
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN☼. It wasn't on my Bucket List because I had no idea one was in the offing any time soon. When I found out this one was coming and I had the time and the money to go see it, it was a
NO-BRAINER. I had to be there for it.
My initial plan was to make it part of an Impromptu, Unschedule Diner/SUN☼ Convocation, but there was not much interest expressed in doing one this year.
Some people think snorkeling in the same old pool you snorkeled in for the last 20 years is more interesting than a
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN☼ 
, which if you are lucky and happen to be in the right place at the right time might happen in your neighborhood once in your lifetime. The path of total eclipse is only 70 miles wide, and to get the maximum amount of time in total darkness, you need to be smack in the middle of that swath. You get a little over 2 minutes if you are in the ideal location.
Lack of Diner & Heliopath interest also changed my plans for where I would fly to in order to view this extraordinary cosmological event. I initially wanted to organize it for the Lake House in Saluda in NC where we held Convocation 2016. Unfortunately, the Lake House was booked for those dates, along with every AirB&B anywhere along the swath all across the Lower 48. The whole corridor is gonna just be
PACKED with Touristas and Amateur Astronomers all along the swath. So that was a goner even before nobody else was interested in a 2017 Convocation.
My next idea was to rent a Big Ass Bugout Machine to share with other Diners & Heliopaths who made the trip, but there were a few difficulties with that one too. Except for a very few locations around the FSoA, the Rental RVs from CruiseAmerica
(the biggest RV Rental company Nationally) were all already booked. So this would have been a No-Go also, and had a Convocation been in the offing, it would have had to have been a Tenting situation or a day trip in from LD & GMs place in SC. They are slightly off the main swath, but only maybe an hour drive from path center. Even where they are they may get a minute or so of
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN☼.
Once nobody else was interested though, this made things much easier. Instead of renting an RV, I'm renting a Dodge Caravan Minivan. I almost went for another Big Ass Suburban, or even more wasteful the Mercedes Luxury SUV to sleep in, but I really don't need either one. Just enough room to completely stretch out for Nap time. The Caravan has plenty of room for that.
I am also tying together the trip on a Land Search for SUN☼ from Seattle where I fly into through Idaho and Montana. I also intend on spending at least one night at Quinn's Hot Springs Resort, which I feature in my
How I Survived Collapse novel, as well as at least one night in a campground in Lolo National Forest. Doing SUN☼ Bizness on this trip means I can charge the trip to SUN☼.
Of course, it's my money anyhow, I'm the only Philanthropist donating any money to SUN☼ these days. lol.
Anyhow, I will be in the neighborhood from Seattle to Spokane to Missoula from Aug 17 to Aug 25 , and for the Eclipse itself on Aug 21 @ ~11AM I will be somewhere along this swath:
If you get a hankering to join me, PM me for my phone number if you don't have it. You'll have to sleep in your own car or bring your own tent though, I am
NOT sharing the minivan!
PRAY IT ISN'T CLOUDY!!!!!My itinerary is as follows:
Traveler Information
RE
Adult
Add Frequent Flyer number
Ticketing in progress
† Seat assignments, special meals, frequent flyer point awards and special assistance requests should be confirmed directly with the airline.
Aug 17, 2017 - Departure Nonstop Total travel time: 3 h 13 m
Alaska Airlines logo
Anchorage
ANC 12:35am
Seattle
SEA 4:48am
3 h 13 m
Alaska Airlines 146
Aug 25, 2017 - Return Nonstop Total travel time: 3 h 38 m
Alaska Airlines logo
Seattle
SEA 8:40pm
Anchorage
ANC 11:18pm
3 h 38 m
Alaska Airlines 177
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Alamo
Aug 17, 2017 - Aug 25, 2017, Mini Van
Confirmed
Confirmation # 1825618468COUNT
Your reservation is booked and confirmed. No need to call us to reconfirm this reservation.
Pick up
4:00am
Aug 17, 2017
Seattle (SEA)
Shuttle to counter and car
Open 24 hours
Drop off
8:00pm
Aug 25, 2017
Seattle (SEA)
Open 24 hours
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Mini Van
Dodge Grand Caravan or similar
Includes air conditioning, automatic transmission
RE
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Topic: The Path of Totality: The Last Great Adventure (Read 21195 times)
April 05, 2016, 03:30:38 PM
