Relocating for storm chasing

[Ty Traphagen]

Thanks man, I appreciate it! I just got my Chevy Astro van back in December, and have some plans for it. AGM deep-cycle battery, 100w solar panel, plentiful storage, and I'm currently trying to figure out how to use a hammock as a bed in the back of the van... But yeah, if I see you near me, I'll give you a shout!

 

[TJKLECKNER]

The thing is, unlike most people that camp out of vans, my car looks like every-other car in the lot. The point is not to use curtains, blinds, or anything that stands out like a sore thumb.

 

[Ty Traphagen]

My plan is to get some Reflectix for the windows. I'll Plastidip one side of it black. That way, if I'm trying to keep the van cool during the day, I can use it with the reflective side against the windows. During night time, I'll put the black side towards the windows. That way, it won't look like someone is trying to cover the windows while sleeping. Plus, the windows are already tinted, so it'll just look like darker tint.

 

[Adam Adkins]

Any Louisville, KY people here? I would think there would be a good option, because you have Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio right there, plus more beautiful scenery all around. Plus it's a little more sheltered from the harshness of the yearly weather of the great plains.

 

[joel ewing]

Marcus, God Bless 'ya.....you say that now, but if you were to live in a place that sucks except for the few short weeks of tornado season...I think you'd change your mind about making a permanent move there. There isn't too much that's worse than living in a town or city that you really dislike. It makes your whole outlook on life pretty darn bleak.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Any Louisville, KY people here? I would think there would be a good option, because you have Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio right there, plus more beautiful scenery all around. Plus it's a little more sheltered from the harshness of the yearly weather of the great plains.

Louisville was on my short list of possibilities for my 2010 move. I decided against it primarily because the terrain around the region is pretty bad for chasing, and most of the Midwest tornado action is farther west anyway. Louisville has its days to be sure, but nowhere near what IL offers. That being said, I like Louisville - it was on my list because it is a familiar place along my longtime I-64 route to the Plains from WV.

 

[Alex Heimberger]

Moving to Nebraska this year was for a great job opportunity. Can't say having a better starting point to head out for most chases wasn't on the mind either lol.

 

[JamesCaruso]

I had never really thought about this before, mainly because it wasn't so bad to get to a lot of storm chasing from the DFW area. But now I'm thinking that in a few years, when the pensions kick in, I might -- *just might* -- have to do at least one real good full-season megachase. Car rental, lots of La Quinta's and Denny's. Gain 15 pounds. I have about 36 months to plan this out. Thanks for the idea!

That's exactly when I will have any hope of a "full-season megachase" - retirement! If money were no object, I would spend retirement winters in the Caribbean, spring/summer/early fall in the Denver area, and spend as much of May/June on the road as I needed to, returning home only for extended down periods and otherwise stationing myself somewhere temporarily in the Plains (probably OKC or Wichita) during the shorter down periods.

But that's at least 18 years off for me... My firm does offer sabbaticals that I am eligible for in a few years; wonder if it's a "career limiting move" to actually take one? . Either way, could be a bit problematic on the home front to use a sabbatical to chase for four to six weeks!

 

[Drew Terril]

Any Louisville, KY people here? I would think there would be a good option, because you have Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio right there, plus more beautiful scenery all around. Plus it's a little more sheltered from the harshness of the yearly weather of the great plains.

I was stationed at Fort Knox for a year, and lived in South Central KY for a few years as well. The chasing wasn't that great. US-68/SH-80 west of Bowling Green was decent, but the rest of the state, as well as southern Indiana, was not good if you want a decent view of the storms. I did my share of chases in KY, and I do love the bourbon, but I didn't care for the taxes that are higher than TN and OK.


As far as relocating, I did just that in late 2013. I moved from TN to Central OK. Chasing was only icing on the cake for me though. I'm a native Okie, having grown up in the Tulsa area, and being forced to move with family in 2001. I still have family near Tulsa, but OKC was where the better jobs for me (as well as the better options for furthering my education). My grandmother passing away in 2012 was the primary catalyst for me moving back. The rest of my family isn't getting any younger, and my Dad will be retiring to NW Arkansas in a couple years. Family, and being back home at last, were the two sole reasons for me moving back. Anything else is just bonus.

 

[Todd Lemery]

So, I posted previously of deciding on Bentonville Arkansas in the very NW corner of the state. My wife made it clear she was no fan of tornadoes and didn’t want to be around them. So anyway, while having dinner after having her go down to Bentonville for the first time with me to get her stamp of approval, I’m noticing storms rolling in after only being here two hours. I also notice a tornado warning popping up also, which I don’t want her to notice. We got done with dinner and get to the hotel quick enough to beat the rain and I’m happy.
I think everything is good until I look at Bentonville’s Instagram page, which my wife also follows. Here is a post they made this morning which my wife hasn’t seen yet. Oh-Oh....[ATTACH=fu

 

[Dan Robinson]

It's hard to believe how fast time flies. In January it will be 15 years since I relocated from West Virginia to the Midwest (St. Louis metro area). I had originally planned on moving every couple of years to new places, progressively farther west until I ended up in the Great Plains somewhere. But after being here for a couple of years, I decided I liked it enough to stay. The decision to move for the purposes of storm chasing worked out, and I’ve been here long enough to claim this place as my true earthly home now.

To mark the 15-year milestone, I went out a few days ago and shot this high-res panorama of New Baden that shows all of the reasons I chose it: Plains-flat landscape, close to a large city (look for the Arch) and a classic small town.



I posted a super-res version of this on my blog here:

New Baden, Illinois super-resolution aerial panoramic photo

 

[John Farley]

A lot of the things I liked about Edwardsville, although I moved there for a job, not storm chasing. But when I retired, I was ready for the mountains, which turned out fine for storm chasing - not too far from the great storms of the high plains, and good for winter storms and thundersnow.

 

[William Monfredo]

Great that you have found peace and purpose in the place you now reside. Quite the panorama, and it shows up in a search. In the German language, "Baden" refers to "baths." Once upon a time, bathing in natural, hot springs was a popular, possibly healthy past-time.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

Next summer will mark 15 years since my move to Oklahoma and it's still the #1 best decision I made in my life. Definitely had my ups and downs, but living in the middle of tornado alley has been great and the people here are good. After spending the last 3 weeks in Michigan, I remembered why I don't want to ever live there again.

Interesting to read some of the posts in this thread from almost 10 years ago now.

 

[Dan Robinson]

One of the things that confirmed it was the right call was when I had a long-term web development contract with a company back in Charleston WV (my old hometown). For two months I was on-site at that company's facility, staying in a hotel in Nitro, WV during the week and coming back here every other weekend. I was actually homesick for the Midwest, I couldn't wait to get back here and it always felt great to head west on I-64, just like all of my previous Plains trips. I have nothing against WV and don't hate it at all, it just doesn't feel like home any longer and I don't miss it.