6.12.10 VORTEX2: The perils of storm chasing for six weeks straight

Yes, I haven’t posted in awhile.

Why?  Because I am STILL recovering from my two weeks in the field, granted it was the first two weeks of VORTEX2.

A short recap of the perils, in no particular order:

1.  Motels that advertise “Lazyboys in every room!”  Okay, not really a peril, but…curious.

2.  Hail – makes your ears ring, causes you to cringe, and ruins windshields.

3.  Farm roads.  Farm roads, when dry, are great.  Farm roads, when wet, are a trap.  No vehicle, no matter how many wheels you have driving has traction.  It is like waterskiing in a 4WD.  Down hills, and there is no way to get up.  Deep ditches on each side running full with water.  Pulling corn stalks and using car mats for traction.  The upside is that farmers tend to be very friendly, though my experience of getting out of the mud should be a ride and Universal Studios.

5.  Intermittent cell service to get help when stuck on said farm road.  Hubby worried…especially when I asked him to check radar for tornadoes.

6.  Late night food.  Sounds good at the time…

7.  Addiction to The Weather Channel because they are with you and really are killing themselves to involve the public in the science.

8.  Addiction to “Internet in motion” and SASSI.  It is a hard reality to then chase by yourself with only an iPhone and a 11 year old navigator.

9.  Laundry.  Seriously, what do the astronauts do without a laundromat?

10. Feels like Groundhog Day…complete with the Sonny and Cher song – “I got you babe.” See next post.

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