This summer’s largest gathering will make Woodstock look like a backyard barbecue and divide the nation into two parties: those who see it, and those who don’t. On Mon., Aug. 21, at precisely 10:16 a.m. PDT, the shadow of the moon will touch down in Lincoln City, Ore., marking the landfall of a total solar eclipse that will cross 14 states, all the way past the South Carolina shoreline and into the Atlantic. (The last time such an event happened coast to coast was in 1918.)
Some 12.2 million people live within the 70-mile-wide band where the eclipse will be total — and millions more are expected to travel to witness it firsthand. From Oregon to South Carolina, hotel bookings have skyrocketed. Charleston, SC (where totality will be visible for more than a minute), is almost at capacity, with some lodgings having sold out two months ago. In Oregon, cases of motels dropping reservations and then attempting to resell them for up to $1,000 a night have gotten so bad that the state’s attorney general has opened an investigation. READ MORE
