it's worth it
I live in South Carolina and drove over 2,600 miles in 4.5 days earlier this month. I was ALL over Kansas, and part of Oklahoma. 0 tubes, ONE super. I would do it all over again - in a heartbeat. Next year, I'm going from early March, all the way thru June. I'll leave on a chase, then come home until the next major event starts to unfold. It can be expensive though. Average day = $15-20 for food, $30-40 for gas, $60-90 for a Hotel, and about $10 a day for misc. I expect to be chasing about 40-50 days next year. If I figured it up right, this should be between $4,600 - $8,000. That sounds like a lot, but....we spent more than that for 10 days in Hawaii 2 months ago. The excitement of a possible tornado, and the freedom of the road to go WHEREVER nature dictates, is overwhelming. When I get back from chase, I start getting excited about the next one! It's like oxygen - without it, I'd die. Sounds overly dramatic, but NOTHING compares to it.