This Doesn't Look Like Kansas

 ...Because it's Colorado! Arriving in Denver for the first time since 2012 was like:

There are so many topics I find myself mulling over on my first long distance trip since COVID began:

• Whoa, I haven't been on an escalator for how long?
• There are no lines at O'Hare security- is this real?
• I forgot United serves stroopwaffels and I. FREAKING. LOVE. STROOPWAFFELS.
• I haven't been here since I graduated from my Masters in Nonprofit Management program in 2012, holy moly!
  
• On the drive from the Denver airport to my hotel- I missed the sky. 

I love my Chicago city life- but it's so open and refreshing to be in a new place. The feeling of walking into a crisp, disinfected hotel room also feels strange (AND they serve cookies when you check in!).

Maybe I'm just having a lot of strong feelings about cookies today. That's fine too. 

 Upon arrival I saw that there is no evening orientation because the crew is out chasing- considering the convective outlook for today, I'm not surprised. Roger wants us ready at 7:30a.m. tomorrow morning, which translates to a whole lot of driving. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) outlook for tomorrow and Monday have me thinking we'll be straddling the Texas/New Mexico border for the next 2 days; the areas I am most familiar from chasing on prior trips. There are slight risks- that's level 3 on a 6 point severity scale- of storms. I don't think Sunday and Monday will be all about tornadoes, so I'm hoping for good storm structure and maybe some western US bird species I haven't seen in awhile. 

 Tonight I'm meeting my fabulous cousins for dinner at a brewpub- my idea of a good vacation night for sure. We'll see where I am tomorrow night; my guess based on previous experience is Amarillo.