86 days until my adventure begins. As an '86 baby about to turn 30, this number is particularly significant. When I reflect on the fact that I began researching tornado chasing trips about a year ago, in the spring of 2015, it seems like time is progressing much too quickly. April 30th will be here before I know it!
Tornadoes
in the US typically peak from April to June, and can impact a wide
swath of the country's midsection. Chase tours go where the action is,
which means that although they may begin and end in a particular
location, these trips are mobile adventures planned around the
prevailing weather patterns. Last spring I figured the best way to learn
more about the storm chasing industry was to follow several tour
companies over the course of the season, and see who had the most
successes, best pictures, and most positive testimonials.
Silver Lining Tours seemed
to excel at all of these attributes. At first glance I was quite
impressed with their website, testimonials, and, as the season
progressed, their encounters. I followed a couple of other chase groups
as well, but their online presence seemed to be more haphazard, with
less structured commentary on chase experiences. As the 2015 season came
to a close, I narrowed my options and did further research on Storm Chasing USA
Last
September I learned that a friend of mine's sister is a meteorologist
at NWS, which provided a great opportunity for insider insight. She recommended two reputable tour groups (including Silver Lining Tours),
as well as the following tongue-in-cheek tip: "stay away from Reed
Timmer." Although Reed is a figurehead of chase culture, with many
documentaries and the Discovery series Storm Chasers under
his belt, he is well known for pushing the limits of safety in search
of storm chasing thrills. I would love to meet Reed Timmer some day-
perhaps because one can't help but have a fangirl crush on his exuberant
personality and infectious charisma- but I knew that his method of
chasing was something I wasn't interested in pursuing.
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| Tornado probabilities for the week I will be chasing, courtesy NOAA & SLT |
At the end of September, on a Saturday night where I was so tired I felt positively nauseous, I contacted Roger at SLT. I picked the second tour of the season, Caprock Magic,
which focuses on the Texas panhandle and Oklahoma- prime chase
territory. The tour runs during the first week of May, and after hearing
back from Roger that space was still available, I spent another evening
reading the pages and pages of waivers that are involved with embarking
upon a chase tour. A few days later I put down my deposit for the trip.
I distinctly remember thinking I can't believe I'm doing this! For real! It's going to happen! It has been a pleasure to arrange my trip through SLT, and Roger has been extremely helpful and responsive with regards to the questions that have come up so far.
A
couple of weeks ago I booked my plane ticket to Oklahoma City and
purchased extra travel insurance, just in case something happens to
prevent me from taking this long-anticipated trip. Explaining the nature
of my trip to the insurance company was a hoot! The agent asked me to
repeat myself twice.
Since storm chasing relies completely on the weather, I guess it's time to practice some of the techniques I'll be following on the tour; it's time to hurry up and wait for April to arrive.
Since storm chasing relies completely on the weather, I guess it's time to practice some of the techniques I'll be following on the tour; it's time to hurry up and wait for April to arrive.
