June 2 Strengthening Ridge of Death

Small tarantula

Male peacock

Female peacock

Today was not looking too good for storm development.  A huge ridge was beginning to develop in the western part of the states, and this causes air to subside, or sink.  Storms need rising air to develop and strengthen, so this meant a ridge would effectively end our chase week early.  We left Del Rio, TX and began our journey north for Oklahoma City.  Our guests needed to be back by Saturday afternoon, and there was no sense in chasing in the southern tip of Texas.  Along the way, we stopped in Sonora, TX for lunch at a Mexican cafe.  The food was cheap and amazing!!  Bill decided to take the group to the Caverns of Sonora to kill some time.  We explored the underground caves and saw some neat wildlife.  Most of us were happy to emerge from the caves because the humidity was 98%.  There was a male and female peacock on the grounds, and one of the group members found a small tarantula under a rock.  Storms began developing when we were done with our cave tour, but they sputtered very quickly.  Bill was quite exhausted, so he found rooms for us in San Angelo, TX, and we had another very early night.  Our mileage for the day was 199 miles.

Caverns of Sonora

Caverns of Sonora