Eclipse PSA

[Zand]

I'm staying at Killington through Tuesday, but planning on being at an event in Shelburne on Monday. Planning on heading back to Killington through Bristol and then down 125 to 100 to avoid what will probably be a bunch of nonsense on Rt 7.

 

[parahelia]

Very interested to see how the crowds headed north disperse thru northern New England.

Yeah, we've been trying to game it out here - our dept. is sending an astronomy class north in a van to view it (we're in MA). While Burlington looks tempting on a map to the trip leader, I think there will be fewer crowds to the east. The NEK has pretty good highway access from MA, though the Franconia bottleneck on 93 might argue for taking 89-->91.

I am glad I will NOT be in a van full of college students and will enjoy the Loaf, which being a pain to get to for almost everyone, will hopefully be less crowded than VT.

 

[Edd]

That's the same reason I'm staying until Tuesday.

Same, Sunday - Tuesday for us.

 

[kbroderick]

Yeah, we've been trying to game it out here - our dept. is sending an astronomy class north in a van to view it (we're in MA). While Burlington looks tempting on a map to the trip leader, I think there will be fewer crowds to the east. The NEK has pretty good highway access from MA, though the Franconia bottleneck on 93 might argue for taking 89-->91.

I am glad I will NOT be in a van full of college students and will enjoy the Loaf, which being a pain to get to for almost everyone, will hopefully be less crowded than VT.

The challenge is guessing how many people are thinking the same way you are. Once you get off the highway in the NEK (or Northern NH or Main), the road system is geared for very low traffic levels. The storm wrapping up today/tonight is also likely to make things really interesting, especially for anyone not used to spring in northern New England. Lots of roadside stuff (rest areas, boat ramps, etc) that doesn't get plowed out won't be available for parking.

The Loaf looks like a really appealing option, especially if you have an appropriate pass. If I didn't have toddlers, I might be headed that way, but they can't ski well enough to get down from the top of Sugarloaf.

I'll second what has already been said: 99% of an eclipse is kinda like getting to the parking lot is 99% of attending the Super Bowl. It might be pretty cool, but it's not nearly the same experience as being in the stadium. I was skeptical but got talked into joining an enthusiastic friend on a camping trip to view the 2017 eclipse, and I'm now sold.

 

[drjeff]

Given its more and more looking like the path of totality across the ADK/NVT/NNH/NME might be the most likely for clear viewing across most of the US, the crowds may be even bigger than initially projected...

Might mean my wife and I call the audible and not go up to Stowe on Monday, but take 96ish% at Mount Snow on the deck of our traffic free condo with the eclipse over the mountain... Especially if our UCONN Huskies are playing for the National Championship on Monday night... Much rather take 96% of totality and 100% of the game on TV vs 100% totality and potentially having to listen to the game on satellite radio while driving down route 100 back to the Mount Snow area due to traffic!

 

[abc]

Given its more and more looking like the path of totality across the ADK/NVT/NNH/NME might be the most likely for clear viewing across most of the US, the crowds may be even bigger than initially projected...

Might mean my wife and I call the audible and not go up to Stowe on Monday, but take 96ish% at Mount Snow on the deck of our traffic free condo with the eclipse over the mountain... Especially if our UCONN Huskies are playing for the National Championship on Monday night... Much rather take 96% of totality and 100% of the game on TV vs 100% totality and potentially having to listen to the game on satellite radio while driving down route 100 back to the Mount Snow area due to traffic!

Amazing! Skip the once in 20 years chance to watch a totality to watch a game that happens every other week on TV

 

[urungus]

Amazing! Skip the once in 20 years chance to watch a totality to watch a game that happens every other week on TV

Forget about “every other week”, next weekend, UConn basketball could be playing for the national championship every other DAY

 

[drjeff]

Forget about “every other week”, next weekend, UConn basketball could be playing for the national championship every other DAY

Truth! My Alma mater women and men's teams (and NC State's women and men as well) could be playing each of the next 4 days!

Amazing! And even though between the women's and men's teams UCONN basketball has won a combined 17 National Championships since my wife and I became CT residents and eventually UCONN alums in 1997, it never gets old!

 

[ceo]

The real traffic clusterf*ck, at least as far as highways are concerned, is going to be the I-89/I-93 merge. As it is, that regularly backs up several miles past Concord on Sunday afternoons during ski season. Franconia Notch is also a potential bottleneck if you're coming down I-91 to I-93.

 

[ceo]

I planned my trip to Sugarloaf with a friend for Sunday-Monday, mostly because I was also planning on bringing my younger kid, and didn't want to take him out of school for two days. He's decided not to go and it's definitely too late to change our reservations, so we're driving home Monday evening with everyone else. That would perhaps argue for watching the eclipse standing next to the fully-packed car in the parking lot and bolting out of there as soon as totality ends, but we're going to try to watch from the summit so we can see the shadow approach. I figure with the likely huge crowd up there, it's going to take an hour or so to get down and changed and to the car, so we may be in for a really long drive home.

 

[abc]

Staying up north till Tuesday.

An extra day of skiing too, apart from missing the traffic.

I’ve packed a lawn chair and a cooler. So if the traffic is bad just getting out of the ski area, I’ll just have a picnic at the parking lot.

 

[urungus]

The real traffic clusterf*ck, at least as far as highways are concerned, is going to be the I-89/I-93 merge. As it is, that regularly backs up several miles past Concord on Sunday afternoons during ski season. Franconia Notch is also a potential bottleneck if you're coming down I-91 to I-93.

Also there are two construction choke points where I-91 is reduced to one lane in each direction, between exits 5 and 6 in Vermont, and in Greenfield MA

 

[urungus]

Ashley Robbins - mama & wife on Instagram: "Scuse me? 🤪"

35K likes, 317 comments - the_robbins.nest on April 4, 2024: "Scuse me? 🤪".

www.instagram.com

LOL @ the French translation on the sign

 

[BodeMiller1]

Panic room.

 

[Mum skier]

Even if the eclipse weather is a bust tomorrow at least we got probably the best day skiing of the season so far today! 4” overnight, cloudy until about 2.00pm then clear, sunny and lifts open til 5.00pm. Out first time at Saddleback. Photos of entering Casablanca Glades, summit of Saddleback and a cute rock jump. …..
And managed to find somewhere for dinner both nights.

 

[Shredmonkey254]

Looking to going there tomorrow!

 

[parahelia]

Pulled into sugarloaf a few minutes before 7 and lot D filled up a few minutes later. Might be a record…

 

[Hawk]

UConn is like the Yankees to me. Go Purdue.

 

[Hawk]

Looking out over the parking lot at Sugarbush, they are still in the top lot this morning. They open at 9am in the spring so it looks like a normal day. I am sure it will start picking up. MRG is sold out and reports are they are filling up quick. Today at Sugarbush, they have the band the Grift playing the on the plaza playing Pink Floyds the Dark side of the moon. They are closing the lifts for an hour and re-opening until 5.

 

[cdskier]

Looking out over the parking lot at Sugarbush, they are still in the top lot this morning. They open at 9am in the spring so it looks like a normal day. I am sure it will start picking up. MRG is sold out and reports are they are filling up quick. Today at Sugarbush, they have the band the Grift playing the on the plaza playing Pink Floyds the Dark side of the moon. They are closing the lifts for an hour and re-opening until 5.

They open at 10 mid-week in the spring. I'd expect it to be pretty empty as of right now still...my condo complex was packed last night (although not everyone here is skiing I'm sure).