Middle of Nowhere: 3/21. Storm chasing in Eastern Colorado.

Following Storms

Watching a storm build from tiny popcorn clouds to an enormous rain maker is an amazing sight that can take hours and cover hundreds of miles.  During the journey, you are likely to encounter small communities and other interesting stuff that would have remained a mystery to you, had the storm not been followed.  It is Nature as a tour guide, in a way.

From a photography standpoint,  a thunderstorm adds a dramatic element to an otherwise featureless landscape.  It is important, for many reasons, to keep a safe distance from any large storm.  For one, you want to have as much of the storm in the photo as possible.  There are storms so large that you may need to be 50 miles away or more to get good scaling.  Also, these storms can be extremely dangerous.  Keeping an eye on the weather radar along with making smart choices will lead to an adventure that does not end with a car stuck in the mud or with a hail battered windshield.

Saturday, March 21.  Eastern Colorado

I was in Castle Rock shooting a house in Castle Pines Village.  I figured since I was further south than my usual starting point, I would take advantage of the situation and follow the large storm that had begin brewing over the southern metro area while I was shooting the house.  After refueling, I headed east to Parker then south to Franktown.  From Franktown I headed east trying to stay on the southern flank of the storm, which was heading northeast very quickly.  It took me a couple of hours before I was in a position to get a good angle for photos, it was 530pm and light was beginning it’s dip into golden hour.  I had made my way northeast past I-70, was now heading east on HWY 36, near Deer Trail.  I was equipped with my standard rig: Nikon D300, 12-24mm lens, 18-70mm lens, Garmin eTrex GPS, and iPhone to check weather radar.  I took farm roads looking for interesting subjects to include as foreground for the dramatic storm.  There were various abandoned silos and old natural gas wells that provided amazing texture the scenes.  I found a deserted Conoco transfer station with an enormous radio tower and huge above ground storage tanks.  I took several shots at this area and moved on. By now, the storm was beginning to weaken and the light was beginning to fail.  I decided it was time to turn towards home.

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I was probably only 30 minutes behind the storm, which had dumped a large amount of rain in a very short time.  The roads were uncomfortably muddy.  Visions of a short slide off the road and a long, muddy walk to find help kept my speed down and my nerves up.  It was four miles of muddy, slick roads. I could drive no faster than 15 mph or else the tires would begin to lose traction and the car would lean sickeningly to the side.   The air smelled like new growth and fertilizer, probably a smell that is very familiar to the folks that live near farms but to a city boy it smelled new and it smelled great.  I eventually made my way to HWY 71, then HWY 36, then I-70 to Denver.  I had a good set of photos and an exciting escape.  It was a good day.