Appalachia

What a ride down the Appalachians would look like next summer (for the solar eclipse!)

https://goo.gl/maps/6h2J4cJoXhz

Elora, ON
4 h 19 min (286 km)
Entering the United States of America (New York)
4 h 19 min (286 km)
Entering Pennsylvania
3 h 11 min (224 km)
State College, PA
37 min (40.0 km)
Entering Maryland
Entering West Virginia
Entering Virginia
Passing through West Virginia
Entering Virginia
2 h 59 min (233 km)
Entering Tennessee
1 h 15 min (82.9 km)
Deals Gap
Cherokee, NC
54 min (51.1 km)
Entering Virginia
8 h 6 min (553 km)
Lexington, VA
Entering West Virginia
Entering Virginia
Passing through West Virginia
7 h 3 min (539 km)
Entering Pennsylvania
Williamsport, PA
3 h 38 min (274 km)
Entering New York
3 h 38 min (274 km)
Batavia, NY
Entering Canada (Ontario)
3 h 44 min (243 km)
Elora, ON

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachia

https://goo.gl/maps/JeeomohGEPv
with hotel stops

http://www.blueridgemotorcycling.com/destinations/#interactive-map

http://ironhorsenc.com/
might be good for a couple of days in the Smokey Mountains.

home

6 h 29 min (447 km)
1.  Clearfield, PA
5 h 27 min (390 km)
2.  Inn at Mountain Quest
6 h 41 min (518 km)
3.  Knoxville, TN
1 h 34 min (94.2 km)
3.5   Deal's Gap - Tail of the Dragon
2 h 25 min (162 km)
4.  Ashville, NC
8 h 26 min (581 km)
5.  Harrisburg, VA
5 h 39 min (437 km)
6.  South Williamsport, PA
7 h 3 min (496 km)
home

Dragon Eclipses

Do you know where you're going to be on August 21st, 2017?  As it happens, at about 2:30 in the afternoon on that day, a total solar eclipse will be passing over The Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee and North Carolina.  

Total eclipses don't happen very often.  This is complete totality, the moon perfectly covers the sun's disk, the sky goes dark, birds go to sleep, and a couple of minutes later everything comes back and it's another normal sunset in the mountains.  It'll be spectacular.

I got some nice shots of a partial solar eclipse during sunset a couple of years ago, but a chance to see totality is a bucket list item.  If I can time it with another bucket list item (riding the Tail), what a day that'll be!

I've seen a spectacular partial eclipse at sunset, but totality is something else entirely.  If you're able, try and get into the path of the total eclipse and the moon's shadow slides across America at over 1000 miles per hour.

Get between the blue lines (and as close to the red one as you can get) and you'll see a total solar eclipse. On the Portland side you're looking at a 5:15pm start,  As the shadow slips into the Atlantic around Charleston, it'll be a 6:46pm event.