The long drive home...

Day 9 - June 5th

Today there is a moderate risk in Iowa/Missouri showing a 10% tornado risk and some potential in eastern Colorado, however bearing in mind it is our last chase day, these locations are just too far away so today we will be driving back to Oklahoma City.

On the small print, Tempest instructs guests not to book flights before 14:00 on the day after the last chase day just in case we are a long way from Oklahoma City. Dutifully, Liam, Dawn, Mark and I followed this instruction, and as our daily flight to Manchester is before this time, we booked an extra day in Oklahoma City at $90 per room and would now be flying back on the Monday rather than the Sunday. Two of the guests chose not to follow this instruction and booked their flights for 10:00. If there was something to chase on the last day this could have meant we would have missed the opportunity as we would have had to have been back in Oklahoma City on the Saturday night. As there was nothing to chase this proved academic; if there had been these two guests would have been made to understand my frustration...

We head east along the I80 and stop at Elm Creek (yet again), then lunch at York. I have a KFC with horrible tinned green beans and a biscuit, which to the uninitiated, is a doughy scone, which suffice to say, remained uneaten.

We head south on the 81 and as we pass through Concordia at 14:00 it is 94f.

We pass through Salina and Ratty comically gets yet another network text message on his Virgin phone welcoming him to the Isle of Man. I on the other hand have no mobile coverage anywhere other than Chicago and Oklahoma City. Liam and Dawn have no problems on 02. If you come storm chasing, leave your Orange mobile at home. Skype has been moderately successful; most hotels have wifi, but the iPhone needs a stronger signal than a laptop to get reception, so frequently I need to go to reception to make a call; one one day I couldn't log in and on another it wouldn't connect to Liane's mobile. Overall, not bad for 1.4p/minute to landlines and 16p to mobiles - I've only used £6 on the trip.

We stop at McPherson and Ratty insists on buying some beef jerky, sweetened, flavoured cured strips of cow. A had a nibble just to remind myself not to personally invest any money in such a purchase, Ratty on the other hand describes it as "infinitely preferable to a Sonic Burger".

We stop at Wakita in northern Oklahoma for the Twister Museum which pays tribute to the 1995 movie. It is also home to my 2008 fashion faux pas (see 2008 entry) where I have received some grief regarding my, now retired, Chippie shorts. Determined to erase this from history, I get Ratty to photograph my rather sober ensemble.

We phone the elderly lady proprietor who comes and lets us in. It's 18:00 and 97f. I buy some souvenirs and we head of south again.







We get back to Oklahoma City at 20:30 and head over the road to Pearls and I have some Catfish. Liam, Ratty and I get spruced up and head down to Brewsky's Bar for a few beers. We needn't have bothered making the effort; the bar is somewhat "parochial" if you know what I mean. I feel overdressed and don't have a shaved head and 6" goaty beard...bed by 01:30.

Tomorrow we're taking it easy and going into Bricktown for shopping and a meal.

Total miles 636