20190513 – OKC to Wichita

Woke up this morning around seven. Tended to the chargers and gadgets and got mostly packed. Took a nice hot shower and then got dressed for breakfast at eight.

Safety briefing and introductions to place at 10:30 AM. We reviewed the model forecast for the day and discussed where we were going to head for the day. No target today, as the weather is not very active, though Bill and Chris and Bob said we would try for some storms in western Oklahoma or maybe a little ways into Kansas just across the border.

After the briefing we pack the vans and departed the hotel Around noon, and unusually late start on the day. This is perfectly OK, as we do not have far to go and the expectations are not high for the day.

We headed west on I 40 and then angle to the north west toward Woodward. After a brief fuel stop/pitstop/snack stop at Watonga, we continued on to ceiling where we had lunch at the Crooked Arrow. It was actually kind of a cosmic moment, as JD (one of the first time chasers in our group) and I were talking about Chicago politics. The word “corrected” came up in the conversation almost at the exact same moment as we saw the sign on the restaurant. I would call that poetic.

Instead of continuing to Woodward, we headed north out of some good looking towering cumulus had gone up during our trip from OKC. The storms were briefly  severe warned, as they were producing hail up to the size of quarters. GR level three was showing 1 inch and 2 inch hail markers on the storms at various times (and we did have some hail that bordered on severe size, that is 1 inch or better)

After the storms fizzled, we passed through Medford, Oklahoma then continued north to Wellington, Kansas where we grabbed a quick bite to eat and some fresh fruits at the Braum’s restaurant. A quick note to those who have not traveled in this part of the country: Browns is an oasis for fresh produce, and I stopped at the stores in this chain is a happy event or chasers. It’s one of the few places we can get fresh oranges apples and bananas along the way. Brown’s is key to getting the food needed to maintain a healthy diet on the road.

(Photos for the day will be added in a few hours)

 

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