A quick reminder: Doing this blog takes a fair bit of commitment, usually sat in the back of an SUV bouncing down some back road in the middle of nowhere in a state of perpetual exhaustion and confusion…no change there then ;o) Expect unforgivable typos, spelling mistakes, font variation, grammar malfunctions, misnamed towns and roads, photos out of order, delayed publishing due to stone age wifi and a disingenuous promise to correct these when I get home…hint this never happens.
I’ve purloined Alex’s 2017 Macbook Air which is half a lifetime newer than my clunky old laptop. Should make things easier with the joys of Airdrop and a hotspot that actually works - I might be able to publish on the run rather than when we get to a hotel. I’m currently failing to install MacOs Monterey being the newest compatible operating system required to download the Pages word processor and a half decent photo editor. Two failed attempts so far each with 12gb downloads so trying to install it manually…”going in on foot”…18 minutes remaining as I write this.
2022’s trip was a nightmare to organise, nothing was straightforward: The Platinum Jubilee, trying to get a Covid certificate on a bank holiday, uploading vaccination status and attestation forms, trains not running, drone not being delivered then two turn up, having to get insurance through a specialist broker, airports in chaos, unavailability of flights and so on. Ridiculous stress levels.
So to 2023 which has proved somewhat more straightforward in comparison barring the flights. No one stop options to Oklahoma City anymore, so it’s a three flight job which required a forensic analysis of every flight comparison site I could find. Why is it when you find something that fits the bill and go to book it you find it’s sans luggage or leaves you 40 minutes in the US airport point of entry to get through immigration, customs, collect your baggage (you can’t check it all the way through), take a train to another terminal, recheck your bags, go through security and then get on a plane? Not going to happen. Always leave at least 2 hours for this song and dance. Or alternatively there’s a 6 hour wait in an airport you’ve never heard of with an equally obscure airline. And that’s just the outward leg, you’ve still got to get home. I even tried different airports to fly out from and return to which is unfeasibly expensive. I finally found the perfect option only to realise part way through booking that this was double the expected cost.
So…drum roll…this year is…Newcastle>DUBLIN>Dallas>Oklahoma City followed by Oklahoma City>Dallas>Heathrow>Newcastle arriving OKC late in the evening and then back home late in the afternoon, both much later than usual and booked directly with British Airways. Could I have done better? Probably, but at least something is booked. We’re supposed to be able to check in online 24 hours prior to departure but this itinerary is too challenging for the BA system to handle so we’ll have to do it at the airport.
This year I’m back with StormGroup Chasers, an altogether preferable option compared to commercial tour companies. A single, comfortable Chevy Suburban, not for profit and we always find good eating and fun stuff to do on down days; this year we’re doing a 10 day trip.
Also Dublin’ up as this year it’s Rory’s turn to come with me as an early graduation present. Currently doing the usual packing in advance with the ever evolving to do list. Same cameras as last year (Nikon D800 and Z7) but no new kit added since I mostly went back to film. I did consider slipping a film camera into the mix but the new security scanners will destroy the film requiring a request for hand searching which is not always guaranteed. So not worth the hassle or the risk. One thing that has evolved out of all recognition are modern phone cameras and video capability with all of the computer tricks to maximise image quality. So with that it mind why do people insist on videoing holding their phone vertically? Do their TVs similarly stand on their sides in a portrait stance. Seriously, I don’t get it.
Anyway it’s a pre-breakfast departure to Newcastle Airport Wednesday having secured a lift so we don’t have to rely on the morning commuter train which turns out to be academic as they are on strike anyway…
Currently the Storm Prediction Centre musings for Thursday are for hopeful for severe storms in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles so it looks like our day in Bricktown will be sacrificed for…an extra bonus day of chasing which is always a good thing. Last time I did 11 days chasing we covered 5,465 miles. That’s a lot.
Longer term, Friday has potential for western and central Texas but there is uncertainty after that. There’s always much handwringing in the US about chase forecasts and when to take annual leave. Chasers want a locked in country wide synoptic pattern for booking their chasecation at the last minute; coming from the UK we have to plan months in advance so don’t have this luxury. However, patterns change and forecasts do to. The hoped for high and moderate risks days often end in a literal maelstrom of wind and rain with zero visibility. Some of the best days carry only slight risks (level 2 of 5) and localised mesoscale events can throw up some memorable storms like Campo in 2010 with five tornadoes. To repeat: Storm chasing is an epic road trip punctuated by storms, there’s plenty of cool stuff to do if the weather has taken a day off, never a boring day.
See y’all on the other side.
