CHASE LOG	0900: I wake up after about a two hour snooze. I'll be asking for a non-smoking room, even if we are short on rooms again. 1000: Bill give the morning briefing. I ask about going south, but Bill hints we are going mostly west ("Pratt, here we come?") The local dew points are already close the the lower 70s, as is the case to our south. The 500 and 700 mb winds are following a strong jet stream that is 'progged' to pump winds near 100 mph 'up there.'  The low level jet (at 850 mb) is expected to be coming in from the south and southeast, feeding warm, moist air into the KS/OK border area. We can expect initiation in the early/mid afternoon time frame, with another show in the early evening.  Today does not look as potent as either yesterday (8 May) or Sunday (4 May, when Kansas City and the southern KS/MO  border got severely clobbered). 1030: Off we go, taking aim at the I-35 corridor south of Wichita for early afternoon, a relatively easy drive. (Much more to be added .. too busy dodging storms to write!) 0045: The end of an amazing storm day!
ROUTE: (44,176 mi.) .  (1100) depart Pittsburgh , Kansas -- South on Broadway (US 69 South) -- US 400 West (stop 13 mi. east of Parsons) -- (44,200 mi.) (leave 11:25 a.m.) -- US 400 West -- US 75 South (12:07 p.m.) -- US 66 West -- Cowley County (1:12 PM) -- US 77 South bypass (near Arkansas city) -- LUNCH: Daisy Mae's restaurant space (BLT sandwich and salad bar and water)  Madison and 4th (met Bob Pejovich and chase partner Kenny, from Amarillo) (Texas license plate . 554 -- AVG) -- (3:40 p.m.) . US 66 West (rejoined by Martin and Daisy Mae's restaurant) -- interstate 35 South (4:05 p.m.) -- means storm that are 240° at 35 mph -- exit 194 . B. West US (resume at 4:59 p.m.) -- severe thunderstorm warning for Logan County -- exit 135 South on East 51 to Stillwater , Oklahoma (5:36 PM) -- (I 30 6 PM) . in Stillwater , Oklahoma -- (5:39 p.m.) . "fat rain" from north side of storm core -- US 177 South -- Oklahoma 33 West (by 5:52 p.m.) -- abandoning storm number one which would split on radar -- moved to the southwest -- (6:19 p.m. at interstate 35) -- (6:30 p.m.) . interstate 35 South (and the southwest Oklahoma) -- (6:36 PM) severe thunderstorm warning on cell by Gracemont -- (6:47 p.m.) . severe thunderstorm warning on Sentinel cell -- southwest on interstate 44 (7:01 p.m. and exit 22) -- continuing southwest -- West on interstate 40 (38 mi. east of Weatherford at 7:31 p.m.) -- US to anyone South (visible on radar display near CLOUD CHIEF at 7:50 p.m.) -- Highway 152 West (from Binger) -- South -- Binger, Oklahoma -- east to miles -- Binger Oklahoma -- Hinton -- returned to interstate 40 -- East interstate 40 toward Oklahoma City -- exit near Mustang -- observed power flashes in Oklahoma City -- television tracking tornado in the ground in Oklahoma City -- dinner: Shorty’s, Oklahoma City -- (estimated mileage for day 470 mi.) .
FORECAST	No forecast taken. I got about two hours sleep last night, so I will 'play tourist' this morning.
MODELS	Nope, no models either. but, see the 1000 briefing  for a little information. (Gee, this laptop issue is a PAIN!)
MEALS & HOTEL	MEALS: BREAKFAST: Motel  - Another 'sub continental' breakfast: a half a banana (Jaime delivered half #2 to Amalia) and a glazed donut (with a glaze that has liquefied from the humidity). ee-Yum, ee-Yum! (No stars apply:  this meal gets 1 asteroid instead). Plus side: the motel had free Kansas  state maps to aid in my reconstruction of the map sucked out --or was it blown out?-- out the van easy of Yates Center. LUNCH: on the road SUPPER: Shorty Tall's, Oklahoma City (SW)  - Despite numerous power hits, Shorty's was still open.  Unsurprisingly, the patrons were all riveted by the images of a nighttime tornado tearing through the northwestside of OKC. (more later about the meal) MOTEL: $MOTEL
OTHER REMARKS	One of the great hidden treasures of storm chasing is the wonderful people who endure these terrible storms. Just when you think you're surrounded by the ordinary and every day , someone or something of the ordinary is right there in front of you.  When we stopped for lunch at Daisy Mae's Cafe in Arkansas City, Kansas, I happened to walk by the office of the restaurant.  A flash of orange caught my eye, so I backed up a few steps and lo and behold: theroom was filled from border to border with Garfield paraphernalia.  Stuffed animals, coffee mugs. plates, posters, stationery, and, yes, even one of those window toys with a suction cups on the feet of the doll. The shelves that went nearly three quarters of the way around the room.  I just had to snap to picture of Dixie McGuire and her collection of "all things Garfield", at least as much my wide angle lense could pick up. "This is only about half of my collection," she remarked, half surprised that I took an interest in her collection. I think it is safe to say we brightened each others' day that day. Storm chasing is not just about the sky , but the people who live under it. It takes a special breed of person to live someplace where they know the weather gets rotten during this time of year and not let it get to them. I have more than a sneaking admiration for this special breed of individual. Perhaps in a "parallel universe", I am Kansas farmer with a watchful eye on the sky.  STORM REPORTS for the day are at http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/030509_rpts.html. Another full storm reports map for today: NOTE: The storm reports in Oklahoma may have been for a single storm we were tracking! See how linear the track is!

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