Lesleyanne Ryan. Canadian Armed Forces Veteran. Peacekeeper. Novelist. Photographer. Traveller. Cat Lover.
Storm Chasing 2023
For 2023, I decided to split my storm chasing tours, trying out a southern tour in late April and returning in June for the northern plains.
Interestingly enough, out of the total of twenty-five chase days, nineteen were centred primarily in the southern states. Continue reading “Storm Chasing 2023”
Storm Chasing with Tempest Tours
14-25 May and 4-22 June 2018
Storm chasing is, in relative terms, a new kind of tourism. Television shows like In Search Of… (1978) and movies like Twister (1996) introduced professional storm chasing to the wider public, and over the last twenty years or so, a number of tour companies have sprung up offering people the chance to join in with the chase. Continue reading “Storm Chasing with Tempest Tours 2018”
Storm Chasing with the Great American Eclipse
15-22 August 2017
On May 30, 1984, I saw my first eclipse. It was an annular eclipse with eighty percent coverage over St. John’s. I placed a piece of film over the lens of my Kodak 110 camera and took this grainy picture as it approached maximum coverage.
I was mesmerized not only at the sight of the sun almost completely covered by the moon, but at the eerie light it cast over the city. I would see three more eclipses over the next thirty years, but never one that came as close to totality as this one.
The moment I learned of the August 21st eclipse, I knew I had to see it. I researched the possibility of travelling to a major US city in its path but found the cost to be prohibitive. Then I booked a storm chasing tour with Tempest Tours for June and noticed that they also had a solar eclipse tour.
The week-long tour included chasing late season storms, astrophotography, sight-seeing and finished with a viewing of the eclipse. The cost for the entire tour was less than seeing it on my own and had the added bonus of using their expertise to find clear skies.
Sold.
And it was worth every penny. None of my previous eclipse experiences even come close to seeing totality.
You can navigate to each day of the tour on the Table of Contents.
On my previous tour, I wrote a general overview on storm chasing that described the daily routine and other points that are relevant to this tour as well.
All the photos for this tale can be found on my flickr page.
Enjoy
🙂
11-24 June 2017
Storm chasing is, in relative terms, a new kind of tourism. Television shows like In Search Of… (1978) and movies like Twister (1996) introduced professional storm chasing to the wider public, and over the last twenty years or so, a number of tour companies have sprung up offering people the chance to join in with the chase.
I only learned of this possibility when a local forecaster joined a chase in 2014. I tried to get information from one company in 2015 but never received a reply. So, I did a little more research and contacted Tempest Tours, one of the best reviewed companies on the net. This time I got a prompt response and answers to all my questions. In 2017, I did Tour 6 and the Solar Eclipse Tour, and in 2018, I did Tour 3, 5 and 6 for a total of twenty-eight days of chasing. In 2019, I did Tour 3, 6 and 7 for a total of twenty-nine days of chasing. In 2020 and 2021, the pandemic kept me home but in 2022, I hope to return to chase for the month of June on Tours 5, 6 and 7.
Unlike the coach tours I’ve taken, this one has no set itinerary, no hotel list and no included meals. For that matter, it can’t even guarantee that you will get to sit down for dinner. The itinerary is dictated solely by the weather.
It was the ultimate road trip.
In 2017, we drove more than four thousand miles through Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. We watched clouds grow right before our eyes and the sun light them up as it set. We stood in awe of silent lightning under the clouds and the Milky Way above them. We listened to the hail bounce against the van and thunder split the sky. We stood against hurricane force winds by day and tried to catch fireflies by night. We bought lemonade from kids on the street and explored abandoned farms. We met wonderful people and forged friendships.
And yes, we saw a tornado.
I wrote this tale as we travelled, so it is very detailed. It starts with an Overview that describes the daily routine, the van and the hotels. I also comment on camera gear.
The rest of the tale details my travel days and each chase day. You can start with the Overview or navigate to individual pages from the Table of Contents.
All my photos can be found on my flickr page.
Enjoy.
🙂
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