May 31, 2009 Hawthorne, Iowa Lightning
I wasn't planning to chase on this day, but I noticed a couple towers struggling to go up south of weeping water. Waited a while cause they didn't look that great, but eventually decided to go after them and if they weren't anything great I'd just shoot lightning. I flew south on hwy 50 south of Louisville and stopped to take a few shots of the structure. Apparently this thing was dropping golfball sized hail around this time. I think that is the hail core where the rainbow is.
Now I wanted to get under the updraft base, but it was moving east just over the Missouri River, so I took a hop north to plattsmouth where my delorme atlas showed a bridge across. Its not bypassed, so I have to zig zag a bit through town, after about 20 minutes I come to the bridge and see a little hut...toll bridge. Thats so stupid that delorme doesn't label a bridge as a toll!!! Of course, (as usual) I have no cash. Just plastic. So I ask the guy where the nearest free crossing was and he said hwy 370 in bellevue. So I go another 12 miles north, all the while these storms moving into Iowa. once again I have to zig zag through the town and when I get there? ANOTHER freaking toll bridge. It just sucked, so I had to drive back and stop at walgreens buy something so I can get cash back.
After nearly 40 minutes of struggle I finally get across the river. Take the Glendale exit and shoot east trying to catch this inital cell that now has new ones to the SW popping up (I have no data by the way). I call my dad and ask where the best looking cell is, he says east of Lincoln, but I decide to stay and shoot lightning on this storm now south of Red Oak. This is when I see Vortex 2 going the other way, which is cool, but also sucks because they are headed back lol. Kinda mad I just sat west of Red oak for a while hopping that the storms would start to produce some lightning. As the lightnings frequency increased I started trying to get some shots just after sunset, but it was too bright still. Things got better when the real good twilight ops came.
I tired to get closer with the 10mm to get some more full framed strikes but there was too much rain and it was getting on the lens, so I had to back up to this location. I thought the shots were coming out better than they were I guess, because now I was getting in the shots, which I don't do usually unless I know I've gotten some excellent images already.
I really liked this spot cause you could see the anvil and the twilight sky behind, so I stayed for a while, mainly wanted to get a few with the moon. Unfortunately when the moon finally did peak through until the best ops were over.
Once twilight ended I started back home. Stopped in Glendale to pick up some food, then continued up I-29 while some good lightning storms were developing to the south of Omaha. Once I got back into Nebraska I had to pull over a couple times cause the lightning was so close.
I almost went home but I pulled over one more time and found this cool spot over I-80. I stopped on the bridge and hoped for a CG, of course I didn't get it. You can see how much the wind was shaking my car by the squiggly car trails. I'm going to have to go to this spot again... could get some sweet stuff from here.
Started off as a really frustrating and crappy chase, but it ended up being a little fun. I did learn that you ALWAYS need cash while chasing... you never know when you'll come across a toll bridge.
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