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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2017)
4A • May 5, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com Views from the Rock OUTSIDE THE PATH OF TOTALITY O n the morning of Aug. 21, parts of Oregon will witness a total eclipse of the sun, the fi rst since Feb. 26, 1979. While Cannon Beach residents are close to the 70-mile wide “path of totality,” we’re still slightly outside its veil. So if you absolutely, positively want to see a total solar eclipse, start planning now. Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce Executive Director says purists will fi nd it “really tough” to get down to Newport, Depoe Bay or Lincoln City the day of the eclipse. To get down there and have any chance of seeing it, visitors going to need to leave at 2 or 3 a.m. in the morning, before people even wake up, he said. “Even then, it will proba- bly be cloudy and have morning fog.” During a total solar eclipse, the sun, the moon and the earth align in such a way that the moon completely blocks out the sun, briefl y turning daytime into twilight for nearly two minutes. Touching down just north of Depoe Bay at 10:15 a.m., the moon’s shadow will race east at 2,955 mph passing through cities in the Willamette Valley, Central Oregon and eastern Oregon in just nine minutes. It then traverses the country 1 hour, 33 minutes and 16.8 seconds later. The eclipse will spend 2 minutes and 40 seconds in St. Claire, Missouri. Portland, Tennessee, will receive 2 minutes and 37 seconds of totality. McLel- lanville, South Carolina, will be the last U.S. city to see the eclipse, at 2:49 p.m. EDT. Dark sky How far will sky-watchers go for totality? In Newport, the Hallmark Resort, Trav- elodge and Inn at Nye Beach are all sold out, however Trip Advisor shows rooms from $499 a night at the Best Western Agate Inn and $599 and $699 a night respectively at the Holiday Inn Express and La Quinta Inn. Expedia lists three rooms left at $800 a night in Lincoln City, and 60 vacation rentals are no longer available between Aug. 19 and Aug. 21. Rooms in Salem, McMinnville, Newberg and other locations along the “to- tality path” are also completely booked. According to Jay Anderson and Jennifer West of eclipsophile.com, a site “dedicated to the global traveler who appreciates and seeks out the spectacles that nature offers to afi cionados of the day and night sky,” the Willamette Valley offers a very good chance of sunshine on eclipse day and an even better forecast for sunshine in the Deschutes River Valley in the vicinity of Madras. All 28 hotels and motels in the Madras vicinity listed on Expedia were booked by mid-April. An extra 1,018 state park campsites made available by the state’s parks and recreation department offer South Jetty at South Beach, Fogarty Creek, Driftwood Beach and Gov- ernor Patterson Memorial, all in the path of totality. They were available online at 8 a.m., April 19 and reserved one hour later. Cannon Beach is defi nitely a second choice for those seeking this astronomical wonder— outside of the veil of totality, problematic weather-wise and subject to long travel delays. Our latitude is 45 degrees 89 minutes north; Lincoln City, within the path, is chart- ed at 44 degrees 96 minutes north. Close, but no cigar. Getting from here to there, close as it may be, could be a diffi cult feat. Motorists are discouraged. “Transportation planners predict unprec- edented traffi c and crowds during the eclipse weekend, and we are planning accordingly,” Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Chris Havel said in an April statement. “We ask that campers plan to stay off the roads on the morning of Aug. 21 and respect any fi re restrictions.” There’s the added diffi culty of weather. “The coast-hugging regions of Oregon are not especially favored for eclipse watching,” Anderson and West advise. Meteorologist Michael Zeiler advises eclipse-watchers to avoid the Oregon coast and its summer marine layer “unless the short-term weather forecast confi dently predicts the absence of morning fog or cloud cover.” The outlook through June tells that there is a one-third chance of “above-normal,” “one-third chance of normal” and “one-third chance of below-normal” precipitation in our region. The National Weather Service says there is a “50 percent chance” of El Nino developing in the July, August and September timeline, which could add to the change of precipitation later in the summer. The weather on the North Coast on Feb. 26, 1979, the date of the last total eclipse? Rain. CANNON SHOTS R.J. MARX Once in a lifetime The Cannon Beach Chamber of Com- merce and Visitor Center have received only sporadic eclipse inquiries, Carrier said. “I had one call this last week,” he said in mid-April. “A lady had made reservation for a family reunion, she wanted to bring them down and have a chance to see the eclipse. “I don’t think she really realized we’re 2½ hours or so away in being able to get down there — and that’s in normal traffi c,” Carrier said. “The three days that’s going on, I’m expecting there’s going to be insane traffi c. Carrier said visitors should avoid major roads to Depoe Bay or Lincoln Beach. “You go around a little bit and catch it from the back side,” he said. For Cannon Beach, the impact will prob- ably be “minimal,” Carrier said. “If people are doing their homework, they understand and realize they have to be in the 20-mile to- tality area for them to be able to get that per- fect view. Though there will be bits of view from other locations, I don’t think people are coming for that. Why does it matter? “The total solar eclipse is a once-in-a- lifetime occurrence,” Carrier said. “Some people feel insanely passionate about it and they want to get a peek of it.” Is anything planned in Cannon Beach? Souvenir glasses, parade, group gatherings, howling at the moon? “No we don’t plan anything then,” Car- rier said. “I do believe it will be quite the spectacle and a lot of folks will enjoy it,” Carrier said. Between high costs, chance of clouds, high crowds, you might just want to shelter in place and satisfy yourself with 90 percent totality. And there’s always the next total solar eclipse — July 2, 2019. You’ll have to go to South America for that one. How to view the 2017 solar eclipse safely On Monday, Aug. 21, a solar eclipse will be visible (weather permitting) across all of North America. During its travels, anyone within a roughly 70-mile-wide path from Oregon to South Car- olina will experience a brief total eclipse, when the moon complete- ly blocks the sun’s bright face for up to 2 minutes 40 seconds. Looking directly at the sun is unsafe except during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse (“totality”), when the moon entirely blocks the sun’s bright face, which will hap- pen only within the narrow path of totality. The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar fi lters, such as “eclipse glasses” or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade fi lters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for look- ing at the sun. To date, four manu- facturers have certifi ed their eclipse glasses and handheld solar viewers meet international standards. Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfi ltered camera, telescope, binoculars or other optical device. Similarly, do not look at the sun through a camera, a telescope, bin- oculars or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will dam- age the fi lter and enter your eyes, causing serious injury. FILE PHOTO For more information, visit www. eclipse2017.nasa.gov. Th e path of totality for the 2017 eclipse. Opening a ‘new door’ to the future in Cannon Beach D oes anybody need a door? since we recently installed our brand new door at the library, our old door (which we admittedly put to good use for many years) is for sale at Found. According to Ann Marie Radich of the shop, the door is available for $750, and the proceeds will benefi t our library. Found is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but is closed on Tuesdays. Go check it out! The shop is located in the Midtown area on the east side of Hemlock. For Spring Unveiling weekend through May 7, we will be putting out our art and music books for sale on a weeklong display ending May 13. Come check out our sale during regular library hours. In other news, the Northwest Author Series will be held at the library on Saturday, May 13, at 2 p.m. This month our speak- Publisher David F. Pero Editor R.J. Marx Sales/Advertising Manager Betty Smith Production Manager John D. Bruijn Classifi ed Sales Jamie Ramsdell Advertising Sales Holly Larkins Brandy Stewart AT THE LIBRARY CARLA O’REILLY er will be Mindy Hardwick. She will be discussing her book “Kids in Orange: Voices from a Juvenile Detention.” She will also be introducing her soon-to-be-published book “Sweetheart Wedding.” The book is the third in her Cranberry Bay Series, which is set in the fi ctional small town of Cranberry Bay, located on the north Oregon Coast. Be sure to arrive in a timely manner, as we often have overfl ow attendees. By the way, Mindy is a member of our library and facilitates poetry workshops for teens. Her book “Stained Staff writer Brenna Visser Contributing writers Rebecca Herren Katherine Lacaze Eve Marx Nancy McCarthy CANNON BEACH GAZETTE The Cannon Beach Gazette is published every other week by EO Media Group. 1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, Oregon 97138 503-738-5561 • Fax 503-738-9285 www.cannonbeachgazette.com • email: editor@cannonbeachgazette.com Glass Summer” was a 2013 epic eBook Award fi nalist. Cannon Beach Reads, our monthly read- ing discussion group, will be meeting on Wednesday, May 17, at 7 p.m. This month the group will be reading and discussing “The River Why,” by David James Duncan, which was published in 1983. The novel is a com- ing-of-age comedy about love, nature, and the quest for self-discovery. New members are always welcome! On Memorial Day Weekend, which is May 27-29, the Cannon Beach Library will be offering a rare, old, and poetry book sale from 10-5 each day. Hundreds of pre-loved books will be available to choose from. White gloves will be on hand so visitors can safely handle the rare books. Since this is one of our fundraisers, all proceeds will go to help fund SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Annually: $40.50 in county, $58.00 in and out of county. Postage Paid at: Cannon Beach, OR 97110 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cannon Beach Gazette, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Copyright 2017 © Cannon Beach Gazette. Nothing can be reprinted or copied without consent of the owners. the library. The library will also be open as usual for book checkouts and other services. Book donations needed The library is eagerly accepting donations of previously-read books, to be sold at our annual Fourth of July Book Sale. If your clos- ets and bookcases are overfl owing with books you and your family have already fi nished, put them to good use and bring them to us as soon as possible. Evaluating and pricing the donations takes a lot of time, so the sooner we have them in our possession, the less work we will have as the Fourth draws closer. Donation tax forms are also available at the library desk, should you want to claim your donations as tax deductions. Come join us for our busy (and hopefully sunny) month of May! THE NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING