To accommodate overwhelming demand, Oregon state park officials freed up 1,000 campsites today for folks wanting to see a total solar eclipse on Aug. 21. They didn’t last long. The extra spots were made available for reservations at 8 a.m. – and by 9:25 a.m., they were sold out. No more state park sites will be put into the pool. Instead, folks will have to put their name on a list to be notified about cancellations, and then try grabbing a space when someone cancels. (For example, you can check availability at Unity Lake State Recreation Site, which experienced some reservation glitches today.) There are alternatives, such as the camping packages for Oregon Solarfest 2017, but don’t dally if you want to see darkness at midday. Tales are already being told about price-gouging in the eclipse zone.
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