South Carolina for the 2017 Total Eclipse
OK. AlteCocker doesn't always home exchange. Seeing a total eclipse has been on her bucket list for years--in fact ever since 1969 when she was a student in Boston and a group of us wanted to go see one on Nantucket. Unfortunately, the boat was booked up. She saw 99% on Cape Cod; no diamond ring, no corona.
Then there was the 1999 eclipse in Europe. After traveling to the zone, she was stormed out. It was a bust up but she observed the behavior of people. Until the week before the eclipse, no one thought he needed eclipse glasses. At the last minute, no one could get eclipse glasses for blood money. You see the picture here? AlteCocker booked a hotel room in Columbia, South Carolina, and invested in 1,000 pairs of eclipse glasses. A few were sold for a minimum to neighbors or given away. The local hardware store obviously was uneducated in the science of selling eclipse glasses. So, the hardware store was AlteCocker's biggest customer. She actually only sold a small amount on the way down and in Columbia--obviously for more money than the hardware store or the neighbors paid. At the end she and the girlfriend who traveled with her stopped two public buses and gave out leftover pairs for free just before totality--after trading a few pairs with some guys selling t-shirts and eclipse glasses for a couple of t-shirts. She did not do too badly and the glasses paid for the trip. So, that is the background.
The trip began on August 18th. Friend and AlteCocker spent the first night in Lynchburg, Virginia--yeah the home of Jerry Falwell's school, Liberty University. The next day we visited the D-Day Memorial in nearby Bedford and then Thomas Jefferson's home, Poplar Forest. Jefferson went to Poplar Forest when he needed to get away from all the guests at Monticello. Then it was onto the Durham, NC, for the second night of the trip and a visit to the Lemur Center at Duke. Two nights were spent in Columbia, South Carolina, for the main event. It was chosen because AlteCocker got a hotel room there--and there was not much left when she decided to go. Then it was onto a high school friend's home outside Charleston, SC. Since both AlteCocker and her friend previously visited downtown Charleston and Ft. Sumter, there was no need to repeat that. We saw some sights in Charleston's suburbs instead of messing with downtown. Then we drove home. The whole trip was 7 days/6 nights. AlteCocker can tell you that South Carolina is very hot in summer--so hot that you probably could actually fry an egg on the sidewalk.
AlteCocker saw totality and it was actually stunning. A total eclipse was on AlteCocker's bucket list for many years. You can see things like the Eiffel Tower any day, but a total eclipse is special. It was so amazing people were screaming or stunned into silence. It was so worth all the trouble.
Then there was the 1999 eclipse in Europe. After traveling to the zone, she was stormed out. It was a bust up but she observed the behavior of people. Until the week before the eclipse, no one thought he needed eclipse glasses. At the last minute, no one could get eclipse glasses for blood money. You see the picture here? AlteCocker booked a hotel room in Columbia, South Carolina, and invested in 1,000 pairs of eclipse glasses. A few were sold for a minimum to neighbors or given away. The local hardware store obviously was uneducated in the science of selling eclipse glasses. So, the hardware store was AlteCocker's biggest customer. She actually only sold a small amount on the way down and in Columbia--obviously for more money than the hardware store or the neighbors paid. At the end she and the girlfriend who traveled with her stopped two public buses and gave out leftover pairs for free just before totality--after trading a few pairs with some guys selling t-shirts and eclipse glasses for a couple of t-shirts. She did not do too badly and the glasses paid for the trip. So, that is the background.
The trip began on August 18th. Friend and AlteCocker spent the first night in Lynchburg, Virginia--yeah the home of Jerry Falwell's school, Liberty University. The next day we visited the D-Day Memorial in nearby Bedford and then Thomas Jefferson's home, Poplar Forest. Jefferson went to Poplar Forest when he needed to get away from all the guests at Monticello. Then it was onto the Durham, NC, for the second night of the trip and a visit to the Lemur Center at Duke. Two nights were spent in Columbia, South Carolina, for the main event. It was chosen because AlteCocker got a hotel room there--and there was not much left when she decided to go. Then it was onto a high school friend's home outside Charleston, SC. Since both AlteCocker and her friend previously visited downtown Charleston and Ft. Sumter, there was no need to repeat that. We saw some sights in Charleston's suburbs instead of messing with downtown. Then we drove home. The whole trip was 7 days/6 nights. AlteCocker can tell you that South Carolina is very hot in summer--so hot that you probably could actually fry an egg on the sidewalk.
AlteCocker saw totality and it was actually stunning. A total eclipse was on AlteCocker's bucket list for many years. You can see things like the Eiffel Tower any day, but a total eclipse is special. It was so amazing people were screaming or stunned into silence. It was so worth all the trouble.