May 6th - A very Long Day

We had a looong drive from Oklahoma panhandle to the Lubbock,TX where we decided to go even more S, against NM/TX border to the town called Seagreaves,TX. A cell spawned in the NM and we hoped it would survive and eventually strengthen. While we waited CB towers were starting to pop up all around us and some were really explosive. We decided to chase one of the new cells, which was going on quite well, but was later eaten by the cell which had passed over Seagreaves. It became a real monster just when it went over the town. The inflow winds were strong and the dust, kicked in the air by the inflow winds, was being sucked into the updrafts like mad. The cell ended as HP supercell with really nice structure and just as it was passing us the sun became visible and the colours it produced on the cell were just amazing.

After the sundown, we decided to go to the town and find a room to stay in, but as we were driving N it was apparent that some of the other cells were producing copious amounts of lightning. So we stopped out of the rain and I decided, for some strange reason, that I would try my luck with the opposite cell of the cell the guys were aiming at, it was the second stop (the first stop was in Guthrie,TX were we waited for hail and lightning but the cell just missed the small village). It turned out as bad as it could as I ended with zero shots while the Macca, Brad and Marko caught quite a lot of them. I was really pissed off after that and totally without any sort of will to continue the shots, besides I was dead tired as I was driving the whole day. Want I wanted was just the bed to dive in. You guessed it, my wish was not realised. Why? After the second stop, we noticed on the radar “a hole” with no precipitation. The third stop was imminent and I barely stopped the car while the guys were already in full action. The CGs were exploding everywhere, but I was just to tired and pissed to even look around. If it was not for the Macca, I would have probably missed one the best lightning I ever caught with digital camera. He came to me and said I should go out as the lightning activity was the same as last year on the May 18^th. I did go out and got the shot worth a million bucks – thanks Macca! The lightning struck about a 1,5 km away and the thunder was amazing. I caught some more lightnings but that one just made my day. I was actually wondering what would force us to move away – close lightning or the rain. Well, the rain won this time.

After the third stop we decided to get the room, finally, and we got one in Childress,TX. And to spice up the day we went out to get the food, which was really good, but the activity it produced in my belly in the morning was not from this world. I was in the bed at around 2:30 AM.