The current forecast for Kentucky looks very good for Monday, the best it’s been!
My biggest concern right now is Tuesday. The forecast for northern Indiana, which is where my itinerary says I’ll be Tuesday afternoon/evening, calls for almost certain thundershowers. That isn’t a deal-breaker, but it does make for a less pleasant trip.
So I’ve been thinking about Plan B. Instead of two days of scooter riding in each direction, I could make the trip to the campsite I’ve reserved as my base at Lincoln State Park in southern Indiana, in a single day, by car. Then spend Monday getting to the eclipse and returning to base, and make the same one-day drive back on Tuesday. Google Maps says it’s 7 hours each way, so I’d assume 8 to allow for traffic.
There are a few disadvantages to doing the trip that way. 1) Driving is boring. 2) The car I’d take burns three times as much fuel. 3) If I got stuck in traffic, I wouldn’t be able to scoot around it. 4) I’d have to park the car when I got there, instead of being able to walk the scooter around with me or tuck it aside somewhere (which pretty well rules out going into Hopkinsville itself, which will be swamped).
But there are advantages to this approach: 1) It’d only be three days away from home, rather than five. 2) The car would be more comfortable, and let me bring more stuff, like my laptop. 3) Some of the cost of gas would be offset by not having to pay for campsites Saturday and Tuesday nights (which I haven’t reserved). And the big one: 4) The car is weatherproof.
I don’t need to make a decision until Saturday morning, which is the go/no-go time for doing it by scooter. I’ll check the forecasts again then, and make the choice.