DJinCO
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,565
What a day today. As my wife and I were about to have some "brunch" my phone alerted from NWS with this message: Tornado in your area - Take shelter now."
Now this may seem normal for some folks, but we are in our RV in Lake George, Colorado so my first reaction was "huh?" Just about then, the campground manager came by and hollered that the tornado was just over the hill.
So I grabbed our cats and got them in the HUMMER (we keep the cat kennels set up in the back seat) and the dog jumped in also. Grabbed my pants (I was lounging taking it easy!). Turned off the stove, my wife grabbed her hat and coat and away we went.
I really didn't know where to go, but I could see the tornado coming over the hill, so I was just moving to the road. We put a couple of miles between us and the tornado, but we could still see it very clearly. I pulled off the road (CR47) and figured that I would drive through a fence to get the HUMMER into a gully. I was calling out the position to the HAM weather net. Once the tornado moved north and east, we went back to the RV park.
Our RV park had no damage, but the owners son lost his house and all out buildings - about a mile from the RV park (as the crow flies). As the tornado passed over it tore out the power lines, so we waited for the REA utilities to get them fixed but we were told about 8PM that the power was out until Monday. The RV park that was destroyed (mentioned in the news) is about two miles away (again, as the crow flies!)
This evening as we went back home to Colorado Springs we had a bit of a snow shower through Divide, the temp dropped down to 31.
What a day, I figured my awning would have been ripped off by the wind, but it wasn't. That's just how tornados work I guess.
I used to think that a tornado won't form in the mountains. I guess that's just an old wive's tale.
My wife got some iPhone photos but I didn't even grab my phone or my Nikon. I was just grabbing the animals and getting my wife and I to safety. Glad to have a HUMMER.
Now this may seem normal for some folks, but we are in our RV in Lake George, Colorado so my first reaction was "huh?" Just about then, the campground manager came by and hollered that the tornado was just over the hill.
So I grabbed our cats and got them in the HUMMER (we keep the cat kennels set up in the back seat) and the dog jumped in also. Grabbed my pants (I was lounging taking it easy!). Turned off the stove, my wife grabbed her hat and coat and away we went.
I really didn't know where to go, but I could see the tornado coming over the hill, so I was just moving to the road. We put a couple of miles between us and the tornado, but we could still see it very clearly. I pulled off the road (CR47) and figured that I would drive through a fence to get the HUMMER into a gully. I was calling out the position to the HAM weather net. Once the tornado moved north and east, we went back to the RV park.
Our RV park had no damage, but the owners son lost his house and all out buildings - about a mile from the RV park (as the crow flies). As the tornado passed over it tore out the power lines, so we waited for the REA utilities to get them fixed but we were told about 8PM that the power was out until Monday. The RV park that was destroyed (mentioned in the news) is about two miles away (again, as the crow flies!)
This evening as we went back home to Colorado Springs we had a bit of a snow shower through Divide, the temp dropped down to 31.
What a day, I figured my awning would have been ripped off by the wind, but it wasn't. That's just how tornados work I guess.
I used to think that a tornado won't form in the mountains. I guess that's just an old wive's tale.
My wife got some iPhone photos but I didn't even grab my phone or my Nikon. I was just grabbing the animals and getting my wife and I to safety. Glad to have a HUMMER.
