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The Roadtreking Total Eclipse Gathering – Aug 18-22, 2017

| Updated Jan 31, 2017

Now's the time to reserve your spot for our Roadtreking Total Eclipse Boondocking Gathering Aug. 18-22,  just south-east of Prairie City in Oregon, almost directly on the centerline of this magnificent event.

Eastern Oregon offers some of the best chances for a clear, cloudless sky, and Prairie City is about as close to the centerline as you can get when the total eclipse occurs at 10: 24 AM on August 21st..

We will have our own resident astronomer with gear to guide us through both the day and nightime sky – Ted Judah.

Here's a video Ted did in 2012 when the last one happened – https://youtu.be/m4jvnJkmwC4

Bring a tripod and a camera.

Ted's bringing his daughter, so bring the kids, grandkids, and so on. They'll have a blast!

We're on a cattle ranch, so we will provide local steak and ground beef for 2 on Saturday and Sunday night. If you've never had Oregon free range beef, you're in for a treat.

Prairie City is a small town of 900 people. They're expecting thousands and thousands to show up for the eclipse. The roads in and out of Prairie City are not capable of handling that many cars.

Please note: This is a total boondocking gathering. here are no hookups of any kind, no showers, washrooms or running water.

For your convenience, plan on arriving early (Aug. 18th would be ideal) and leave late (the City requested we stay until Aug. 22.) To insure proper sanitation and safety and ease the no-doubt horrendous congestion, we have worked out the following rules.

You can have up to two Camping Units with your ticket; that means a tow vehicle and trailer, a vehicle and a tent, Class A and a toad. The total length has to be under 50 feet.

The first Camping Unit on your ticket must be fully self-contained (fully functioning toilet and gray tanks), or you must buddy up with someone who will let you use theirs. The second Camping Unit on your ticket does not have to be self-contained (eg tent, trailer, etc) but the occupants will be required to use your RV for all sanitation needs.

If you don't have a working gray/black system, please pair up with someone who does or get a porta-potti. We may have to ask you to leave if you don't have appropriate facilities, and we won't give refunds in that case.

We are on private property. Please respect and follow any requests from the owners.

Bottom line:
You can bring your kids or friends in a tent or a trailer, but they will have to use your Roadtrek every time they need the bathroom. Bring an extra porta potty and water if you have to.

About Prairie City:

Prairie City is in Eastern Oregon, just a few miles from John Day. The town is planning many events around the eclipse, including parades.

The nature around Prairie City is famous for both its rugged beauty and its recreational appeal. The John Day River is great for rafting. The Strawberry Wilderness is awesome. Go visit the John Day Fossil Beds and do some hiking. Swing by the Town of Fossil and dig for fossils. Be sure to spend a few days before or after the event and explore the area.

Eastern Oregon is quite desolate. You should bring everything with you. Do not count on food or gas or water being available in Prairie City or easily accessible with the anticipated congestion.

While there is an excellent restaurant in Prairie City, I expect that it will be overwhelmed. Bring all food, water, and supplies you will need for your stay.

We may have to prohibit generators and idling due to fire hazards, so plan accordingly. We will ban generators on the ground regardless. The sparks and heat from the exhaust may be enough to start a fire.

There are no porta-potties or sanitation facilities on site. There is no water available on site, although we're working on getting a water source, dumpster and possibly a porta-potti (availability is limited as it's the fire season and a lot of these are rented by the fire crews.)

Absolutely no open fires. It's the height of fire season.

Cost for this event is $250  Click here to reserve your spot

Mike Wendland

Published on 2017-01-31

Mike Wendland is a multiple Emmy-award-winning Journalist, Podcaster, YouTuber, and Blogger, who has traveled with his wife, Jennifer, all over North America in an RV, sharing adventures and reviewing RV, Camping, Outdoor, Travel and Tech Gear for the past 12 years. They are leading industry experts in RV living and have written 18 travel books.

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