Making sure we try our best to stay safe from severe weather was a top priority for us long before we ever left home back in September.
In fact, it was the biggest factor as we planned our route and timing of our travels through each of the 50 states.
We knew we needed to stay clear of the northern states in the winter to avoid dangerous winter storms. In addition, we also needed to get across the mountain states in the west before snowfall would make traversing the passes too risky.
But probably most important of all, we tried hard to keep our travel dates in the mid-western states out of the most dangerous time frames of tornado season.
We love our little 18′ nuCamp Teardrop Camper, but it probably wouldn’t fare too well in a wicked twister!
The Journey Thus Far…
For the most part, the plan has worked out extremely well to date. In fact, there have only been a few minor hiccups in our first 125 days on the road.
A couple of early snowfalls in Colorado and Montana chased us on a little earlier than expected. And an unusually cold morning in eastern Washington sent us heading for Seattle a day early as well.
But sometimes, as we all know, no matter how well you plan, Mother Nature rules. And that was exactly the case on Friday night in Dallas, when a severe line of storms rolled right through our location. And in the process, sent off the tornado sirens in our location.
Being Prepared – Early Warning Is The Key To Safety
Thankfully, we had plenty of warning the storms were coming. We both use Weather Radar apps on our phone that automatically warn us of any weather danger based on our GPS location.
It is actually a must-have for anyone camping or travelling.
Thanks to the app, we knew by early morning that storms were on the way to us by early evening. And that they had a good chance of turning severe.
So as we watched the line form on the radar and edge closer, we came up with a plan to head to a nearby Target store for safer digs if needed.
Our camper is pretty awesome. But considering it is only 18′ long and sits on wheels, it’s not the place to be when there is a good chance of high winds, high water, or a tornado.
Especially since our campsite was in a beautiful state park with towering oaks above us!
Staying Safe…
And the line of storms did get stronger. Actually, much stronger. So we packed into the truck, wished our camper good luck, and headed off to Target. I should mention at this point there was also a Home Depot there as well, but I think Mary was scared that my affinity for all things DIY would lead to an unneeded purchase with idle time. So Target it was! 🙂
As soon as we stepped out of the truck at Target, we heard them. The Tornado sirens were going off. And as soon as we entered, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that a funnel cloud had been spotted nearby. They asked everyone to head to the back corner of the store, and it was there we all rode out the storms.
Thankfully, it all passed without incident. The funnel cloud never touched down. And the flooding and high winds did not reach our campsite either.
But it certainly made for a bit of excitement for a Friday night on the road. As a side note, kudos to the Target Store in Grand Prairie, Texas for how calmly they handled the warning.
We were both totally impressed with the stores plan and the implementation of it in an extremely calm area. They even offered to help people to their cars after it had all passed if needed.
Hopefully, that will be our last brush with any twister danger while on the road! Up next on the trip, Oklahoma!
Happy, Safe Traveling, Jim and Mary.
CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:
- Day 125 of 365
- States : 15/50
- National Parks / Monuments : 18
- Stayed In : Midlothian, TX
- Miles Driven : 42.4
- Total Trip Miles To Date : 14,042.4
- Total Gallons Used : 1,017.56
- Biking Miles : 0.0
- Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
- Hiking Miles : 1.25
- Hiking Miles To Date : 287.25
About Our Living Simple Tour
On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States
You can follow along by signing up for our twice weekly email updates at the bottom of the page. You can also follow us on Facebook : Live Simple Tour Facebook and Instagram : Live Simple Now Instagram Page.
Oh my how scary and glad you did the right thing to stay safe.
And of course I have another question. Since you’ve been out on the road, do the days feel like the day it is or does it feel like it’s always the weekend?
Safe travels!
Just wondering if you are stopping in Ark. and if so what city. Was thinking that I could bring you some bearded irises if you are close. And if the weather is good for traveling. If not just get in touch with me I think that once you get this from me you would have my email address and if so I can just get them together and send them to you. I have so many that are chocking each other out that I have to dry and thin them out. They would all be different. I know you guys like to grow things and you like flowers. I had ask you once before yrs. ago but never heard anything.
Hi Cynthia We are currently in central Arkansas. That is so sweet of you to offer to give us some bearded irises. However, we are afraid with traveling the country in all different climates, that they wouldn’t survive until we get home in September. But thank you so much for the offer and following our journey!
Oh and I am so happy for you guys being able to travel all over the state!
Thank you! We are having a blast!