Storm Chasing....and a small Spotter Network rant

Went out for a chase Friday evening and I was rewarded with one of the most intense lightning shows that I have ever seen. I drove up US 169 into Coffeyville Ks, then over to Independence to Moline where I shot the tower that you see below. I then proceeded west toward Udall and Belle Plain. Bailed south just before the storm hit Belle Plain and damaged some buildings and uprooted many trees! I shot the "moon shot" below just north of the Wellington Airport. Then decided to roll south to a developing "tail end Charlie" that Lanny Dean and Chad Berryhill were on just south of the Oklahoma/Kansas border, near the town of Braman.

Got to Braman, and met up with Chad & Lanny while they were shooting lightning. I ran up to Lanny's van, set up the tripod, clicked the shutter on my Rebel XSI, and BOOM! Lanny and I captured the nice bolt that illuminated the Tahoe (below). We sat there shooting for all of 5 minutes and I started to feel raindrops. We decide to go back towards Braman and get off the dirt road when the rain started coming sideways at the truck. I was about 1/8 mile behind Lanny as the rain and wind became ferocious. I soon lost them in the mess and thought to myself "am I in a stinkin' tornado?" The wind buffeted the Tahoe and I wondered if I should stop or keep rolling trying to get south of the wind. The wind wasn't terrible, I estimated it about 60-65 MPH, but I kept wondering if that was it or was stronger winds coming? After about 5 minutes of white knuckle driving on a dirt road that was quickly turning to slime, the rain and wind let up, but not before turning directions. Was it a tornado? I don't think so. But it was a scary moment. I caught up with Lanny near Braman and we discussed what we just drove through, we were all a bit nervous as we started to hear sirens growing louder. A fire truck, ambulance, and no less that 6 Kay County sheriffs whizzed by and entered I-35 heading south. We wondered, what happened?

Lanny busied himself reporting our observance on Spotter Network(55-65MPH wind just NW of Braman), which was quickly flagged-probably by some kid wannabe chaser that has NO experience in the field. We later found out that the sirens were responding to a pickup truck that was blown off the interstate about 1 mile south of our location. There was a minor injury to a child, transported to a local hospital. Verified report? I think so....BTW, Spotter Network has become useless--people that may have a personal grudge or inexperienced "kids" can jump in and flag valid report that was verified by witnesses and law enforcement. This report did not make it into the official LSR probably because of two factors, the inappropriate flagging of Lanny's report and the fact that the Norman boys were asleep and didn't warn on the storm. We actually saw and photographed a persistent rotating wall cloud on the tail end of the storm. Rant over...lol

We found another county road just outside of town and pulled off to shoot more lightning. Boy were we in for a show!! This is where the top pic came from. Spectacular light show provided by ma nature! Sorry about the watermark, if you would like to purchase a picture, contact me but I will not give those away thank you. All in all, a great chase. 10 hours in the truck, storms initiated in my target area, did not see any tornadoes, but was treated to the coolest light show that I have ever seen! It was great to meet up with Lanny & Chad as well. Two of the best guys in storm chasing! BTW...check out Chad's new website-- .

Ramblings...and a couple of pics....

Here's a couple of shots from one of this season's tours.

I just realized that I haven't blogged in a while. (Sorry mom & Heidi). It seems like Facebook has taken over in the "what's going on" area. Instead of searching blogs, I just log on and walla, all my friends are there. So is there use for a blog anymore? Dunno, but I like to ramble on more than 420 characters at a time sometimes...
Just want to give you an update on my tour company that I am proud to be co-owners of, Extreme Chase Tours. We are already booking tours for 2011 and I am excited about the upcoming season. We had such a successful 2010 season and Lanny and I am stoked about 2011! If you have been thinking about booking with us I would suggest stroll on over to www.extremechasetours.com and take a peek at our schedule.

In other news, stay tuned for a major announcement about a three day revival that I am excited to be able to preach in Fort Gibson next month!

....and the boat is running well! Have had it out many times at Oologah this year!

New blog...

Started a new blog today. It is purely a personal journey of mine. Check it out here.

Bittersweet day...

Well, I made it. I got through it..err...well the Lord got me through it. I preached at my Granny's memorial service today. I sense now more than ever that I was the one that was supposed to speak on this day. You see, my Granny is now in Heaven and I will see her again. As I said on Facebook it's not goodbye, but see ya soon, Granny. That's what I said also at the service. As long as we have Christ in our hearts, we can honestly say "See ya soon, Granny!"

I almost lost it more than once during the service but God took my shaky voice and made it strong again. Person after person came to me afterwards and told me how great of a job that I did but it wasn't me, it was He who dwells within me.

I am feeling called to preach now more than ever. My uncle and I had a good conversation afterwards and he said now all we gotta do is get you behind the pulpit more. I'm very insecure about my abilities to preach-I know that God will show me, teach me, and lead me--but I just, well, I don't know. Maybe I'm getting closer to answering His call but it would mean giving up a lot of things that I'm not sure I am ready to give up. Are things more important than God's call? No not never!! But don't judge me until you've walked in my shoes, k? Enough about me....

My Granny was a superwoman. She raised 4 kids in a small, 2 bedroom home that maybe measured 400 square feet. She never had a driver's license, car, cell phone, satellite TV, computer, or central air conditioning. What she did have was a big heart that cared for us all. She was concerned about our salvation, health, and our needs in that order. Notice I didn't say wants.

She also demanded us grand kids to "come here and hug my neck" when we arrived at her house. As a boy, I thought that was very uncool but now I long to get one of those hugs....

Granny taught me the kids' Bible song Jesus Loves Me. I still hear her voice...Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.....

I am so proud to have known Granny and I look forward to hugging her neck when my earthly journey is over...

What have I become?

If you are a storm chaser, or you have seen the stories on TV slamming chasers lately then you have a small glimpse into the chasing world. I have 2 statements about the recent drama and then I will comment below...

1. What the TIV did last Wednesday (passing in a no-passing zone going uphill) was irresponsible and could have ended up tragically. It was a risk that Sean took, and this time it paid off. Sean, what about next time when a single mom is cresting the hill and your TIV disintegrates her Honda and ends three lives?

2. Josh Wurman and his totally cocky remarks about how "his" Vortex2 research team didn't get precious data because us "peasant" storm chasers would not "bow" to him and let his armada pass by was uncalled for as well. Dr. Wurman, just who do you think you are? TWC interviewed Joshy and he was doing his typical crying because of his failure and the chase community is made out to be the bad guys. Phooey on you doc...

Ok, here goes. All of this garbage has resulted in mass chaos amongst the chaser community. I will admit, I am not as well known as others and in fact, some chasers may not know me at all. That's the way I like it--behind the scenes. So I'm sure that not many will mind my rant.

I simply will not and cannot participate in all the drama and garbage that has been ongoing for several weeks now in the chasing community. Not anyone in particular is at fault, save me. I have allowed myself to get suckered in to the bitterness and anger filled thoughts and attitude that is unbecoming of a Christian. It has caused me to lose focus in certain areas of my life and I simply will not let it get to me anymore. I am co-owner with Lanny Dean of the best tornado tour company in the world, Extreme Chase Tours. I will focus my energy on my relationship with God, my family, and my company. So to answer the big question "is Jeff quitting?" No, I am not quitting. I am simply gonna re-focus on what matters and let the other stuff fall off my back. I am giving serious thought about resigning from Stormtrack, a popular online forum for chasers that has snowballed into nothing more than a hate-filled forum where many new chasers have flocked to and try to act like they know everything. While the meteorological intelligence on ST is second to none, so are the childish games. Jury's still out on my leaving that forum. I know, I don't have to log in...

Also my Facebook page is going through some changes. I gotta get back to basics. When I opened my FB account, I had in mind my youth group On The Edge. I would quote Bible verses and encouraging posts for my friends but then something happened. I realized that I had more and more "friends" and the spiritual posts got fewer and farther between, and eventually my critical side started typing away and you probably have seen some pretty distasteful posts by me. Many of my friends have noticed this as well. For that, I ask your forgiveness. If I have offended you, I am truly sorry. And take heed, if you do not like Bible verses and positive, uplifting posts, then you can hide my status or "unfriend" me. All of us need a re-alignment now and then, and the Lord is dealing with me at this time.

TORNADO OUTBREAK EXPECTED MONDAY!!

Here are a couple of maps. The first is courtesy of the National Weather Service in Tulsa and is a graphic of what is expected for Monday afternoon & evening. The second is courtesy of the Storm Prediction Center and shows what is called a moderate risk of severe weather for Kansas & Oklahoma tomorrow. Bottom line is there will be severe weather, and please make praparations now for tornadoes, large hail, and severe winds. Listen to local radio and TV for updates and keep your NOAA weather radio on. This could be pretty nasty but if everyone will stay calm, we will get through it.....

MAJOR TORNADO OUTBREAK TODAY!!

Models continue to indicate another tornado outbreak for parts of Arkansas, Tennesee, and Mississippi today into tonight. Destructive long track tornadoes are a real threat in these areas. I ask all who read this to please maintain a heightened awareness today. Keep your weather radios and televisions on and be ready to take cover. Do not even try to chase this event--veteran chasers have described the Yazoo City tornado from last Saturday as a "black mass of clouds", and a "rolling black fog" not to mention that these tornadoes will likely be rain-wrapped so you may not know what is coming at you. Also radar data may fail as it did last Saturday so keep an eye on your radar data.

Prayers are going out for the folks affected by last nights tornadoes.