Crazy Weather

There have been several trips I've taken, alone and with family, where we experienced some of the extreme weather America has to offer. I have a fascination with weather, if I were better at math, I might've explored a career in meteorology. Alas though, that goal was thwarted when I barely made it through College Algebra despite the constant daily battle to achieve a passing grade.

However, though, the fascination I held in my experiences with weather has stayed with me through to today. There was the heart pounding night spent in the basement of my aunt's home in Michigan while a tornado warning was in effect. The storm raging above us, and no one knew what exactly would happen. I remember the lightning though. Were I a little older, it might have been less terrifying and more fascinating. On another day, that same trip, we were in Indiana driving to a friend's home after a corn festival. The weather was bad but calm where we were. I vaguely remember a tornado way in the distance. None of the adults seemed worried so I never thought anything of it. I just watched it through the car window it was so still and so small. I just remember the odd way it looked with a line of cloud going to the ground. It was so small it almost didn't seem real to me. 

There was another trip to Michigan where I was alone, trying to find my way to my aunt's home. A storm was rolling in and there was a tornado watch in effect which meant look out, there's one around and it's on the ground. I did what you aren't supposed to do and drove into the storm. Where I had been was calm, not raining. As I drove to my aunt's, I drove directly into the storm. I was lucky though. I made it safely to her house despite all my worries. It was a rather scary experience and I was shaking by the time I made it to her place. Not an experience to forget.

Finally, was a hike I took with my mom in Colorado. This is one hike I'll never forget. The skies were blue and clear when we headed out by lunch the storm clouds started to gather so we decided to head back out. We barely made it halfway back to the car when the storm unleashed its fury. Rain poured, lighting struck way too close for comfort and thunder pounded. We donned our ponchos and ran (looking like turtles with our packs covered up) as fast as we could to get back to the car. 

There have been times I have experienced the wildness weather has to offer. The most extreme experiences, save one, have occurred while I was on vacation and crazy enough all in Indiana or Michigan. It was exciting and scary all at the same time. Not something I'd want to experience again but it won't keep me from visiting those states again. Because even though the weather can be extreme, the memories from those trips are ones that I'll never forget.