If you lived 3.5 hours from the eclipse, would you go?

[mykidsrmyjoy]

Especially if oldest child is only 8 and DH can't go because of job restrictions? Would it be worth it to pack up all 5 of the kids and maybe grandma and make a (very long) day out of it? WWYD?

[regentrude]

No, I would not. Watch it online. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

No

 

It's not that exciting to be honest.

 

 

[Word Nerd]

I'm considering it, and it would be over 4 hours one way. I don't understand the notion that it isn't that exciting, but I think even normal partial solar eclipses are pretty cool.

Edited June 27, 2017 by Word Nerd

[catz]

If we could make a mini family vacation out of it, sure.  Taking 5 very young kids on my own for a long day?  Not so much. 

[Lady Florida.]

No, I wouldn't. You wait a long time for something you can't actually look at directly. It's just not exciting. Kids get bored. Adults even get bored.

[Word Nerd]

No, I wouldn't. You wait a long time for something you can't actually look at directly. It's just not exciting. Kids get bored. Adults even get bored.

 

Not true. A total eclipse is the only time you can look directly at the sun safely.

Edited June 27, 2017 by Word Nerd

[J-rap]

Probably not.  But, we'd do what we could... watch it online, watch the partial eclipse from where we were at, etc.

 

However -- if you're up for it, go for it!!  I've done some stuff with my kids that I'm sure no one else would have done   :)

 

 

Edited June 27, 2017 by J-rap

[regentrude]

Not true. A total eclipse is one of the only times you can look directly at the sun.

 

But only during the complete totality.

https://www.space.com/35555-total-solar-eclipse-safety-tips.html

[SparklyUnicorn]

I remember the one we had when I was in early elementary school.  It was pitch dark in the middle of the day.  That's all there was to it.  I DO remember it, but meh...

 

 

[J-rap]

dp

Edited June 28, 2017 by J-rap

[Word Nerd]

But only during the complete totality.

https://www.space.com/35555-total-solar-eclipse-safety-tips.html

 

Yes.

[Pawz4me]

No. I find eclipses about as interesting as watching the grass grow.

[rainbowmama]

We live about that far, too. We'd be going with only four kids, but the youngest will only be a few months old. Four hours away we will still get to enjoy a partial eclipse.

[Lady Florida.]

Not true. A total eclipse is one of the only times you can look directly at the sun.

 

Ah, yes. I forgot. It's still not exciting and you have to wait unless you think you can arrive just in time. And it only lasts for minutes. I remember the one in 1970 that was visible here in Florida. I was so excited, then so let down. The phrase "Is that all there is?" comes to mind. :)

[Seeking Squirrels]

We're also about 3-4 hours from the total eclipse zone. No, we will watch the partial from here and view videos of the total online if they're curious. While we do find it cool, it's not exciting enough to spend 7+ hours in the car for. If it was all or nothing, maybe. But we'll get a pretty good view where we are. We get the glasses so they can look. 

[swimmermom3]

No, I wouldn't take small children.  We are driving about that far to see it and attend the festival. It will probably be 100 degrees and we are camping. I love camping, but not with thousands of other people and minimal facilities in hot weather. Area hotels and camping spots have been sold out for months. Everyone has been told to bring supplies with them because there will be a shortage. :tongue_smilie:

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Nope.  I'd order six pairs of eclipse glasses, and watch from home.  They'll be able to see a partial eclipse.  I'd tell them, "If we lived four hours 'that way', you would see the whole entire sun covered up by the moon!  Isn't that cool?  It would look almost like night time, but you'd be able to see a ring of light around the black moon."  (then I'd show them pictures).

 

"It will happen again in a few years.  Maybe we'll be in a better spot to see it then."

[creekland]

I would for older kids, but not if my oldest were 8.  I'd be worried about them looking at the sun since we all know how good young kids are at following directions.  There's another eclipse in the US in 2024 - different area - but still in the US.

 

That said... we're going and looking forward to it.  Boredom never entered our mind.  We'll be driving a minimum of 7 or 8 hours one way - more if you count that we're starting in Rochester due to middle son's starting med school.

 

We like unique things and often do them "just because."  Road trips - to us - are fun, not torture.

[Lanny]

We would go if we didn't live in South America, but in your case, with a bunch of young children and your DH not being able to go, I think I would skip it. Who would watch your kids when you went in to use a restroom, etc.? 

 

 

[gstharr]

I wouldn't iniate the trip, but ,if the 7th grader brings it up, we would do it. We regularly day trip such distance for favorite meals, stopping at the beach along the way.

[SebastianCat]

If you're 3.5 hours away from the total eclipse, you should still have a pretty impressive partial eclipse that you could watch from the comfort of your own home.   We are about 8-9 hours away from the total eclipse but will still have an 85% partial eclipse here.  

 

This simulator will show you what the eclipse should look like from your location.

Edited June 27, 2017 by SebastianCat

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

No, I wouldn't. 

 

DH wants to do just that though. 

 

It's about a 4 hour drive for us.

[MEmama]

No. I never could understand the appeal.

I wouldn't pay attention even if happened where I live. Yawn.

[Caclcoca]

We are driving about that far to see it, but our youngest is 8.  Also my husband has family in that area that we can stay and visit with.  

[FaithManor]

Absolutely! We are 9.5 hours away from totality, and dh can't take a lot of time off work. So we are headed to Michigan City on Sunday night, staying over one night, seeing it at approximately 85-90% totality, and then driving home that late afternoon.

 

I have an aunt and uncle only 4 hrs away. But their health isn't all that great right now so we were hesitant to ask to stay with them, and from what I can see, the communities in the path have planned so many festivities that they are all booked solid now. So getting it "almost" totality is the best choice for us.

 

We don't get as many opportunities for good viewing of solar eclipses in this part of North America as other parts of the world so we definitely want to see it. Dh has ordered filters for our 10" telescope as well as our binoculars.

[TravelingChris]

I would go. My dh and I live about 2 hours from the fill eclipse but we are flying to see it in Idaho since that area has a lot better chance for non cloudy or rainy day. I was super interested in it even when I was 3 or 4.

[ealp2009]

I am having a similar dilemma. I'm concerned about traffic though. So watt maybe. 2 hour drive normally could be considerably longer and how much longer is totally unpredictable.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Terabith]

I'm driving 9.5 hours to see it and keeping my kids out of the first day of middle and upper school, respectively. I've been waiting for this since I was eight years old and looked up when the next eclipse would be in the world book almanac.

[JanetC]

We're driving 6.5 hours. If you can't go a day early, traffic could be a real problem and places to stay have been bid up. There is real concern about remote areas not being able to handle the influx of people. My guess is driving home may be worse because driving into the viewing area will be spread out over the weekend.

[Julie Smith]

Nope. No way.

 

There is very little that I would drive that far for. There is even less things my kids would tolerate a drive that long for.

[FaithManor]

I'm driving 9.5 hours to see it and keeping my kids out of the first day of middle and upper school, respectively. I've been waiting for this since I was eight years old and looked up when the next eclipse would be in the world book almanac.

I think that is a great way to spend the beginning of the new school year.

[FaithManor]

If you are going to travel, do look up what is happening in the communities you might view from because many have a lot of cool things happening.

 

Grand Island, NE in conjunction with NASA, is sending up two near space weather balloons to do aerial photography. These will likely attain 20 miles. The launch is going to be a neat thing to witness. Other communities are working with area astronomers, astrophysicists, and universities to provide lectures, talks, fun educational activities, etc. You could parlez this into a pretty awesome science field trip.

[luuknam]

With kids that young, no. 

 

My wife wants us to go - it's an almost 11 hour drive for us... here it'd be a 75% eclipse. She wants to make a vacation out of it, probably involving camping (and yes, we know that camp sites in the zone will likely be full, and that we'd have to camp outside of the zone - that's not an issue). I'm not convinced I want to bother. 

 

ETA: we're currently in a location that would be great for the 2024 eclipse, but there's a decent chance we'd move somewhere completely different by then - if I knew for a fact we'd stay here, then I'd absolutely not go to this one. 

Edited June 27, 2017 by luuknam

[mykidsrmyjoy]

If you're 3.5 hours away from the total eclipse, you should still have a pretty impressive partial eclipse that you could watch from the comfort of your own home. We are about 8-9 hours away from the total eclipse but will still have an 85% partial eclipse here.

 

This simulator will show you what the eclipse should look like from your location.

Ok, I tried this simulator and it looks like we would probably get to see maybe 90% of the eclipse. At this point I think we may just watch it from home.

[MrsMommy]

We're fortunate enough to live in the path of totality. We've been looking forward to it for months, and I'll be taking younger ds out of his school for the day. I'm surprised by how many people here aren't interested...it's a huge, huge deal where I live!

[creekland]

There is very little that I would drive that far for. There is even less things my kids would tolerate a drive that long for.

 

Eh, we drive that far (or farther) to eat in favorite restaurants when we get the whim.  From a young age my kids needed very little time to get ready for a road trip.  They loved them as much as we did (still do - they now head off on their own/with friends when they get a chance).

 

It's amazing how different we humans are as a species.

 

But I'll admit to being glad not everyone wants to go.  It'll be crowded enough!

[Zinnia]

We are going!  We originally were going to just go for the day (it'll be visible 3.5 hours from us; that's a day trip for us), but we decided to make it a vacation, and we are staying 2 nights.  I have one public schooler, and he's missing school for it.

 

I am so excited!

[Zinnia]

We would go if we didn't live in South America, but in your case, with a bunch of young children and your DH not being able to go, I think I would skip it. Who would watch your kids when you went in to use a restroom, etc.? 

 

On road trips with one adult and a whole bunch of tiny kids, you pray for a family bathroom, but you can make do crammed into a tiny ladies' room.  :)  Pay at the pump for gas.  Pack snacks, rely on a drive-through for a coffee treat (because you totally deserve it making memories for all those babies), and you are good to go.  

[mommyoffive]

Ok, I tried this simulator and it looks like we would probably get to see maybe 90% of the eclipse. At this point I think we may just watch it from home.

 

How do you see the %?

 

I had no idea that we would be able to see some here.  I was tossing around the idea of going and it is 6 or more hours one way.  But I would make a vacation of it. 

[mommyoffive]

If you are going to travel, do look up what is happening in the communities you might view from because many have a lot of cool things happening.

 

Grand Island, NE in conjunction with NASA, is sending up two near space weather balloons to do aerial photography. These will likely attain 20 miles. The launch is going to be a neat thing to witness. Other communities are working with area astronomers, astrophysicists, and universities to provide lectures, talks, fun educational activities, etc. You could parlez this into a pretty awesome science field trip.

 

Any links to look this up?

[mommyoffive]

Absolutely! We are 9.5 hours away from totality, and dh can't take a lot of time off work. So we are headed to Michigan City on Sunday night, staying over one night, seeing it at approximately 85-90% totality, and then driving home that late afternoon.

 

I have an aunt and uncle only 4 hrs away. But their health isn't all that great right now so we were hesitant to ask to stay with them, and from what I can see, the communities in the path have planned so many festivities that they are all booked solid now. So getting it "almost" totality is the best choice for us.

 

We don't get as many opportunities for good viewing of solar eclipses in this part of North America as other parts of the world so we definitely want to see it. Dh has ordered filters for our 10" telescope as well as our binoculars.

 

Michigan City, IN? 

 

That isn't that far for me.  Hmmm

[Ali in OR]

We live in the path of totality and are really looking forward to it. I barely remember the 1979 eclipse which was partial in CA and it was very much a "meh" experience, but I think totality will be a vastly different thing. That said, if you do not have a hotel room already, you won't be able to get one, at least here. They say that there will be up to a million visitors to Oregon and the roads will be a nightmare. Portland and Eugene aren't in totality, so I expect many in those areas will be driving south or north (in addition to all of the out-of-state/out-of-country visitors). If it's cloudy at the coast or in the valley, I expect many trying to get over the mountains that morning. Advice to locals has been to be stocked up on gas, cash, and food and stay off the highways. So, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one we would have dragged our kids to even when they were little, but do be prepared.

[FaithManor]

We live in the path of totality and are really looking forward to it. I barely remember the 1979 eclipse which was partial in CA and it was very much a "meh" experience, but I think totality will be a vastly different thing. That said, if you do not have a hotel room already, you won't be able to get one, at least here. They say that there will be up to a million visitors to Oregon and the roads will be a nightmare. Portland and Eugene aren't in totality, so I expect many in those areas will be driving south or north (in addition to all of the out-of-state/out-of-country visitors). If it's cloudy at the coast or in the valley, I expect many trying to get over the mountains that morning. Advice to locals has been to be stocked up on gas, cash, and food and stay off the highways. So, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one we would have dragged our kids to even when they were little, but do be prepared.

I booked our room in Michigan City last night so we could run the 7 miles north to the rocketry field and set up our telescope and binoculars. We paid $90.00 at the Country Inn and Suites. Today? I checked again just for funsies. $165.00 and they only have two rooms left.

 

That's for 90% totality. My guess is that other communities that will experience 85% or better are fast booking up too as people like us who can't travel so many hours to the path, or who suddenly decide to do something quickly book what is left.

 

For what it is worth Michiganders and Hoosiers, Portage has some rooms for very reasonable prices. Unfortunately, we are still talking about an hour and 23 minute drive. I expect that as long as one is on 94, the traffic will be heavy but moving. I think one gets off the side roads to go through the Three Oaks/New Buffalo, Berrien Springs area to get to Michiana it is going to get congested. Though we will only have about 10 miles to travel, I think we'll be out of the hotel by 7 or 8 am so we can be there before noon to set up. Those that wait until mid-morning are going to end up in grid-lock. That said, as long as you have filter glasses or binoculars with filters, you could just pull off the road wherever you are stuck, and view right there. Just take water and food in case grid lock lasts a good long time. 

[BarbecueMom]

We're fortunate enough to live in the path of totality. We've been looking forward to it for months, and I'll be taking younger ds out of his school for the day. I'm surprised by how many people here aren't interested...it's a huge, huge deal where I live!

We're in the totality path too, and I'm surprised how many towns around us are throwing "eclipse festivals" during the weekend. I'm not sure if we'll go, maybe if there are some educational things, like a science carnival. If it's just Pink Floyd cover bands and food trucks, we'll pass.

 

DH will stay home from work that day. Partly because we have a better view from home, partly because I'm nervous about how many people might be hanging around our neighborhood from out of town just to see the eclipse.

 

I'm not sure if I'd drive to see it. If it was just the two older ones, yes, but I'm not looking forward to trying to keep the 3yo's glasses on his face. We may need to practice.

[scrapbookbuzz]

No. I don't consider traipsing 5 kids, the oldest who is only 8, around to go see it anywhere in the vicinity of exciting.

The eclipse, yes, it's exciting. But my exhaustion from herding that many kids would negate any excitement I could get out of it.

Now, with my two kids (there's a reason I only had two) who are now almost 13 and almost 19, I would consider it.

[Lady Florida.]

No. I never could understand the appeal.

 

 

I don't get it either. It gets dark in the daytime for a little while. Okay. Yawn. I don't get excited about a lunar eclipse either. I used to get excited until I saw a few. Also yawn.

 

ETA: I'm not trying to yuck anyone's yum. If you and yours find it exciting by all means go and enjoy it. But in answering the OP's question, I just don't think it's worth the drive, with kids, for a little bit of darkness during the day.

Edited June 27, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Beth S]

We're also on the Totality Path!

But no, I would not drive solo to give your 5 little ones the view.

 

Remember:  It Could Be Cloudy!

But it's fun to see the Hive looking forward to it. 

Our town is hosting several events that day.

 

I saw a partial (we haven't moved!) in 1994, and I'm hoping to find it on home video to show the kids.

I videotaped the crescent shadow on the sidewalk.

 

Their older siblings were 1 and 3 yo at the time--far too young to comprehend it all!

 

 

[melbotoast]

Anyone have a good source for the glasses?

[38carrots]

I read through half of the responses, and to my surprise no one suggested to ask the kids? :lol:

 

It would be "worth" for me if my kids were interestedand excited about going. Simple answer, really. Why are you asking a bunch of moms? Ask your kids! :coolgleamA: