Windstorm at the KOA: See You in the Next Zip Code

I was out taking pictures of the approaching cumulonimbus (thunder) clouds against a scenic mountain backdrop at the KOA in Rock Springs, Wyoming; with the lyrics of Cheap Trick’s “Rock ‘n Roll” Tonight” running through my brain when a single drop of rain hit my face. A second later, the wind picked up and the dust started to swirl. My spidey sense (and meteorological training) told me there was no time to waste, so I pulled hard at Jasper’s leash and yelled “Run!“.

We were only a couple hundred yards from the trailer, but for a moment I seriously wondered whether we’d make it without injury — as the sky opened up and the wind threatened to knock my feet out from under me as we crossed an open stretch of the campground.

The concern about injury didn’t abate much after reaching the trailer, which was rocking and shaking violently. Ed and I had to yell at each other just to be heard. He told me that the last thing our campground neighbor had said to him as they ran for shelter was “see you in the next zip code“.

Fortunately, that prediction didn’t come true, but the hail did shred our sewer hose and damaged some of the big rigs’ slide awnings. It also turned the gravel parking lot that is the Rock Springs KOA into a muddy mess, with rivers of dirt flowing through many of the campsites, including ours.

Oh well, considering the storm knocked out the wireless connection, I had nothing better to do than clean the trailer floor again anyway. 🙂

P.S. I have video of the event, but the limited connection at this campground makes it impossible to upload to YouTube at the moment.

You can see more pics of the approaching thunderstorm here.