We asked, you told us. Durango residents are planning trips to see the eclipse in its totality. Here’s where they are going:
Paul Hoffman
Traveling to: Wyoming or Nebraska
Hoffman plans to rent a motor home and drive to Wyoming or Nebraska. He will be able to relocate if cloudy weather blocks the eclipse from view.
Ilana Stern and Britt Bassett
Traveling to: Casper, Wyoming
Ilana and her husband, Britt, plan to drive their camper van to Wyoming and find the totality path located somewhere in the flats west of Casper. When she was 6 years old, Ilana saw a total eclipse in March 1970 in North Carolina. Her father, David Stern, is a former NASA physicist and worked for Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland at the time. He drove down with co-workers and their families to watch the eclipse with his daughter. From his notes, they “gathered to watch the eclipse in the zone of totality, just south of the Virginia-North Carolina state line. The eclipse was around noon, allowing us to decide to go only that morning, after we made sure skies were clear. The location was an abandoned pig wallow and many astronomers congregated there.”
Ginny Craig
Traveling to: Wyoming
Ginny hopes she can get time off work so she can drive to Wyoming last minute and end up on some back road to find 1,000 other people doing the same thing.
Mark and Kevin Prouty
Traveling to: Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Mark and his son Kevin plan to watch the eclipse from western Nebraska. Mark saw a partial solar eclipse a couple years ago in Durango.
Yvonne Lashmett
Traveling to: Idaho Falls, Idaho
Yvonne plans to meet her three sisters, Robin Canning, Jan Couture and Barbara Dingee, in Idaho Falls. Her sister Barbara lives in Idaho Falls, and has a birthday Aug. 25. The four sisters will celebrate the eclipse and Barbara’s birthday in Idaho, and continue their trip to Montana’s Glacier National Park, and Wyoming’s Yellowstone and Teton national parks.
Rick and Jane Norton
Traveling to: Lincoln City, Oregon
Rick’s sister, Laurel Barton, and her husband, Ric, returned to the United States earlier this year after living in Rome for four years, and bought a house in Lincoln City. Rick said he’s been an astronomy buff for as long as he can remember, and will see his first total solar eclipse in Lincoln City, then enjoy a wine tour in Willamette Valley. He has a vague recollection of a 1979 partial solar eclipse in Dallas, described as “a slight dimming.”
David and Marjorie Farbsten
Traveling to: Greeley
David and his wife, Marjorie, plan to watch the eclipse in Greeley, a popular location for Colorado. He said they’ll keep an eye on the weather and aim for “a wide spot in the road, as everything is booked.” David saw a partial solar eclipse May 20, 2012, in Mexican Water, Arizona.
Dan and Loraine Purrington
Traveling to: Boise, Idaho
Dan and his wife, Loraine, chose an eclipse-viewing spot about 40 miles north of Boise, where they plan to meet their friend Dave Ederer. As a former physicist and astronomy teacher, Dan recommends that people get as close to the center line as possible, use filter glasses to view the partial phases and take them off during totality, which he said will last about two minutes. He has three cameras with 400 to 1200 millimeter focal length for the event. The last total solar eclipse he saw was July 11, 1991. From the roof of a hotel in Mexico, he watched the eclipse in totality for seven minutes.
Candice Carson
Traveling to: Douglas, Wyoming
Candice plans to drive to Wyoming to meet her husband, George Banker, traveling from Montana. They will view the eclipse with Candice’s niece and her husband, Tammy and Robert AuFrance, at a ranch near Douglas. Candice saw a solar eclipse on the East Coast about 70 years ago, when she was 5 or 6 years old. She remembers watching the eclipse through opaque glass that was clouded by smoke from a candle.
Tami Duke and Tanner Coddington
Traveling to: Jackson, Wyoming
Tammy and her son Tanner, who will miss the first two days of school to go on the trip, plan to view it from one of the most popular areas to see the eclipse.
Brad Scott
Traveling to: Independence Rock, Wyoming
Brad plans to travel solo to Wyoming and view his first total eclipse from Independence Rock, located near Casper. He saw a partial eclipse in May 2012 from the Island in the Sky at Canyonlands National Park.
Doug and Diana Wright
Traveling to: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Doug and his wife, Diana, plan to meet friends from Huntsville, Tennessee, Teresa and Michael Henderson, and catch the Monster Energy NASCAR race, and then watch the eclipse from a spot north of Chattanooga. They are enthusiastic to attend any astronomical event, and watched their last solar eclipse in Phoenix, Arizona, through a pinhole.
Todd, Elly and Ella Osmera
Traveling to: Beatrice, Nebraska Todd Osmera plans to take his wife, Elly, and his 2-year-old daughter, Ella, to view the eclipse from an area on the totality line near Beatrice, his hometown. He is going to watch the weather the week before, view the eclipse through a Celestron 6-inch telescope and solar lens, and photograph it with a Cannon 5D Mark II. He also claims Bill Nye, the science guy, will be in the Beatrice area. Todd saw an annular eclipse four years ago during a spring sunset, from Las Vegas.
Brendan Trimboli
Traveling to: Pinedale, Wyoming
Brendan and his girlfriend, Laura Knapp, plan to drive their van to Wyoming, and camp for a few nights at Wind River Range, for the eclipse. His astronomy-enthused dad, Scott, encourages Brendan to attend cosmic events, such as the partial solar eclipse he saw from Durango a couple years ago.
Karyn, Nathan, Matias and Heidi Ekola
Traveling to: Glendo, Wyoming
Karyn booked a hotel room ahead of time in Glendo, and will travel with her husband, Nathan, two children, Matias and Heidi, and her dad and his wife, Art and Mary Rieke, to watch the eclipse. The family watched the May 2012 annular eclipse from Chaco Canyon, and saw the “ring of fire” around the moon when it was directly in line with the sun.
Mary Boyher
Traveling to: Augusta, Missouri
Mary plans to meet her son Ben Boyher and two sisters, Sally Heining and Pixie Shultis, at her niece Kelly’s house. Her niece Lisa and nephew Eric will also watch the eclipse with Mary and family.
Dick Imig
Traveling to: Portland, Oregon
Dick hopes to see the eclipse in 99 percent totality. He said traffic is forecast to be at a standstill at the path of totality, so he might have to settle.
Tierney Skahill
Traveling to: Driggs, Idaho
Tierney plans to travel to “one of the best places to see the total eclipse.” She said the town population is expected to grow from 2,000 to 1000,000 people, and residents are renting out their homes for upwards of $1,000 per night. Fortunately, she has a place to stay.
Susie Bonds
Traveling to: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Susie plans to travel with her boyfriend to view the eclipse.
Ken Dodge
Traveling to: Casper, Wyoming Ken plans to visit relatives in Grand Junction, drive to Greeley and make his way to Casper to view the eclipse.
Solar eclipse events in and near Durango
Florida Mesa Elementary will host a school-wide eclipse viewing at its campus at 11:20 a.m. on Aug. 21. The school will provide protective eyewear.
The Miller Middle School Parent Action Committee purchased eclipse viewing glasses for students and staff, who will watch the solar eclipse at 11:30 a.m. on the school’s football field.
Mancos State Park will host a party and offer 100 pairs of eyeglasses to attendees. Meet at the Group Picnic Area starting at 10 a.m. Light refreshments will be served. Mancos State Park is on County Road N at County Road 42. There is a $7 per vehicle park admission charge. Carpooling is encouraged. For more information, call 533-7065 or visit
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The Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio, will host a viewing party from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The free event will feature four hands-on activities, viewing glasses and lunar temporary tattoos.
Anasazi Heritage Center will host Eclipse Extravaganza!, a free viewing party with hands-on activities, solar-viewing equipment and live feeds from the path of totality. Attendees will learn about solar astronomy, sun safety and cultural connections to the sun. The center is at 27501 Colorado Highway 184 in Dolores.
Durango Public Library, 1900 East Third Ave., will hold its event from 10 a.m. to noon, and offer eclipse glasses, a variety of solar-eclipse-themed crafts, arts and activities. The event is free and open to all. Viewing glasses are available at the library, and community members are welcome to one pair each.
