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Westward bound in 2001 - start of a new era
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In September of 2025, my work is generating the most income it ever has in my career. Yet, I'm being forced to shut down my successul operation, against my will, due to one cause alone: 95% of that revenue is being stolen by piracy and copyright infringement. I've lost more than $1 million to copyright infringement in the last 15 years, and it's finally brought an end to my professional storm chasing operation. Do not be misled by the lies of infringers, anti-copyright activists and organized piracy cartels. This page is a detailed, evidenced account of my battle I had to undertake to just barely stay in business, and eventually could not overcome. It's a problem faced by all of my colleagues and most other creators in the field. |
This photo is one of my favorites - it evokes some great memories. This is the afternoon of May 26, 2001. I was westbound on I-64 toward the Great Plains, seeing the Midwest for the first time. This first crossing of the Indiana state line here in the Louisville metro was ushering in a new era. Up until that point, Kentucky and Ohio had been the farthest-west states I had ever traveled (aside from a California trip by air as a very young child), and this was the first major trip I had ever undertaken solo. This photo shows what I consider to be the true 'finer things in life': green trees, blue sky, warm spring air and the freedom of a road trip. I have, and will always, value this type of experience over any other earthly possessions or luxuries.
click to enlarge
Later that evening, I rolled into St. Louis for the first time, stopping for about 20 minutes to grab a couple of photos of the Arch before resuming the journey west. The next day, my first chase on the Plains would be a big one - the derecho of May 27 in southwest Kansas/northwest Oklahoma.
Some of the great memories of that trip include how storm chasing used to be. I was on the way to the Plains mainly for lightning photography, which back then was (and still is even today) my primary focus of storm chasing. I was in my (then-new) Ford Ranger pickup, with only a small suitcase of clothes, a few rolls of Sensia 100 film, a paper USA road atlas, a primitive digital camera, an all-manual Pentax K-1000 SLR and a VHS-C video camera.
I used to carry all of the camera gear in a small cooler, so I traveled pretty light - not much clutter. No laptop, no GPS, no internet, no inverter power, no Jotto desk, no permanently-installed vehicle gear. Glass-bottled Cokes, iced tea and beef jerky were a staple of roadside stops, and Steven Curtis Chapman's 'Speechless' album was in the CD player (my all-time favorite). And even though I didn't see a tornado on those first chases, I consider them as some of my best storm chasing trips of all time.
9 years later, I would be picking up and moving everything I owned on this same road to relocate to the St. Louis area, a testament to how much this highway and the country surrounding it grew on me in fondness over the years. I have to say I am very thankful to have been blessed with the ability to make these first trips which led where I am today.
By the way, the chase log for this trip can be found here.
Neat story Dan! i remember my first road trip. I liked being out there so m uch, I now drive for a living! :)
- Posted by Michael Thompson from minnesocold | | |
Thanks Michael! What type of driving do you do? I'd definitely like some type of job that involved traveling all the time.
- Posted by Dan R. from New Baden, IL | | |
I am a courier subcontractor. mainly i am in minnesota, but sometimes I end up in iowa, wisconsin, or the dakotas. i love it when I am dispatched into the country! I do love city running too, though it can be dangerous!
I see lots of nice scenery while out and about, I have a blog of a lot of the pictures I take on the road too.
i do get to see some nice storms toowhile working. Now that I got a decent camera and tripod I hope to get some neat pics.
Once last summer while working minneapolis, a huge supercell formed just 25 miles south. I could see it rising up and talk of tornadoes was on the radio. I was wishing I could get closer, even though I didnt have a camera, I would like to have seen it, I never seen a tornado before except on TV.
well, my dispatcher had me grab a package, and I checked the destination and it was lakevill, right where the storm was going to blow!
I headed towards the storm... er delievery :) on I35, but then I got diverted to bloomington to get another package in bloomington going to lakeville. That took me ten minutes, then off to lakeville.
wouldn't you know it, there was a tornado, but I missed it by ten minutes lol!
- Posted by Michael Thompson from minnesocold | | |
Sounds like a cool job. I wouldn't mind doing something like that part-time.
- Posted by Dan R. from New Baden, IL | | |
yeah it is pretty cool. I put in 10-11 hours 5 days a week, and time really goes quick. the only think I don't like is too many vehicle repairs needed haha
- Posted by Michael Thompson | | |
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