Hello Saturday!! Several weeks ago, our REACT team assisted in the Chicken Run in Chickasha, Okla. This run was to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). We were there for crowd control and traffic control. Last Saturday, the coordinators of the Chicken Run had a check to present to the CFF. Since our team was an important part of the event, we were invited to Chickasha to witness the handing over of the check. Only two of us from REACT were able to attend, so I invited my wife to ride with me to Chickasha, so we could be at the presentation and take some pictures. The presentation took place at a Mexican restaurant, so after the presentation, my wife and I ate. Then, we headed home.
The rest of the day was very relaxing….just laying around the house, doing a few chores and watching TV. At around 4 pm, I decided to head up to Lake Hefner and ride my bike. On my way to the lake, I was informed we might be in for a round of severe weather and to keep my eyes on the sky. It had turned cloudy north of the city, so I figured it was a matter of time before storms started building. As I rode around the lake, I had my REACT radio with me, just in case the storms popped up before I got back to my truck. Fortunately, my timing was perfect. Just as soon as I got to my truck, the weather started turning bad. Unfortunately, there were some people still out jogging and riding their bikes. Why do they get out and do this stuff when they know a storm is coming? Some people just aren’t smart.
I knew I could get some great pictures of the storm coming through if I would just drive to the north side of the dam….so that’s what I did. I pulled around to the north side of the dam, parked my truck and started taking some pictures. It was so neat to watch the clouds and their formations. You could see where the gust front was and you could see the rain band moving in. Then, the lightning and thunder started. At that point, I realized that anyone that was still jogging or bicycling would be in some danger. The rain started coming down heavier, so I decided to move to another spot, just in case it started hailing. As I drove east on the road, I came upon a father and son who were riding their bikes. I got on my PA and asked if they wanted a ride. They signaled to be that they did want a ride, so I stopped to pick them up.
Now remember, I have a small Chevy S-10 pick-up that is not an extended cab. We threw both of their bikes in the back of my truck (on top of my bike) and then the man and his son literally squeezed into my front seat. Since I had my crate with all my stuff in it and my first aid kit in the floor, there was not much room. The man had to hold my crate in order to sit down. His son sat in his lap. Luckily, we weren’t going that far. Once I dropped them off at their destination, I headed back to the highway to continue tracking the storm.
There was a report of some rotation in the El-Reno area, around I-40, so I was sent west on I-40 to check it out. I called our weather specialist on the radio to make sure I was not driving into danger. At about I-40 and Cimarron Rd I ran into ping-pong sized hail. Fortunately, it only lasted about half a mile, so I did not receive any damage. Plus, I was going real slow. The storm was a quick mover. By the time I got to Yukon, the rotation was not as bad and the storm had moved south of me. So, the weather specialist sent me to SW Oklahoma City. By the time I got there, everything was south of me and out of our area, so I called it a night.
There was not really much happening on Sunday. I went to Sunday School and church and then ate lunch afterwards. I spent all afternoon at work, catching up on some paperwork. When I did leave work, I was heading southbound on I-44, just passing SW 74, when I saw two females on the side of the road with their emergency flashers on. I took the next exit and doubled back. When I finally stopped to check on them, I found out they were on their way to Bridge Creek and had just purchased some furniture from Mathis Brothers. The problem, though, was the load did not get tied properly, so it came undone, causing a problem. So, I stood by with the lady and her daughter until Mathis Brothers arrived on the scene to properly tie the load down. Once I got finished with that motorist assist, I went home, made a grocery list and bought groceries.
Yesterday, I worked 12 hours, so I did not get home until after 8 pm. Other than working, there was not much going on worth talking about.
Today is Karla’s 50th birthday. I have sent FB messages and text messages to all her friends, asking them to send her Happy Birthday text messages, or just calling her on her cell phone. Due to finances, a gift was not in the picture, but several of us are going to Boomerangs tonight after work, to celebrate her birthday. Oh yeah, she is coming too.
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