Day 8 - High Plains Magic...

We're on the road at 08:00 Mountain after a fitful night's sleep though without the air conditioning  needing to be on which is a first.

We had an unscheduled tour of Trinidad first thing as all three places on the breakfast list were closed, in fact Trinidad itself was very quiet. It's a very picturesque city with some nice architecture, a river and a view into the mountains; it would be a nice place to spend some time, walking about, taking photos if it was sunny, which it is not. Due to the lack of available choices, "breakfast" is at...MacDonald's. It's another cool start to the day as we head south on i25 and climb into New Mexico at around 7500 feet. Trinidad was at 6000 feet and I could feel the altitude, especially still suffering the remnants of plane flu. 

We travel through fog then it clears up as we descend, heading south east on US64 towards Mount Capulin which would normally signify the annual fitness check as we climb to the top, not a bad mooch on a sunny day which today it is not and it's only about 13c. There's a bit of blue sky on the horizon.

The SPC duly upgraded overnight to a slight risk with a 2% tornado chance over eastern New Mexico and the western Texas Panhandle with potential for isolated supercells. We get to Mount Capulin and we're in low cloud. As we drive to the top the cloud gets thicker, we stop at the car park and are rewarded of amazing views of...fog. It's 7c so after a short discussion we about turn and head south east towards Clayton. It's 11:00 and we have some sunshine.

We have a pit stop at Clayton then head south on Highway 402 towards Tucumcari. We pass through Nara Visa and head south west on US54....and we have blue skies and 19c.

Lunch today is at Del's Restaurant at Tucumcari, most of it is Mexican and I really haven't much idea what I'm ordering; It must be like coming to Boro and being presented with a dozen varieties of Parmo...I get the Taco Salad which I can't finish. "I Ran" by A Flock of Seagulls plays somewhat incongruously in the washroom. We're on Route 66, but don't have time for many photos. We head west on the old Route 66, now i40 towards Santa Rosa. It's now 26c, 14:45 and cells are starting to bubble up in the far distance.

We stop in Santa Rosa for a DQ; I decline, I couldn't absorb another calorie. We continue west on i40, there is a severe warned storm over Albuquerque, around 100 miles to our front. It's now 16:00, we continue west then south on Highway 219 towards Pastura; my OS map has run out. We do an about turn, north east on US54 back to Santa Rosa, then east on Route 66, then south east on US84 towards Fort Sumner. 

We stop and have a look at the storm to our south west about 10 miles south of Santa Rosa. It's 17:20. The terrain is more rugged than further east with a cornucopia of bushes of all shades of green. We continue south east. 

Our storm is now up to 42,000 feet and goes severe warned. A severe thunderstorm watch appears as we approach Fort Sumner where Pat Garrett shot and killed Billy the Kid in 1881, the Kid being buried nearby. We head east on US60 in bright sunshine. This storm is not going to be easy to chase as there are not a lot of road options. 

We get to Melrose and head north on New Mexico 268. Our cell splits, the southern half showing 3.25 inch hail in the core; we have a decent view of the base. We stop for photos and then head east on 209 eventually leaving New Mexico and entering the Texas Panhandle and onto Central Time being 21:00. It’s getting dark so we’re hotel bound in Amarillo which is 75 minutes away with a stop in Hereford for provisions. 

The nearby storm is showing serious signs of rotation including a 120 knot TVS marker so we scarper to get ahead of it. Lightning lights up the storm’s structure, what looks initially like a huge wedge is a big bowl shaped wall cloud. Under a dazzling lightning display we arrive at the Baymont Hotel in Amarillo at about 22:30; a couple of bottles of lager and it’s bedtime with a sleep in as we’re dead centre for tomorrow’s 5% tornado risk.

Total miles: 570

Day 7 - Trinidad bound...

After yesterday's epic 15 hour day we're a bit bleary eyed this morning. The La Quinta at North Platt was comfortable and a bottle of 9% Zombie IPA helped us get off to sleep but the air conditioning decided to switch off in the middle of the night requiring a half asleep adjustment of the controls in a stuffy room.

There are storms to our south east today, but there are no guarantees; an 8 hour drive could be for nought and would put us out of position for the upcoming days. Tomorrow there is a marginal risk over the Mew Mexico area which could well be upgraded, and our final two days currently have slight risks within drivable distances.

We have an ok breakfast at Perkins Family Restaurant which is opposite Fort Cody Trading Post. It's a very chilly 9c, yet another cold morning. While waiting for the food to arrive I checked the calories...surprisingly low for a meal that sets you up for the day, the admittedly scrawny bacon came in at a mere 70 calories. 

Today we are headed to Trinidad, Colorado, six or so hours away for a night in the Days Inn where we stayed a couple of years ago. We retrace our steps from yesterday, travelling past Big Springs and Julesburg and into north eastern Colorado. We have a pit stop near Sterling, quieter and definitely colder than yesterday at 13c. It’s 11:30. 

We head south on Highway 71, the flat lands slowly drift past. We stop at Limon for lunch at Oscar's Bar and Grille. Not being able to face yet another salad I opt for the burger with a thin bun and fries which were very good. We continue south on an increasingly bumpy Highway 71 stopping at Sierra Vista Interpretive Site which is essentially a raised mound with a view of the Comanche National Grassland. We head south west on an even bouncier US Highway 350; it's 16:10 and still cold.

After what feels like forever, and having seen practically no one else for hours we finally have Trinidad in our sights and a view of the Rocky Mountains.

We have dinner in the onsite restaurant, the Sunset Bar and Grill. The chicken tikka masala was pretty good.

Total miles: 417

Day 6 - Back on (storm) track...and some..!

Well...the Beaumont Inn, despite appearing to have had a recent overhaul was of its time. The room was basic and the air conditioning clanky and loud. All in all a poor night's sleep accompanied by someone snoring and growling...

We're on the road at 09:00 and in search of breakfast which unfortunately this morning means iHop which is firmly in last place on the Plains breakfast list. As we head out we encounter a rare traffic installation - a roundabout, known over here as a "traffic circle". The iHop breakfast was actually decent, so a big improvement but still with the bizarre presentation; the waitresses were nice and efficient. A group of elder statesmen sat across from us, one with a baseball cap declaring "the 2nd amendment is my gun license".

My golden rules on these trips are: Don't get into discussions about politics, religion or guns as it will not end well. The obvious addition to this is to never order a large of anything, something I fell foul of in New York last year with Bloomingdales' famous frozen yoghurt...I've never had brain freeze like it.

This morning's SPC update looks positive, and there is a chance of weather on the last 5 days of the trip; so far we are 2 from 5, though from a road trip perspective there is plenty to keep us entertained, yesterday being a prime example.

The SPC has a large slight risk stretching from the Texas Panhandle to Minnesota and a 2% tornado chance draped across north east Colorado, north west Kansas and a large swathe of Nebraska. We'll head west and see how things develop with an overnight stay in good 'ol North Platte, Nebraska.

My first three trips were spent predominately belting down the i70 in Kansas and that's our initial route, a very familiar area. We pass through Quinter; the week before I arrived in 2008 the tour company encountered an EF4 crossing the road here and had to drive the wrong way down the interstate to escape. We pass Oakley and it's 11:10. 

We have a pit stop at Colby, Kansas, buy some expensive coffee and Rory has a Big Foot encounter...the SPC upgrades to an enhanced risk, but this is mostly for wind, the tornado risk looks the same and our plans are unchanged.

We head north up Highway 27 to St. Francis and visit the Motorcycle Museum, another of the Plain's nuggets, filled with all sorts of motorcycles including replicas of the Easy Rider movie bikes. We head north to Haigler to Nebraska then bear north west on US34 towards Wray, Colorado as we criss cross state lines and time zones. At Wray we head north on US Highway 385, it's 90f and just gone 13:00. 

Lunch today is at Blisties in Holyoke, Colorado. I had the crispy chicken salad and Rory the burger with potato tots; both were pretty good. We're back on the road heading north towards Nebraska, skirt south of Julesburg (where Alex and I played pool last year) and then head west on i80. There are storms to our west; it's 15:15 and 31c.

We have a pit stop near Sydney; you know you're in Nebraska if you see a Runza. I'm feeling a bit sleepy so it's time to chug a 5 hour energy drink and its 20,833% RDA of vitamin B12. A cell has popped up to our west and gone severe warned (the yellow box) so we're off down the i80 to meet it. 

We get to Pine Bluffs, just inside Wyoming. The storm has lost it's severe box, and just as I try to refresh RadarScope I get a text asking me to buy another roaming pass...that sorted I've caught up and the severe warn box is back; the storm is at 50,000, showing 4" hail on radar and "tornado possible". We head east, have another stop then turn south on Nebraska 71 at junction 20 to get below our storm which is heading south east at 16 knots.

We continue south, have another stop and take some photos. It's clear that this storm is weakening but another has sprung up to the south which has gone severe warned and is heading directly north. We continue south to intercept. 

We take Colorado 14 east towards Sterling, finally getting out of the rain for a photo stop. Suddenly there is a huge flash and crash as lightning strikes somewhere close...too close! We scarper back into the Jeep. We resume east.

This new storm is now heading due east and we're in perfect position. We stop, take photos, move on repeat. We get to the brow of a hill and have a fantastic view of this storm and it is starting to take shape. It's spinning like a top, and has classic features of a supercell about to produce a tornado: horseshoe shape, clear slot and the rear flank downdraft wrapping round the back off the storm. How is this thing not producing? We're on the only tornado warned storm anywhere, we're in perfect position and it is doing everything but putting down a tornado. Some where in the gloom someone calls in a tornado. If it's there we should be able to see it; we can't. The structure is incredible, everything you'd ever want to see. The cameras are earning their corn.

We keep going and get through Sterling. The place should be screaming with tornado sirens, there's one going somewhere in the distance which is pretty underwhelming. As we pass through town it's getting dark so time to bail. We continue east to Fleming then take a country road north to join the interstate for our two hour drive to our hotel (La Quinta) in North Platte. We grabbed a Subway at Big Springs, Nebraska and some Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA  to sustain us until breakfast. What in incredible day!

Tomorrow has storms, the where and when will be more apparent in the morning.

Total miles: 631