My drive home from work 5-19-06

lizardman_u

lizardman_u

Joined
Nov 28, 1999
Messages
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well today at about 13:30 (1:30 pm pacific Dayligt savings time) at work or crews were notified of "possible" high winds, thunder, lightning and hail.

At about 15:50 (3:50 pm PDT) as I was back from an Exlusion area (have to have proper badge to get inside double fenced area) from shipping GB (sarin) filled 750 pound bombs to the destruction facility I saw the dark clouds; went inside did a couple things, grabbed a cup of coffee, and went outside for a smoke, by then I could here the thunder. At 16:00 (4:00 pm PDT) my supervisor told me I could go home if I wanted, so I left.

The storm was comming in from a westerly direction, I got onto the freeway (I-84) headed west into the storm, as that is the direction for me to get home, and about 3 minutes after I got up to 70 mph the rear end of my 2000 Chevy Tahoe left the ground and was pushed about a foot over toward the shoulder of the slow lane due to the high winds that had just hit (I later found out we had 70 mph winds sustained) the wind started comming from almost due S, but still a tad west. I slowed down to better control my vehicle in the winds; next the rain and hail hit (wipers on high and at 25 mph I only caught glimpses of the road) and I slowed way down and put on my emergency flashers, this rain/hail mixture stayed untill I was almost home. The concussion of the thunder could be felt inside the vehicle (felt like someone beating me in the stomach) and the light from the lightning was blinding at times, people were pulling over and stopping on both shoulders of the freeway, while other people were driving erradically. My course of action was to take an exit earlier than mine to get away from the discord.

As I got off the freeway and got to the bottom of the offramp I found myself still on the road, but sitting at a stop sign up to my doors in a brand new lake. As I drove further west to get to my house on a rural road I saw three trees down: one blocking the road, two was halfway blocking the road, and three was only blocking half a lane. I saw the City PD from my house flying toward the east so the first officer I came to I warned about the trees. He said "there are more trees down". I went home to find the power out and a big puddle at the small intersections of streets. I then grabbed my pickup and got to the biggest of the downed trees before the city did, I hooked a logging chain up to what would have been the top of the tree and pulled it over about 10 feet so that the police car that was visable on one side would be visable on the other side of traffic too.

Also a tornado touched down five miles to the east of our town, probably in a field.

I am safe as is my family, we finally have power back on. All in all a very interesting experience.

be safe all
Dave.
 
It sprinkled a little here in WA on my commute home. I was terrified, as we never get any rain.:D
Good to hear you're ok bud.:thumbup:
 
an update, more than one tornados, mostly f1, one hit in the sally port to our chemical area, no chemical structures damaged, power is still out in that area (they are on generator power) and so far no injuries for peeps at work.

Last night the police were driving around my neighborhood like they were looking for someone, and many vehicles were driving around doing the looky lou, so I loaded the 20 round mag on my .308 and kept it handy, gassed up the chainsaw incase I needed it, we had propane for the cookstove, shovels, the grill was full (wife BBQed chicken for my dinner). I was relatively prepared, but a really interesting night. Some people in the surrounding area are without power and phone.

if you know anyone who needs fire wood send them my way I know where some sizable trees can be had for the taking.


and Torz, I don't know how them Zulu's tell time, isn't it with a sun dial, or some such?:D
 
You had a challenging ride home!!! I am glad that you are safe and sound, as is your family.
 
m1marty said:
It sprinkled a little here in WA on my commute home. I was terrified, as we never get any rain.:D
Good to hear you're ok bud.:thumbup:
Click to expand...


Marty, you are going to heck for fibbing. I spent 4 years in your neck of the woods and well lets say I put a rubber raft around the bottom of my car so I could turn it into a boat when necesary:D
 
lizardman_u said:
and Torz, I don't know how them Zulu's tell time, isn't it with a sun dial, or some such?:D
Click to expand...
Surely you haven't been out of the service that long! :D Here's something to remind you:

zonepix.gif
 
hahahah Torz, I sort of know what zulu time is, but I didn't use it. Isn't it sort of like Grennich Mean time? an average time for the world? I was Navy aviation, but I remember every building and ready room having zulu time as one of the numerous clocks on the walls.
 
Yeah, it's the same thing as GMT / UCT / CUT or whatever names they have for it. I guess some rates use it more than others, although a Bosun's Mate once corrected me on it (the shame!!! :D ).
 
update, I just saw video of one of the tornados that touched down here on base and realize that I drove through the eye of the tornado. Wow am I one lucky bugger.:D
 
lizardman_u said:
Marty, you are going to heck for fibbing. I spent 4 years in your neck of the woods and well lets say I put a rubber raft around the bottom of my car so I could turn it into a boat when necesary:D
Click to expand...
What? We only had 362 days of rain last year.....that's not much, is it?:D :D
This is the only place I have ever lived that rains more than Louisiana.:thumbdn:
 
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