Our day today was set so the previous tour could unload and head back to the airport and the hosts could have time to clear up the cars and collect us for our tour. Tour 1 had stayed in the nearby Decatur (a town with fond memories - where in 2015 we were sort of dining in the potential path of a tornado). There had been talks of a potential bonus chase day down towards the south of Texas, but due to crossover logistics, the early initiation and the 600 mile round trip (as well as collecting an additional two guests in the evening) it was not practical to chase. This sat fine with us all as it gave us a chance to unwind after the heavy day of travelling and to acclimatise to the time difference.
Day 1 Convective Outlook for May 20th 2017 (Source: Storm Prediction Centre)
Breakfast gave everyone a chance to catch up whilst feeling a bit more human. I'd forgotten the range of breakfast items to choose from and opted for a storm chase breakfast staple of waffles and syrup. Sadly my waffle split in half when opening the waffle maker and I spent a good few minutes trying to remove it from the machine before it burnt. What was going to be a blueberry waffle in the shape of Texas actually came out looking very unappetising. That said, it did taste great!
Our day has otherwise ben fairly uneventful. We took a stroll around Walmart and came back and just did typical holiday things - i.e. a few beers, enjoying the sun (well, once the cold front shifted the overcast sky) and playing with a discarded balloon in the hotel pool. It's actually nice to be out enjoying the sun - something that us optometrists rarely see whilst working in our dark, windowless rooms, but also fun to have the chance to swim and relax. I've definitely shaken the stresses of work away and switched into holiday mode!
Playing piggy-in-the-middle in the pool
The main highlight today was seeing friends that were returning from tour 1 and about to embark on their journey home. I got to meet fellow chaser Adam, who lives nearby me back in the UK and catch up with Oliver, who was the chaser that shared his brilliant footage of hail a few posts back. The meet up was fleeting, but great to hear stories of the great storms they had chased over the last 10 days.
Lunch today was a meal from Jack-in-the-Box - a food chain I have yet to try. I rated there Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger highly and would definitely be keen to visit one again. Evening meal was once again had in Aspen Creek - where today's choice was the Hot Habanero Burger with a pint of Ziegenbock*. As per usual, top quality food with an awesome atmosphere! Additionally, I was introduced to another customer that actually came from Bristol (UK). He was really frendly and just goes to show that we live in a small world!
The Aspen Creek Beaver
Tomorrow we are heading northwest towards the Texan and Oklahoma panhandles for a marginal risk. Condititions do not appear favourable for anything spectacular, but strong winds and isolated large hail events may occur. We have an early start - setting off at 9am for an approximate 6 hour (350 mile) journey, so cutting the blog short here so I am able to get the much needed sleep. I hope to bring some news of storms to you all tomorrow.
Until then, stay safe!
Jason
*For those who know me well enough to know that I love goats and their bizarre antics, "Ziegenbock" is actually German for "billy-goat". If I had known this before ordering...I'd have definitely tried it, but not knowing the translation made the choice all the more satisfing!
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