Posted on 09/09/2022 11:46:50 AM PDT by george76
Ping
And to think how many fewer snakes would be on the Earth if Noah hadn’t made that last tour of the Ark to see how it fared after the year that everything lived in it. He came to a pair of snakes and looked at then and said “Why are you still here? I thought I told you to go forth and multiply.”
“We can’t, we’re adders.”
adders
LOL
Good grief!
President Reagan was so spot on when he so famously said: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”
Larue-Pine Hills is a great natural area. Viewing of the eclipse from the bluffs would be fabulous — if you don’t mind snakes. ;-)
OT:
SI was swamped (with people) for the 2017 eclipse: One of my wife’s cousins & family tried to drive down from the Chicago ‘burbs and never made it past Rend Lake. Campgrounds and any sort of lodging were jam packed. I imagine the 2024 eclipse may be even worse, so, plan early and book early! The 2017 event did give the area a bit of a boost, so hopefully a few more accommodations will be available or have grown. Certainly there are more cabin rentals, but, that’s a drop in the bucket. A little north of the centerline is Pyramid State Park (~3m 40s total eclipse): That’s almost 20,000 acres of mostly open space (reclaimed prairie, dotted by strip mine lakes). Maybe 1/10th of it is forested.
The 2024 eclipse path centerline also goes right over the north end of the emergency spillway at Crab Orchard Lake - there’s a nice big open grassy area below the spillway, and more lies along & behind much of the dam (levee). It has to be at least 100,000 sq. meters — at 2 people per sq. meter (a typical safety limit), there could be 200,000 people there IF they were bussed in. Don’t ask me where in heck all the cars would park. Nearby Carbondale is only ~ 20k inhabitants, and SIU would be in session, I believe? The SIU Arena parking lot might be good for 5k cars? The nearby Mall perhaps that many, but almost any such place is prime viewing area too, as was Saluki Stadium in 2017 — which also uses the Arena parking...
Great interactive map of the 2024 eclipse path here:
Thanks for all the info!
Back in the 70s I drove down to Carbondale to visit a friend at SIU.
I’m sure it’s a shorter trip now-we didn’t have I 39 back then.
I’ll look into a place to stay, but I remember hearing stories in 2017 about people who made reservations far in advanced, and STILL got stuck with inflated room prices once they got there.
I’ll figure something out. This would be my one and only total solar eclipse, most likely, so I’ll think of something, lol.
They should capture and release them in Chicago, DC, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Wisconsin and Detroit. It would keep foot traffic down during peak rioting time.
Yeah, I-39 definitely improves the trip if one is going to / fro’ C’Dale / North-Central IL.
I’m pretty familiar with the SI area. Are you looking for camping (primitive to camper-trailer or RV), or a cabin, or a lodge or motel / hotel? I don’t personally know any owners / managers I could vouch for, but would have some general ideas. For example, a State Park is not gonna screw with prices for a camping pad or a cabin once it’s booked.
Since cloudy / rainy weather is a distinct possibility, you might want to consider arriving a couple to a few days in advance and check out other area attractions, so a cloudy eclipse afternoon doesn’t bust the entire trip. Assuming accommodations’ pricing is not insane, of course! (Sheesh, I sound like the tourism bureau!)
Cool!
Sorry for the late response, I was a little under the weather this weekend.
The park has cabins? Might be doable. I’m not a camper, so that’s out.
I’m willing to stay somewhere north of there and drive an hour or two to an area that would allow me to stop and observe the eclipse. I’d rather do it on public property. I’m certainly open to possibilities.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.