We began the day in Murdo, SD, and our target area was north near central ND. That meant we needed to head towards Bismarck. After the briefing, we took Hwy 248 east out of Murdo to Vivian, SD, where we headed north on US 83. Lunch was scheduled to be in Ft. Pierre, SD, and we were fortunate enough to stumble upon a 4th of July parade when we arrived. We parked the van and found a spot to watch. Our guests from overseas were ecstatic about the parade! We walked to our lunch stop, which was at Pizza Ranch. Unfortunately, it was about a half mile away from where we parked our van, so all of us were ready for food and water. After lunch, we continued north on US 83 towards Selby, SD, where we had a pit stop. Storms were still looking to go up as predicted, and we were in good shape to intercept them. We continued north on US 83 up to ND 11, where we turned east towards Hague, ND. When we arrived in Ellendale, ND, we headed north on US 281 to Edgeley, where we had another pit stop. We also said goodbye to Danny, as he needed to begin his trip back to Denver. It was sad seeing him go, but we know he had a fun time. We continued north on US 281 into Jamestown, ND, and we saw some storms starting to develop. Out of Jamestown, we headed east on I-94 and took the Oriska, ND exit on ND 32. A decent storm was going strong, and we had our sights set on it. When we made it to Finley, ND, we headed east on ND 200, which turned into ND 18, into Mayville, ND, where we had an emergency pit stop. The storm showed brief tornado potential, but it sputtered. In the end, we were given a pretty sunset with some lightning. Most of us lost a couple pints of blood due to the vicious mosquitos, but we were happy with the end result of the chase. Our overnight destination was Grand Forks, ND, and we drove 514 miles.
We began the day in Murdo, SD, and our target area was north near central ND. That meant we needed to head towards Bismarck. After the briefing, we took Hwy 248 east out of Murdo to Vivian, SD, where we headed north on US 83. Lunch was scheduled to be in Ft. Pierre, SD, and we were fortunate enough to stumble upon a 4th of July parade when we arrived. We parked the van and found a spot to watch. Our guests from overseas were ecstatic about the parade! We walked to our lunch stop, which was at Pizza Ranch. Unfortunately, it was about a half mile away from where we parked our van, so all of us were ready for food and water. After lunch, we continued north on US 83 towards Selby, SD, where we had a pit stop. Storms were still looking to go up as predicted, and we were in good shape to intercept them. We continued north on US 83 up to ND 11, where we turned east towards Hague, ND. When we arrived in Ellendale, ND, we headed north on US 281 to Edgeley, where we had another pit stop. We also said goodbye to Danny, as he needed to begin his trip back to Denver. It was sad seeing him go, but we know he had a fun time. We continued north on US 281 into Jamestown, ND, and we saw some storms starting to develop. Out of Jamestown, we headed east on I-94 and took the Oriska, ND exit on ND 32. A decent storm was going strong, and we had our sights set on it. When we made it to Finley, ND, we headed east on ND 200, which turned into ND 18, into Mayville, ND, where we had an emergency pit stop. The storm showed brief tornado potential, but it sputtered. In the end, we were given a pretty sunset with some lightning. Most of us lost a couple pints of blood due to the vicious mosquitos, but we were happy with the end result of the chase. Our overnight destination was Grand Forks, ND, and we drove 514 miles.
Yep, I was estatic watching the 4th of July parade. It was a highlight of my holiday. I also enjoyed the lighthearted moments spent later in the afternoon looking for mythical beasts in the cloud formations. The irreverence of it on a 'serious storm chase' appealed.
ReplyDeleteYep, I was estatic watching the 4th of July parade. It was a highlight of my holiday. I also enjoyed the lighthearted moments spent later in the afternoon looking for mythical beasts in the cloud formations. The irreverence of it on a 'serious storm chase' appealed.
ReplyDelete