My son, who lives in Chicago, just called my wife to make sure it was ok to bring about 10 friends to stay in our house the night before, so they will be close to the total eclipse area. He also would like us to feed them on Sunday. He thought I would like to grill for them. Thanks, son.

He will probably want to further your happiness by letting you make a big b'fast in the am and packing them lunch/snacks for the road, too.

Parenting is the best!

We will be dropping my daughter off for her freshman year at Clemson on August 19. We were just there for orientation, and they said hotel rooms in the area are going to $400-500 a night for the eclipse. The whole state of SC is expecting 2 million tourists for this eclipse.

Clemson is renting space on their football field for $50 a pop! They are calling it "tailgazing"

^^^^^^^^^ That's terrible! They didn't think that one thru ,did they? :-)

They think they did! LOL

I'll be in DC, probably at the National Zoo...watching with pandas.

I've actually changed plans from Charleston, SC to Greenville, SC with other daughter because of other events that same weekend. Nice to have options and not to have to worry about the $400 - $500 hotel rooms.

Starting to get worried about what Susielou may charge me!

Found a hotel about 2 1/2 hours from our viewing point that had rooms available in a 'normal' price range. It's on our route and right off the highway so should work well.

SC is treating the event as an emergency operation. Besides the flood of visitors, they are preparing for people to just stop driving without even pulling off the roads during the eclipse, I-26 is their main headache, as it follows the path of the eclipse from the upstate to Charleston.

From "The State Newspaper"

"Law enforcement and transportation officials along with state emergency management experts have been preparing for the event since November.

The planning relies on experience with football traffic, hurricane evacuations, concerts and even the 1987 visit by Pope John Paul II. Officials also checked with other communities in the path of the eclipse for traffic management ideas.

The hassles on the roads could start as soon as Friday, Aug. 18, when out-of-towners begin arriving for a weekend featuring more than 100 events across the Midlands, officials said.

Traffic is expected to intensify three days later as residents within a half-day drive of the Midlands visit, officials said. The most challenging time may be the afternoon of Aug. 21 when crowds at viewing events begin leaving just as the afternoon rush hour for commuters begins, officials said."

I just found out I will be in Florida that week for work. I have a bunch of 21 year olds coming, so my husband will have to feed them all week. It figures, I live in the perfect spot for this awesome event, and won't even be there!

That's fascinating, Rocky. Thanks for the update. I hadn't even thought about people just stopping their cars on I-26, but you're absolutely right, that highway pretty much tracks right under the path of totality, so everywhere on that highway will see it. Yikes! I'm arriving in Greenville on Friday and staying until Tue morning, and may wind up flying there instead of driving.

We are in the path of the solar eclipse and a local winery is having a Sip and See party that afternoon. Might just have to call it a short day!

I'm anticipating the same thing in Idaho. We are planning to drive south to Rexburg, but I don't know if we'll even make it there. Farmers are cordoning off pastures into RV and car parking spots, and there is concern with hot cars starting fires as they pull over onto tinder dry road sides. I had very high hopes for a fun once-in-a-lifetime family outing, but more and more I'm envisioning something akin to an apocalypse movie scene as people stop on highways and stare at the blackening sun.

I guess I'll just watch it go dark from inside my office...but it surely seems like most everyone is off that day? That seems unfair...but, I was at work the last time anything like this happened. Oh well! !

I'm not off. I'll just step outside periodically, with my solar glasses and have a peek or two.

I'm not off either, but we have 2 minutes and 19 seconds of totality here, so I'll just go outside like Swiggles. They're having a live band and food vendors at the fairgrounds, but I'll skip that mess.

I'll be working from home that day, so yes, I'll step outside to see this great thing! Opted not to go to Nashville with client that week as neither of us could get me a hotel room for that week.

been listening to news reports on NPR as they interview various town officials and citizens in locations that are in direct path of total darkness, scary how many towns of just a few thousand people are expecting upwards of 70,000 visitors to come in for a few days. many of these small towns have no hotels and few restaurants to accommodate the crowds. ranchers are renting out tent spots in pastures, trying to set up portable showers, bathrooms, cater food in, trying to make a few $ off this.

I'm just outside the path of totality, like 99.3%. I think I'll just step outside and look at it. Many of the communities in the path of totality are making these big plans and expecting huge crowds. Should be interesting to see how it all plays out.

We're driving down to be in the path of totality and will stay in a hotel a couple of hours (in normal traffic conditions) away. It was worth it to us to buy tickets to see it at a college football stadium, so we'll have a place to park, a place to sit and nearby toilets. There's a park nearby that is renting cabins starting at $350 a night - roughly 3 times their normal rate - with a 3 night minimum. That would have been a good place to be, but out of my price range.

OK, I am rethinking my whole plan of driving the hour to see it.

For all of you talking about "I'll walk outside and look at it" - be sure you understand that if you are not in the path of totality and in the time of totality you cannot "look at it" without special lenses or other tools. Even if you are at 99.3%, Frog Lady, it's not safe to look directly at it without those tools. I'd hate to see anyone come away from this with damaged vision.