May 2023

The Storm Prediction Center forecast showed a chance of storms along the Colorado-Kansas border this evening. So, I got up and got myself organized and drove from Independence to Colby, Kansas.

If you look at a standard map of the United States, generally you’ll find the left side of the map is brown and the right side is green.

Personally I prefer the brown side. Obviously I love the desert. I enjoy the mountains. And I really dig the high plains. Driving across Kansas, the transition from the “green side” to the “brown side” is evident along US 160 when a driver westbound climbs atop a ridge around Grenola. It’s west of Hutchinson when it’s evident that you’ve fully made that transition, but you really start to see it when you climb that ridge.

A few storms organized along the Colorado-Kansas border as predicted earlier in the day; they were small in nature and small in number.

I followed the approach of this storm as I drove north of Colby along K-25. I stopped for a moment to get a lightning shot, but Mother Nature is still a bit fickle, and all I got was this little bolt in the left hand corner of this shot from the little storm that could.

Along the way I stopped in Great Bend, Kansas to walk the downtown area and stretch my legs. Folks were very pleasant to the person they didn’t recognize and several people said hello. That’s nice.

Tomorrow I’ll head down toward the panhandles as severe weather is predicted for tomorrow night and especially Thursday afternoon and evening.

I appreciate that Mother Nature is starting to get her act together for this trip.

Mother Nature is still taking a break from her typical May ways in this part of the country. I ended up chasing a few rain showers and downpours. The clouds were impressive, but there wasn’t much in the way of wind, lightning, or rotation today. The next two days will be sunny skies, with the forecast looking like Mother Nature may get feisty in the western have of my designated chase area starting Wednesday night.

My brain has always been intrigued by networks and more importantly, all things connected. Ever since I was a very young boy I have been interested in power lines. As a kid I could tell where a photo was taken in Upstate New York by any power lines that may have been present in the photo, in that I could tell if the power lines were in the territories of Niagara Mohawk, NYSEG, or Rochester Gas and Electric. I wasn’t really interested in electricity as much as I was fascinated by the poles, towers, pylons, and high tension wires criss-crossing our nation.

I’ve been taking some photos of high voltage pylons I’ve found interesting during this trip. It’s a good thing my parents did give me access to a camera back in the film days of the 70s and 80s; the film processing costs to get through rolls of power lines would have been very expensive!

I’m settled in for the night in Independence, Kansas. The Microtel here is like every other Microtel I’ve been to. The person at the front desk was pleasant, the room layout is as expected, and the amenities are clean. I drove through this Historic Downtown a couple of times and it looks quite interesting. I’ve been stopping at small towns as I made my way from Oklahoma northward into Kansas. Tomorrow I’ll start heading northwest with plans on getting to the Oklahoma panhandle by Wednesday afternoon. I don’t mind taking my time. I’m finding it relaxing, I’m discovering all sorts of conversations and viewpoints on the radio, and I’m enjoying the landscape.

Relaxation is good.

US Route 62 and I were very well acquainted today.

I followed US Route 62 from Lubbock, Texas to Lawton, Oklahoma today. Rural Texas is an interesting drive. I would jump off the main road and roam the nearby “downtown” or business districts when the opportunity arose. As it is Sunday the busy places in these area were the churches.

Storms are a bit scarce on this trip. I noticed some storms starting to kick up in Northeast Oklahoma, so in Lawton I jumped on the turnpike and made my way around Oklahoma City to Muskogee. I’ve seen some flashes of lightning this evening but that’s about it.

I did find a couple of interesting portals/tunnels under the railroad tracks in Childress, Texas. I drove through them in each direction because I could. At first I thought Apple Maps was routing me through a drainage culvert but they’re really the street.

Once I got settled in Muskogee I went to a nearby restaurant and sat at the bar. I ordered a bowl of chili and they asked “do you have Fritos with that?”

Yes!

Storms will continue to be scarce for the next couple of days. I might start heading home on Tuesday, taking my time and exploring all back roads back to Tucson. I might go by way of Kansas or something.

While my primary focus of this trip is storm chasing, if Mother Nature isn’t cooperative, there’s still plenty of other things to see. I’ll have to hope she feels a bit more spicy during Monsoon Season this year back home or something.

So today I drove from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Lubbock, Texas. Storms have been scattered and mostly heavy rain for these parts. I have not seen lightning yet, let alone anything resembling a tornado.

I drove from El Paso to south of Lubbock along US Route 62. The speed limit is 75 in Texas and 70 in New Mexico. I crossed time zone lines and state lines several times. I just figured out what time it is.

Tonight I went out for a beer and a bite to eat.

The first place didn’t have food, so I found another place that did have food. That’s the photo in the entry from about an hour ago. The small live music feature (they weren’t really a band) sang some familiar songs in an unfamiliar way. The female vocalist bought me a shot of Jameson because I knew “Melt With You” was originally done by Modern English. Well, of course it was, I aced Gen X music studies.

I promptly choked on the Jameson, flushed it through my sinuses, and decided to call it a night.

Tomorrow I head up into Oklahoma.

One of the beautiful things about storm chasing through “flyover country” is that absolutely no one in this photo knows who I am. I have no issues with eating or drinking alone. As my kindergarten teacher pointed out, I’m a loner.

When I’m alone in a city I’ve never been to before I’m also uninhibited. A lack of inhibition is freeing.

First stop of this trip is at a Motel 6 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The drive from home across the desert to here was enjoyable. I always enjoy the open desert and at sunset it was especially nice. Interstate 10 isn’t in the best of shape, especially when you cross from Arizona into New Mexico. The desert sun can be harsh on pavement.

I plan on getting up early in the morning and continuing east. The latest forecast shows a small potential for severe storms throughout Texas. In the morning I’ll drive in the direction where the colors on the forecast map look the most dire.

After tonight’s drive I plan on staying off the Interstates much like I did on last year’s trip. There’s much to enjoy off the freeway.

Mother Nature has decided she wants to park a high pressure ridge over the plains for much of next week. This is pretty much going to quash the chance for tornadoes where they can best be spotted. Seasoned storm chasers sometimes refer to this as the “Death Ridge”, not because it causes death, but rather because it kills the chance for tornadoes to chase.

Of course my storm chasing trip of the year starts tomorrow evening after work.

There is still a potential for severe storms, albeit a lower chance, in the likes of Texas and farther east than I would normally go. Is all of this disappointing? Somewhat, but my yearly storm chasing trip isn’t just about storm chasing. It’s also my way of enjoying a retreat, where I spend hours exploring small towns I’ve never been to, seeing sights I’ve never seen, and enjoying the vibe of a part of the country I’ve never lived in.

Yes, I’ll be heading for every little red blip that might pop up on the weather radar and I’ll always plan my destinations around the Storm Prediction Center’s forecast map, but if I only get lightning shots or rain shots or even beautiful shots of sunlit skies, I’m good. It’s a week away from the norm, and while my norm is pretty great, getting away from the norm for any reason can be great too.

Earl helped me pick out my new glasses at my last eye appointment. My prescription had changed slightly. These glasses have progressive lenses and I wanted frames big enough to make the progression worthwhile. The selection at Target Optical was a bit limited, but I’m happy with these RayBans.