How will you organize your 07 chase vacation?

[tom hanlon]

I voted for "take vacation all at once" .

That is the general plan. Schedule 4 or 5 weeks in April/may/june and as the days of vacation arrive look at the setup and see if it is worth leaving. I spent two years ago in KS NE MO CO chasing mediocre setups so if needed I will wait at home before I head out.

The rest of the year I more or less have one week a month that is free. I will chase anything mediocre in OH/KY/IN if I have a day or two free. Better than average setups will get me to IL,IA if I have the time. Monster setups during my week off, I will chase all the way to front range of CO if the setup is good and I have the week off.

As for focus on local stuff.. As Dan Robinson said.. This stuff needs more attention. When Amos lived in indiana it helped a bit. Dan in WV, the detroit/MI gang, Caleb and some other folks in ohio. It always frustrates me that the Plains folks ignore anything east of the MI. Of course they always turn to squall lines or clouded over potential days but. The ohio valley/great lakes is going to explode this year... be there (lol).

As for seeing you guys on the plains.. see you out there.

I meant to buy a chase shack in midland KS... did not get around to it.

Lessons learned..
2005 "it is better to stay at home that to chase very weak events"
2006 "it is better to chase high speed april march madness cause may might be lame"
Also learned in 2006. "Do not count on hurricane spawned tors of summer to make up for a missed spring"

Also did anyone notice that Alabama was pretty hot this year?


--
Tom H

 

[Ben Cotton]

Now that I'm out of school, I'd like to start taking a week or so to go out beyond the Mississippi for some real chasing (not to slight my love of central IL). This year, I probably won't. I get 14 days vacation from my benevolent employer, and the big chunk of that will be used in August for wedding-ish stuff. Next year, I'll have some saved up, and I'll be earning 22 days a year instead of 14, so here's hoping...



BC

 

[Adam Lucio]

I may take 1 full week off in may to head out to the plains, if i can get someone to go with me. other than that i hope to have events happen on the weekends, and any significant looking event i will either call in sick for or take a half day, thats the way i did it this year.

chasing takes #1 priority always!

 

[John Wetter]

I'll be taking a week in May and using my other week or so up over June until I get my new block of days on July 1.

 

[stephanieschweitzer]

I am a stay at home mom and have babysitters on hand so anytime the atmosphere is right I will be there. I am pretty excited this is the first time I have had such an opportunity like this.

 

[Josh Richardson]

Im taking a week sometime in May or June depending on chase partners and then the usual one day trips will just depend on the risk and where its at.

 

[Shane Adams]

I'll do what I've always done: chase when I want to. I doubt I'll chase as much as I used to, because I'm just sick of driving all over the country to find tornadoes when I live in Oklahoma. If things are active in KS/OK/TX I'll probably have a good year. If it's all I-80 and Dakotas, I doubt I'll see anything. I've got the money and the schedule to chase anything, just no longer the will.

 

[Susan Strom]

My chase seasons are very long. Lightning is my total passion. It can happen in Arizona as early as March. Then I move into dry thunderstorms and wildfires in May and June. Since the Plains are only a day's drive, I go out there for spring storms depending on the year (and stay away during death ridge) but even if there is no tornado, lightning is my #1 anyway. My favorite Plains chase area is southwest Kansas, the little triangle between Ulysses, Sublette and Liberal, I love that for some reason, it is beautiful. Then I like to drive back to Arizona via back roads in New Mexico and see what I can find (in 2004 I found more lightning on Sandia crest). Then when I get back I prepare for monsoon, which is the highlight of my chase year. Monsoon starts in early July and can extend into late Sept or even as this year, October. Around the vernal equinox I'll catch a heavy snow in the desert, perhaps in the Superstitions or Mazatzal. With the exception of the snow and Plains tornadic stuff, I am a night chaser. Beginning around 6pm, and ending late as 4am. The wee hours have advantages; no air traffic is one of them. In the Plains things are quiet at that hour but cops have approached me before, so I usually don't stay in one place for more than a couple minutes being by myself. In the desert, my chases take place in the northern 3/4 of the state because I don't want to be mistaken for a border runner. My chase season is long, because it has phases.

 

[aaron.burkham]

ill be all over the monsoons, cant wait

 

[David Wolfson]

I'd like to be in the field for a good chunk of the season. Unfortunately for a few years at least work and $$$ limit chasing to a few preselected weeks.

My current crystal ball is saying that next season will be more "normal" (not so advanced). So I'm eyeing late May right now.

I may be able to put together one or two four-day short notice weekends as promising early season situations happen to coincide with weekends in the southern high Plains. As Susan mentions, they're reachable with a long-day's drive from here.

 

[Karen Politte]

What's funny about this poll is that the option I voted for (I am taking a number of long weekends throughout the peak of the season) is the LEAST popular configuration of chasing time off work!!!! Even the option "I do not intend to chase" is more popular than my vote.

It looks like the majority of poll voters are very lucky to in some way not have to "schedule" chasing time around work or any other commitments...I can only imagine what that must be like. I am somewhat looking forward, though, to seeing how (and indeed IF) our plans pay off for us in taking longer weekends over a long time span. Of course - considering that April 2nd, 2006 was my only big day this year - nothing is guaranteed.

KL

 

[PeteMcConnell]

Trying to schedule a storm chase ahead of time while using vacation time from work can really cause a great deal of stress for the chaser and the employer. I pray that you all have understanding employers. I recall a season where I kept changing the dates that I wanted to use my vacation time beacause the severe weather set-ups kept falling through. I probably pushed my limits that year! I really feel for all the folks that have to travel a great distance just to get to the alley, much less getting a chase underway.

 

[Tim Stoecklein]

Luckily, my job and schedule get more flexible during the spring and summer months as the college students flock away from campus. My office allows me to do as I please. I'll chase when I have the opportunity... that's WAY different than chasing when I WANT to

 

[Dan Robinson]

In 2007 I plan to have a 'standby' period from mid-April to late June, in which I will make no plans for anything else and be ready to leave at any time - with everything packed and ready to go, and anyone traveling with me equally ready. By being ready, I mean literally being able to head west with 1 or 2 hours notice or less - usually immediately after the 1730 Day 2 and/or the newest model runs come out. This way we can make just about any target in the Plains by early afternoon the next day.

 

[John Hudson]

I really feel for all the folks that have to travel a great distance just to get to the alley, much less getting a chase underway.

Thanks for realizing the hardship of trying to chase the Alley from a distance. From up here, it feels like I might as well be on the Moon.

Where I am blessed, though, is with a lot of flexibility in my work schedule. I can almost take of whatever time I please, and it is mainly the $$$ and some family commitments that limit my chasing time. For me, I'll likely divide things up into two or more sessions next year.

Fortunately, my travel points provider has given me a gold status, which means I'll be able to be on a plane with only 24 hrs. advanced booking. A minimum 7 days advance is what held me back from chasing anything decent this past season.

John Hudson
www.skywatch7.com