DJ'S JOURNAL

THUNDERSTORMS

Loud, rolling thunder; bright, flashing lightening; and huge, noisy raindrops!!! We know about that type of weather that is common in the southern states, but we have been in Texas for over a month with no sign of a boisterous thunderstorm. Last night, although predicted, all of a sudden we were in the middle of a real boomer of a Texas thunderstorm. The waiting was over!!!

As a child, growing up in Central California, I experienced very few displays of thunder and lightning. They just weren't a part of the weather in that part of the country. I don't even really remember my first one, but it must have been in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, as they are a common summer event there. I just remember being afraid. The booming noise and the brilliant flashes were just plain scary.

I do remember, as a teenager, being at camp, in a sleeping bag on a cot, covered with a tarp, and actually sleeping through a thunderstorm. I also remember, as a young mother, camping in Yosemite Valley, plastic sheeting hung over our entire site, and the thunderstorms and rain that came every afternoon. These were experiences that, at the time, were a bit frightening, but I now have great respect for a good thunderstorm!!!

I remember standing on the roof of our motorhome in a Panguitch, UT campground, watching the lightning flashing in the distant mountains to the east. We were so far away that we couldn't hear any thunder, but the "light show" was spectacular.

I remember driving back from a houseboat trip at Lake Powell, right into the biggest, blackest clouds that I'd ever seen. Huge raindrops pelted us, thunder rumbled over us, and lightning flashed all around us. We couldn't move through the area fast enough!!!

I remember staying at my cousin's house in South Carolina, trying to sleep in an upstairs bedroom. This storm was the most spectacular that I have experienced. Although there wasn't much in the way of rain, the flashes of lightning lit up the room like day, and the booms of thunder shook the entire house. Mother Nature put on quite a show!!!

Last night's storm was yet another memorable event. Our fifth wheel is parked near Lake Conroe, perpendicular to a slight upslope with the awning and outdoor carpet on that upslope side. We first heard a few rumbles of thunder in the distance and few drops of rain on the roof. Then, it began!!! Pounding rain, booming thunder, and flashing lightning!!! When I went outside to view the storm under the protection of the awning, I stepped into at least an inch of run-off water covering our carpet and moving downslope. I just stood there for a few minutes just taking it all in; the storm was awesome!!! When we finally lost our satellite signal, we retired to bed and just listened to the sounds of the storm, until we fell asleep.

I know that we will experience many more weather events in our travels, but I will always be in awe when that event is a thunderstorm.