TORNADO

As we pulled into Sam’s Club in Kokomo Indiana to get our tires rotated on the dually, the evening was mild and wonderful. We would have to wait until the morning when there was a full crew on duty at the tire center. The manager invited us to overnight there, advising that “his part of the parking lot was quiet in the evenings”.

We did and he was right. Sleeping soundly that night, I was roused slightly to take note that the wind had picked up about 2 AM as the trailer buffeted a little bit. At 0430 hours I got out of bed when the trailer gave a solid jar from a heavy gust of wind.

As I brought up the local weather radar on the cellphone,  I could see why the trailer had given such a shake. A sharp, angry, clearly defined front was approaching from the South West at about 30 Miles per hour. It was time to take advantage of our mobility. It was time to bug out !

A quick, light breakfast before rounding up stuff, then we headed South on US hwy. 31. It wasn’t a surprise to us when the civil defense tornado alert siren’s went off as we were pulling out of the parking lot. Tire rotation would have to wait for another day.

Five tornado’s hit the Kokomo area that morning. Worried about the folks behind us, but relieved to be out of the storms path, we proceeded to Indianapolis. We were headed to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

As if out of an adventure movie, just as we pulled onto the exit ramp that goes to the Speedway Museum, the tornado siren’s went off again ! Un believable !  Having researched the museum’s layout and location on the internet, we knew that it was located down in the speedway’s infield stadium bowl, and accessed by a tunnel. In a few blocks we were through the tunnel, 13’4” clearance,  and the security guard was waving us into a parking area that was sheltered by giant stadium seating. Large heavy drops were falling almost sideways as the wind drove them. The museum is a large cement structure. We hurried inside out of the rain.

Inside, the staff was monitoring the weather channel and also the TV reports of the tornado damage that had happened back behind us in Kokomo. Quite an eventful morning ! But, hey ! Like I always heard, If ya’ ain’t a’ livin’ on the edge, youre’ a’  takin’ up too much space !