Good non-storm memories/images from chasing past

[John Farley]

Since cows have come into play, I thought I'd put this one out there. 13 years old and scanned from a print, so quality isn't much, but it definitely captures the flavor of rural New Mexico.

 

[Paul Knightley]

Man, this thread in it's own right has got those chase feelings going! For me, here in the UK, there are several 'markers' which mean chasing is approaching.

I guess one is our annual spring conference for the severe storm group I head (TORRO) - other chasing friends are there too and we gather in the pub afterwards, have a few beers, and look forward to the upcoming trip. It gets the excitement levels up, and it's always cool to think the next time I'll see these guys will probably be if we meet up on the Plains at some point.
Then there's the packing and list making - I'm not usually very organised but when it comes to chasing I have my list and everything gets triple checked! That's part of the fun!
Of course, the flight over is the biggest part of it all - almost 10 hours, but it's all in anticipation. As the plane races south-eastwards across the Midwest and down to the eastern Plains I peer out of the window at the increasingly flat terrain, and spot landmarks such as Old Man River snaking its way southwards. Then there are the big lakes north of Dallas as we come in to land at DFW - if we're flying south it means the southerly return flow is in residence! I've had a couple of northbound landings, which is always more disappointing!
There is a big glass sculpture-type thing at DFW on the way to the car rental place. This, perhaps, is the first true landmark which confirms our arrival in the Plains and it's time to start chasing.
Beyond that, the morning wake up and early cup or two of coffee is the real memory-jerker - just the smell of fresh coffee puts me back on the Plains! I started drinking coffee whilst on my early US storm chasing trips (I was a staunch tea-only Brit beforehand!). Other experiences are very similar to posters above, although I'll throw the hot tub and pool in there too, as I like to try to use those as much as possible!

 

[Dan Rupnow]

When I wake up on a chase day, I always feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I love the feeling of anticipation as I immediately start wondering what current obs, satellite, and short range models will have in store. I also love the challenge of sitting down, with a coffee in hand, and trying to put it all together into a forecast for the day, and then comparing that forecast with the Day 1 to help "double check" my work!

 

[Marcus Diaz]

I'll never forget the morning of April 26, 2009. Just waking up in Enid after the town had a small tornado rip through during the night. I was very green to chasing. So I went out and looked at what damage the tornado did (which wasn't very much). I then got ready with my new group consisting of @Corey Sloan @Steve Polley, Chris Rice and The Outlaws. Humid, sticky morning. You can almost feel the air destabilizing in the morning sun. Loading my truck up for the first time I've ever woken up in the target area. Watching Randy Hicks doing some weird dance to his music. Man, right then and right there, I was hooked. I knew I had to chase for the rest of my life. That I'll never find anything as enjoyable as chasing, even on the bust days. I've never gone home upset with the outcome of the day. Sure I've blue-sky busted 10 hours from home (@Wesley Luginbyhl ) but even on days like that, I can take away some good memories.

To me, chasing is like having a totally second life. I said it on my podcast in episode 2, but when I drive through some small town in Kansas or wherever, and see people going about their daily lives, I feel slightly better than them. I get that thought of "HAH, I'm chasing storms and you're doing boring life stuff" and makes me even more excited about what nature might provide later that day.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Thanks everyone for the great replies. I love roads - they are another chase trip symbol. I keep a collection of Plains road images in a special photo folder. Here are some of my favorites (all of these are clickable to enlarge):





And of course the Plains landscape. I always laugh when I hear non-chasers say they hate driving through a Plains state because the scenery is boring. They just don't get it.

Oklahoma wheat field - heaven!


Southern Nebraska - this is more scenic to me than the most majestic mountain range.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Here's a couple for you, Dan. I LOVE chasing in New Mexico. The semi-arid scenery adds to any picture, no matter what the weather does.

Highway 142 between Springer and Clayton, NM. Perfectly smooth black asphalt highway.

State Highway 30 between Roswell and Ft. Sumner.

And proof about the New Mexican landscape being amazing. First one near Roswell...

And this is south of Tucumcari...

 

[Todd Rector]

I love the funny things we see sometimes. Like this fireworks stand in South Dakota (This was taken in May 2010, "Bowdle day)

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[Todd Rector]

Apparently I am not so good at embedding media...

 

[Todd Rector]

I am going to try this again. Thanks for bearing with me while I learn the new site functions.

I love the funny things we see sometimes. Like this fireworks stand in South Dakota - I would totally call this a conflict of interest!
(This was taken in May 2010, "Bowdle day)