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Hwy 104, east from Las Vegas, is spectacular! The road winds and traverses the mesa. It gets a little narrow and rough about 20 miles in, but the scenery more than makes up for the road condition, besides the speed limit is only 55-60 mph.
Today is Road Miles! Yesterday was a site seeing day and today needs to be miles east.
Hwy 104 connects with I-40 at Tucumcari, as I head east to Oklahoma City. Crossing into Texas, the ALL50 ZO6 turns 30,000 miles!
Clouds are starting to build on the Eastern Horizon. With each passing minute, the clouds increase in size and magnitude.
Leaving Oklahoma City, heading toward Tulsa, I suddenly get an uneasy feeling. I have been driving right into this thunderstorm for the past 4 hours and now it is almost upon me. Thunderstorms mean Hail!
There is a service area on the turnpike in the median as I pull off. I pull under the middle of the canopy and fill up with gas. Up to this point, there has been nothing on the radio. As I go into the food mart, there is a severe weather warning being issued. Winds to 70 mph, hard rains, hail has been reported 3 ½" in diameter.
I'm staying under the canopy.
Other motorists have now pulled in and we are all looking at the approaching storm. Circulation of clouds has been reported and a Tornado warring is issued. A few minutes later, it is reported that a tornado has touched down. Looking at my map, its location is about 30 miles away.
After 2 hours of sitting, reports on cell phones are telling people the storm has passed. Flooding has been reported in Tulsa.
I have been talking to a gentleman delivering a White Stretched Limo to Delaware from LA and he has informed me that the motel in Stroud, about a mile away, still has rooms available.
We take off and pull into the Best Western. Billie is kind enough to let me leave my car under the Canopy.
What a night!
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