PORTLAND, Ore. -- The morning of August 21 will provide a rare opportunity to see a full solar eclipse. Some of the best viewing might be around the Salem area.
It could draw hundreds of thousands of people.
“If the influx of people in to see the eclipse is as big as we think, grocery stores are not going to have a lot of ways to get the trucks to supply them that day or the week before,” said Jill Ingalls, Executive Director of the Oregon Festival and Events Association.
She said it may sound fun to turn your open land into a camp for eclipse watching until you think about all you need to provide, like bathrooms.
“Porta-potties are available if you can get to the right people at the right time. Although I think it’s very limited and I think the price is pretty steep at this point,” she said.
Terry Nelson is with Honey Bucket in Salem.
“Yeah we still have porta-potties available but I would [order them] soon,” he said.
Nelson would not say how much his cost for the eclipse, but it will be more than normal.
“Everybody's going to be on overtime. We're a union shop so it’s something we have to pay the guys more for. Plus, with the people being out on the road, it’s going to take us longer to get there and get back reload, go out, drop off, go back,” Nelson said.
Scott Ingalls will produce a gathering at the festival grounds in Sublimity.
He ordered his bathrooms and even showers months ago.
He has 250 openings left for people who want to camp or bring RVs for the weekend.
“Power and water. And nothing but land. So we can park an awful lot of stuff here,” he said, looking at the grounds.
He’s not surprised that things like bathrooms are now hard to find.
“I had a bit of a time getting a shower -- we'll have a shower unit on sight for the campers -- and I got the last one in five states and its sitting in Spokane. But I've already rented it whether I use it or not. So those types of things are happening,” he said.
For an updated list of places to camp or stay around the Salem area, check www.travelsalem.com.