best location for a home post during the 2011 chase season?

[Bob Schafer]

As I posted last night, I live in a great spot for a chase base.

It occurs to me that there is a vacant mobile home right next door to me. It was last occupied a year ago, so I think it is habitable. I've been inside, but it was a couple years ago, and it looked decent enough then. I am friends with the owner, and I could ask him if he would like to rent it out to chasers for a few days/few weeks/month or so at a time. He might be interested, but I sure can't speak for him attm. I would imagine that, if he wants to do it at all, it would be quite reasonable. He's a really nice guy.

There is no cable or satellite TV available unless you somehow arranged for satellite TV yourself. There is good water and, of course, electricity. The best option for internet service around here is a Verizon data card, as there is a 3G tower 3 miles from here. Using an external antenna, I get 3 bars about 60% of the time and 2 bars about 30% of the time.

If anyone may be interested, send me a PM.

--Bob

 

[Dan Robinson]

A small town just outside of a big city is great. I live in a Plains-like small town of 3,000 on the Illinois outskirts of St. Louis, and it is the best of all worlds. Flat prairies as far as you can see, open skies, great chase terrain/road network, conveniences are only 15 minutes away, and downtown STL only 28 minutes away. Decent job market if you need to switch employers. My big concern with living in remote KS/OK/TX was the isolation factor - I'm a bit of a loner, but think that would eventually drive even me crazy.

 

[Chris Hayes]

I always pick my "home post" for my chasecation a couple days before we leave depending on what kind of patter we're in. A lot of times we end up moving from one state to another if we're on a 3 or 4 week chasecation. I try and remain near N/S and E/H highways to be able to get trucking to a target area. Again, it all depends on the weather pattern and where severe events will likely be for a few days or more.

 

[Robert Hettchen]

old thread but I live in Coldwater, Ks And I am moving out of my Rental house the first of April. A great 3 bedroom house with a nice attached garage! $300 a month and the landlord leaves the bills in thier names. they just make copies of the bills and I pay them. Its usually around $425 a month total. Which is a damn good deal. And not having to switch utilities into your name is a huge plus. And, Its month to month. No contract. If anyone is interested give me a shout. 620 255 4082.

 

[Darren Addy]

<snippage> My choice would be Kearney, Nebraska. </snippage>

Joel! Shush now!

Seriously, as home of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, we have been trying to live down the former motto "You can't spell DRUNK without UNK!"

Kearney got run over by that supercell a couple years ago (which fortunately didn't get it's act fully together) and I got a tornado about 20 miles NE of here (same storm that later produced the Highway 34 Phillips/Aurora tornado that just about took Reed Timmer's eye), but the statistically highest area for tornadoes in Nebraska is roughly a Doniphan/Giltner to Aurora strip (which crosses I80) - about 60 miles east of Kearney.

 

[Derek Weston]

Hoisington, KS it is. Me and Terrence Cook + a few more freeloaders later this spring. North of Great Bend 10 minutes... south of 70 by a half hour. It'll work.

 

[Jane Herbert]

Somewhere between Herington / Marion, Kansas and Blackwell, OK for us this year if we can organise it........

 

[Warren Faidley]

As Joel noted, we have discussed this many times over the years and it's always a fun question to debate. I don't think you can have one base that will cover the entire alley. I've always thought that bases in Hays Kansas and Shamrock, TX would allow a chaser to cover most regions within an AM departure. However, I not sure I 'm the kind of person who could sit days on end in a small town (no disrespect intended) with limited resources for entertainment, auto repair if needed, supplies, good food, etc. I've based myself out of Amarillo, TX for the past 20 some years because of the infrastructure and location. Since I'm mainly an isolated storm / dryline chaser now days, it allows me to cover the western portions of the alley, while offering me a 12 hour drive back to Tucson, or access to a major airport in the event of an emergency or sudden business travel.

Having said this, I would have been out a lot of rent money if I paid in advance for a room in Amarillo last year, since the main action was up north. I spent most of my time in NE, CO and Nebraska.

Dodge City is also a great place to base out of.

W.

 

[Matt Tottle]

If I wasn't already in Russell, I would've chose Great Bend or Hays. Hoisington isn't exactly a 'small town' like St John, where you can count the number of houses and streets on both hands and the neighbors keep an eye on you, but the town economy is failing (thanks to the idiots running it) and that's driving people and business out. In the last couple months, I've seen three Main Street businesses close up shop (and there weren't many there in the first place). Hays and GB are both much larger towns, and have a lot more in the way of services and stuff to keep you busy. If you need to 'get out', Salina would be an even better bet.

 

[Bobby Prentice]

Storm chasing is nomadic endeavor by nature. It makes no financial sense to buy a "home post" that you will only use at most a few weeks out of the year. It would just be an expensive anchor!

After a long, hard day (and early night?) of chasing do you really want to have to drive another 1-3+ hours back to your house anchor? Over dangerous, potentially flooded rural roads at night? Over Chase Alley, the Day 2 target is commonly right back where you finished up chasing on Day 1 (this is common)? What if the Day 2 target is in the opposite direction from your house anchor? Wouldn't it be better to just drive to the nearest cheap motel? With $3.50/gallon (and climbing) gas, it makes even more financial sense.

 

[Kevin Walters]

Another possibility is having a lean year (or two) when a high percentage of chaseable storms occur far from your "home post". Bobby, I like your avatar, that has always been one of my favorite shots.

 

[Derek Weston]

Storm chasing is nomadic endeavor by nature. It makes no financial sense to buy a "home post" that you will only use at most a few weeks out of the year. It would just be an expensive anchor!

After a long, hard day (and early night?) of chasing do you really want to have to drive another 1-3+ hours back to your house anchor? Over dangerous, potentially flooded rural roads at night? Over Chase Alley, the Day 2 target is commonly right back where you finished up chasing on Day 1 (this is common)? What if the Day 2 target is in the opposite direction from your house anchor? Wouldn't it be better to just drive to the nearest cheap motel? With $3.50/gallon (and climbing) gas, it makes even more financial sense.

I have serious doubts that it would make more financial sense. 350/30 = 11.66 a day for rent is what we have. Compared to hotels... figure... at least 50 on average for cheap plains dwellings... we're coming out ahead. Sure, throw in utilities and gas and perhaps we're looking at some more comparable. (though I'd still argue a rental comes out ahead)

Actually, I like the idea of being a nomad. Agree with you.

But given the job and family constraints me and Terrence faced... 350 a month in Hoisington made the most sense.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I liked the idea kicked around a few years ago of 10 or so chasers getting together for a shared network of 4 or 5 of these small-town houses, making them into a sort of hostel-type setup (twin or bunk beds in all rooms). The more chasers involved, the more locations. (Granted, getting 10 or more chasers who trusted each other enough and agreed upon the locations would be a pipe dream).

Given some of the shady hotel accomodations commonly settled for, cramming 10 people into a small house with cots and sleeping bags wouldn't be too outraegous (I've had that many friends stay at my 1,000sq ft house for a ski trip). As for the locations? If I had to pick 5:

1.) Altus, OK
2.) Boise City, OK
3.) Pratt, KS
4.) McCook, NE
5.) Mitchell, SD

if more chasers joined the network:

6.) Hawaitha, KS
7.) Bartlesville, OK
8.) Kit Carson, CO

This always made me wonder if a network of chasers who already *lived* near these locations could get together and share their places with trusted colleagues. For instance, if I lived in Pratt, I'd be willing to allow up to 10 people to crash there (at $10 per person per night, just for the privilege and to cover the extra water/wear/etc) as long as I knew in advance who might show up. Get enough participating homeowners/renters in enough locations, and it's a win-win for everyone. The host makes $100 on the night, and everyone else saves $50 or more over a hotel room.

Again, I know this has no appeal for the wealthier contingent who has no need to be conservative with chase expenditures.

 

[Andrew Burnett]

Only issue would be culture... or lack there of. (as is usually seen with a smaller population)

I could probably make it in a college town, but otherwise would be a bit too bored.

My dream situation is to live in the country just outside a fun town.

lol.. the big issue would be a job. there is a reason these places are losing population.

 

[Bryan Stokes]

Storm chasing is nomadic endeavor by nature. It makes no financial sense to buy a "home post" that you will only use at most a few weeks out of the year. It would just be an expensive anchor!

After a long, hard day (and early night?) of chasing do you really want to have to drive another 1-3+ hours back to your house anchor? Over dangerous, potentially flooded rural roads at night? Over Chase Alley, the Day 2 target is commonly right back where you finished up chasing on Day 1 (this is common)? What if the Day 2 target is in the opposite direction from your house anchor? Wouldn't it be better to just drive to the nearest cheap motel? With $3.50/gallon (and climbing) gas, it makes even more financial sense.

I totally agree with Bobby. I think it's far easier (and cheaper) in the long run to stay at a hotel close to where the chasing ends for the day, or simply relocate for the next day's set-up. I'd never drive 2 hours south if I needed to go north the next day. Simply put: chasing requires mobility.

Bryan