Total solar eclipse ride

Save the date! A total solar eclipse (https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/) will occur, and the path of totality will pass right by downtown Kansas City.

https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/4/0/2/600_460577410.jpeg

The moon will pass between Earth and the Sun, blocking all direct sunlight -- turning day into darkness. It will be the first total eclipse visible from the contiguous U.S. since 1979 (and that one was only visible from the Pacific Northwest). The next opportunity to witness a total eclipse in the midwest will be in 2024, and the path of totality will be a couple hundred miles east of KC.

https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/0/8/1/600_460572417.jpeg

From what I've read, nothing compares to the splendor of totality (https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/splendor/). As such, I have already requested the day off work, in case the weather in KC happens to be cloudy and I need to drive elsewhere to witness it.

But assuming the weather is clear, I'd like to share this experience with bike friends right here in the KC metro!

According to this site (http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2017_GoogleMapFull.html), totality will only last about 30 seconds, plus or minus, inside the KCMO downtown loop. But, we can extend that to 1 minute 13 seconds just by taking a short, 5-mile bike ride to Macken Park in NKC. The weather will probably be hot AF (at least I HOPE it's hot & sunny that day!), but the extra 45 seconds or so of totality should totally be worth it.

We'll meet at high Noon, right on the edge of the path of totality, at the northeast corner of the Kauffman Center grounds (16th & Wyandotte, see map link above). I'll lead a leisurely ride through the Crossroads, up Locust, and over the Missouri river (we'll take the bike path on the Heart of America Bridge) to Macken Park. Even if you are not able to join the ride, feel free to meet us at the park. We'll set up camp near the Pavilion, just east of the parking area and circle drive (https://goo.gl/maps/Sinsgnhiun12).

Totality will begin at 1:08:15 PM and will only last until 1:09:28 PM. Don't miss it!