April 6, 2006 Storm Chase

April 6, 2006 Storm Chase- Capturing our First Tornado!

Before moving to Washington at the end of 2009 we lived in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Though we didn't have much scenery there to go and explore as we do here, our one passion was watching the amazing Spring and Summer storms that the area was known for.

It was 2006- we had been storm chasing for a couple of years up to this point, at a very amateur level.  We had minimal equipment, would check weather radar at home and pick a spot within a 60 mile radius and head out, equipped at that point with nothing but our National Weather Service emergency radio that plays any and all storm alerts in the area to help guide us once we were out.  We witnessed many amazing severe storms and wall clouds with developing tornadoes that always fizzled out before touching the ground.  We had never actually seen a tornado on the ground, though.

We had, however, wanted to take the next step- to get out on a more involved chase.  Our opportunity for that came to us in early April.  By April 4th the storm prediction center was showing great concern for the conditions that would be in place in SE Nebraska and eastern Kansas for widespread severe weather and tornadoes on the 6th.
I was discussing this setup with storm chasers on the stormtrack.org discussion forum- and as luck would have it a chase team from Omaha had offered to have us tag along that day.  What an opportunity!

The morning of the 6th came and the forecast was still on track for a severe weather outbreak later that day.  My initial impression was to head south to Kansas, just across the border to Marysville.
We agreed to meet our storm chase partners in Beatrice, NE (about 40 miles south of Lincoln) at the public library there.  We arrived there at around noon, I went in and met our partners for the day as they were using a computer there to get weather radar updates (this was the time just before smartphones and wireless data, public library stops throughout the day were a part of the routine for most storm chasers).

At that point they had found that the storm prediction center just issued a tornado watch for our entire area- this one was a watch with more urgency- a "PDS" (Particularly Dangerous Situation):

Storms were already starting to develop to the southwest of us with some of them reaching severe levels.  We decided to continue south as originally planned- just across the Kansas border.
We turned off of the main highway just a few miles south of the border, onto a gravel road and headed west for a few miles.  We stopped on top of a hill there at a great vantage point to see for many miles around us.  You could see the dark clouds off to the southwest as they were beginning to roll in- our chase partners called another member of their team who was at home keeping a close eye on the radar and storm warnings.  He was tracking these storms to the southwest of us as they were moving right into our area- so we decided to stay put for 20 minutes or so.

During that 20 minute period we were listening to local radio in the car- they were cutting in with weather reports of the first tornado on the ground, damaging grain bins on farms about 30 miles to our southwest as those storms rapidly intensified.  At that point we continued west just a few more miles to the tiny town of Mahaska, at which point we headed south with a bit more urgency to be able to intercept these storms as they moved into the area.  Once we reached Kansas state highway 36 we headed east towards the town of Washington.

At this point a supercell storm had moved just to the southwest of us, to the point to where the sky was a dark black color in that direction with frequent flashes of lightning.  On the radio they had switched over to nonstop coverage of the weather as a couple more brief tornadoes had been spotted by farmers in the area.  We took a chance and headed south just before reaching the town of Washington, to try to cut straight down to that storm cell.  This turned out to be a mistake- we were headed straight into the storm as another possible tornado was detected by radar in that spot.  We couldn't see it as it was rain-wrapped- and if we would continue down this road we'd drive right into it without even knowing it- so we quickly turned around and headed back north to highway 36 to get back out ahead of the storm.  Once reaching the highway we turned east to Washington as originally intended.

As we entered the west end of the town the tornado sirens started blaring, and on the radio they issued a tornado warning for the county we were in, with a radar-indicated tornado (radar detected rotation but no visual confirmation made yet of an actual tornado on the ground) right at the town of Washington.  We stopped at a mini mart there to take shelter as the rain and the hail moved in.  Watching through the window there in the store we could see a developing funnel right over head!  Just then the store manager told us we had to leave- apparently their policy during tornado warnings is to evacuate and close the store, and staff go into a nearby building for shelter.  (odd)
At that point we got into our cars and got back onto the highway driving east through town as the funnel we had seen had moved off to the east.

A few minutes later we exited town and came to a small hill where a bunch of cars were pulled over to the side of the highway, and just to the northeast there it was- the funnel we had watched just minutes before had touched down!

We pulled over to the side of the highway and began filming- the rough video can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbsZUtJJHA8

We watched the tornado in awe for 6-7 minutes before it fizzled out (as seen at the end of the video).  At that point we continued driving east for a bit and headed north at a farm that- to our horror- had been hit by the tornado as we were watching it from afar just a few minutes before.  The house had been completely destroyed, people were just climbing out from the rubble with assistance from many others who had already arrived (neighbors, storm chasers?  Not sure)  at that point and behind us ambulances and fire trucks were already on their way.

The National Weather Service damage survey of this event with pictures from this farm can be found here:

https://www.weather.gov/top/2006_NCTornadoes

The outbreak of storms continued in earnest into the evening off to our east, but at this point we had our fill and were a couple hours from home, so we continued north on our way back across the border home to Lincoln.

Puget Sound Waterfront Photo Spots in the Seattle Metropolitan Area

The Puget Sound waterfront areas offer so much to photograph.  You can get pictures of the iconic ferries coming and going, you can get pictures of the Olympic Mountains in the distance, or better yet a picture of the Olympics with a ferry in the foreground.  Or, you can go for the triple crown and get shots of the sunset over the water with the Olympics in the background and a ferry in the foreground.  It doesn't get any better than that, does it? :) 

I have checked out quite a few waterfront locations in the last few years looking for good photo spots, and there are two that I find to be by far my favorites.  

Edmonds

I love going to the Edmonds waterfront.  It has everything I want as there is a park right by the ferry dock, and it's a direct view from there of the Olympic Mountains.  I have gone there countless times and always come away excited about the shots I was able to get. 

Downtown Seattle- Myrtle Edwards Park

My other favorite waterfront spot is Seattle's Myrtle Edwards Park.  It is a fantastic spot with long stretches of paved walking/biking trails along the waterfront, giving views of the downtown skyline, Mount Rainier, and of course the Olympic Mountains and the Puget Sound.  

This is the view looking south towards downtown and the port from one of the higher spots in the park.  

The rest of these are the view looking straight west from the park.

Mount Rainier Part 3- Photo Spots Within the Seattle Metro Area

It's a blast going down south close to the mountain to get shots, but one of the amazing things about living in the Seattle area is that there are fantastic views of the mountain from so many areas, even close to home.
Here are a few of my favorite photo spots in the metropolitan area:

Kerry Park

Kerry Park has the iconic view of the downtown skyline with Mount Rainier as a backdrop that everyone has seen in postcards and on travel shows.  It's worth the time to go here and see this view for yourself.  The best time of day to go is late afternoon into the evening to be sure the sun will not be "in the way" of the mountain.  

Lake Washington

The view from Madrona Park on the west side of Lake Washington in Seattle.

The view from Magnuson Park on the west side of Lake Washington in Seattle.

Puget Sound

The view from Myrtle Edwards park in downtown Seattle.

Mount Rainier Part 2: Great photo spots in the south Puget Sound region

There are many other great locations in the area to photograph Mount Rainier.  Some of my favorites outside of the park are in the south Puget Sound region in and around Tacoma because of the close proximity to the mountain and how massive it looks from these areas. Here are some examples of my favorite spots:

Gig Harbor

The view from the western side of Gig Harbor, right along North Harborview Drive where all the shops and restaurants are located.  Gig Harbor has such a cool touristy coastal feel to it, that it's well worth the drive to go for these shots and then to spend a couple hours exploring the little downtown area along the harbor.

Tacoma

My favorite spot to take shots of Mount Rainier in Tacoma is on the waterfront just a few miles northwest of downtown on Ruston Way.  There is a long narrow park along the water with lots of parking areas to stop and take in the views. 

This is at Ruston Point, at the northwest end of the waterfront park in front of a new apartment/condo complex built there.

Lake Tapps Area

The view from Lake Tapps County Park in Bonney Lake

The view from one of the farm fields on the east edge of Lake Tapps, just off of 215th AVE E.

The view from another farm field just a bit further east of Lake Tapps.  I believe this was on 40th St. E just off of 215th Ave E.  Views like this can be found, though, on any number of the rural roads that are found in the pasture lands and fields in this area.

Mount Rainier- Part 1: Views From Within the National Park

The first subject I will mention is Mount Rainier.  I know it's the most obvious one, millions of people go to see Mount Rainier every year, and many more see it on a daily basis from areas all up and down the I-5 corridor.

I want to mention it in my first article, though, because it is definitely the crown jewel of this area.  People cannot come to visit this area without making a visit to Mount Rainier.  And it is the top photo subject that I am almost obsessively trying to find new locations to shoot.  New vantage points, new foreground subjects.  Mount Rainier does not disappoint in this regard- after 5 years I continue to be amazed at the new spots from which I can get fantastic views of this gorgeous mountain.  

I will break this up into multiple posts to give each photo spot the proper attention.  In this first post I will discuss some favorite spots from within Mount Rainier National park itself.

All of these locations except for the Paradise area are closed in winter, and will only be snow-free from mid/late July into late September. 

Paradise Visitor's Center Area

The most popular tourist spot within the national park, this area offers some of the most spectacular up close views of the mountain.  There are many trails that meander through the meadows above the visitor's center, all of which offer great views of the mountain so you will never run out of places here to set up and take some shots.  My favorite spot to photograph the mountain in this area, though, is at Myrtle Falls- which is an easy walk 0.5 miles from the visitor's center on a paved trail.  

The small falls you see here are not Myrtle Falls- this is taken looking upstream with Myrtle Falls directly behind me. 

I like this spot not for Myrtle Falls itself, but for the view upstream just above Myrtle Falls as shown above.  There is a wooden bridge that crosses the creek just above Myrtle Falls- this shot was taken just before crossing this bridge- there is a small gravel/dirt area off the trail where you can get this shot.  On a warm summer day the crowds are large so it can be a challenge finding space without anyone in the way to set up your tripod here.

There are quite a few other great photo opportunities along this trail if you walk a bit further.  Just beyond Myrtle Falls the blacktop ends and the trail becomes dirt/gravel but is still very easy to navigate.

I would strongly recommend visiting this area in July, maybe mid to late July because the wild flowers are in full bloom around that time.  They are quite the sight to see- they make for a fantastic foreground to your mountain shots.  Here are a couple of other shots from along the Myrtle Falls trail- all within a quarter mile of the actual falls:

This was taken just a few hundred feet beyond Myrtle Falls, where the trail rises up a bit giving better views of the little valley.  The stone building that looks like a cabin really got my attention here when taking this shot.  I'm not really sure what that is.

If you go earlier such as May or June, the views at Paradise look more like this:

Continuing east from the Paradise visitor's center just a few miles you will come across another very popular photo spot- Reflection Lakes.

Late afternoon shot at Reflection Lakes in the summer of 2010

As many photographers will say, this is an amazing spot to photograph the mountain very early in the morning, just before and during sun rise.  That way the lighting will be better, and the wind will be calm so you'll get the infamous reflection of the mountain in the lake.  I have not been able to get there yet at that time of day to get those shots, but it's very high on my "to do" list.

Sunrise Visitor's Center Area

Another great photo spot is on the east side of the mountain at the Sunrise visitor's center.  This spot is no good for getting pictures of the mountain during the afternoon as the sun will be right over or near the mountain, just ruining your shots.  (if you have to shoot in the afternoon, then the Paradise area is a much better choice).  The name of the visitor's center really says at all- the time to be here is at sunrise.  I found that you really want to plan to be there about a half hour before the official sunrise time as you'll want to get parked and get up the trail to set up and be ready, because once the sun gets close to rising you have a very limited window of time to get the best pictures.  Just before and during the moment the sun breaks above the peaks off to the east, the mountain glows a bright orange- it is a spectacular sight to see.  There is a trail going up the hill just behind the visitor's center- you don't have to go far up the trail, the views all along the way from the visitor's center are spectacular, so just continue until you find the spot that feels right to you.

The view along the trail just a few hundred yards up the trail behind the visitor's center during the golden hour just before the sun actually rose above the peaks behind me. 

This was how it looked as the sun broke above the peaks behind me, just seconds after the official sunrise.

And this was the view after the sun rose into the eastern sky. 

Mowich Lake Entrance (Northwest Corner of the National Park)

The northwest corner of the park is far less visited, even though it is the closest to the Seattle metro area.  It's really not all that developed and doesn't have the "wow" views that the Sunrise and Paradise areas have, but it is still well worth visiting.  The road leading into the park at this entrance is gravel- it is a bit rough in places but easy to navigate in any type of vehicle.  Part way up the road before actually entering the park (it's 11 miles of gravel before entering the park itself) you come across an area that was clear cut by loggers giving a great view of the mountain- it's well worth a stop here for a few pictures.

View of Mount Rainier along the road before the park entrance north of Mowich Lake

A few miles further down the road you reach Mowich Lake- this is the end of the road so you can't miss it.  There is plenty of parking here.  This is a beautiful high elevation lake surrounded by steep forested hills.  There is a nice trail that goes along the west side of the lake.  Unfortunately the views of the mountain are very limited at the lake itself- all you will get are views of the top third or so of the mountain.

The view of the mountain from Mowich Lake.

There are trail heads near the lake such as the Tolmie Peak trail (7 miles round trip) that lead to higher elevations with great views of the mountain with Mowich Leak below.  Unfortunately when I was up there I did not have time to do that hike, so I don't have any shots to share.

East Edge of the National Park- Tipsoo Lake Area

Highway 410 skirts the extreme eastern edge of the national park in the north/south line.  There are a few places well worth stopping here to get shots of the mountain.  Just a few miles north of Tipsoo Lake is a high spot on the highway with a pull out where you can park and get shots like this one.

A few miles south of this spot is Tipsoo Lake, which is located at Chinook Pass right off of Highway 410.  You can either park right off the highway to take in the views of the mountain with the lake below, or you can drive down to the parking area at the lake itself for a lower vantage point.  I prefer the view from right beside the highway- this is a great spot to get pictures of the mountain at sunrise or just after sunset.

Mount Rainier with Tipsoo Lake in the foreground just after sunset.

Another shot from the same spot a few minutes later.

With all of those different spots to photograph Mount Rainier, it is hard to imagine ever getting tired of going down to the park.  However I don't always have time to make the trip down there, so in the next post I will mention other favorite spots of mine closer to the Seattle area for great shots of the mountain.

We Live in the Most Beautiful Part of the Country

Washington is a photographers dream come true.  With all of this natural scenery around us and countless dramatic, gorgeous landscapes in the area there is never a shortage of places to see and photograph.

Mount Shuksan at Picture Lake

I have lived in Washington now for 5 years and have spent a lot of time exploring and photographing the scenery this region has to offer.  I decided to start this blog to share my favorite scenic areas and even give tips on where to get some of the most dramatic photos.

I will be adding content in the next few days detailing favorite scenic areas, photography spots, and pictures taken in those spots to hopefully inspire others to explore those same spots and take in all of the wonders that this beautiful state has to offer. 

Stay tuned!