This past week camping at the state campground in Goliad Texas, I had an evening glow on, with bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers and a glass of chilled Chablis in an appropriate non visible container, reading a book 50 shades of grey watching the steaks start to grill on the bbq, (sounds pretty good doesn't it ),,when,,,,,a flash of light and tremendous explosion occurred 50 yards away in the tree tops....The high temperature humid heat created the first lightning strike of a 3 inch rain shower at our camp site.
No body hurt, managed to avoid running into the door jamb going inside really fast for safety, to get into the steel frame cage of the RV insulated by the road tires. About an hour later I realized that the tire insulating value was totally wasted due to the leveling jacks being down.
Upon reflection I felt amazed that we can be in a very happy place, feeling quite secure, only to have the environment absolutely blown apart, in an instant, by circumstances I had no influence over.
Moral of the story...spend as much time as possible in happy spaces and do not try to anticipate all of the bad things that can happen.
40 years ago some body said it well,,Don't worry be happy...
I was up in the mountains last year, about 2 miles from the RV when I had a similiar experience. Only it lasted for 30 minutes and was solid lighting and thunder, it just didn't stop! We had two major blasts, so close that the ground shook and my hair stood up, it was really cool.
Gotta love nature!
HC
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05' Layton Lite 170LT Cascade edition
06' Chevy Silverado K1500
We-No-Nah Rendevous, a Ljutic, a Remington, a Hard Rock Pro, a Polaris 550XP & Raleigh the Hunter
I personally love to be "in" a good thunderstorm. I think the odds of cashing in while on the front porch of your house, or from inside your RV are pretty low!
OP - I do appreciate your words of wisdom; it is true you never know what's just around the corner.
Todd
Todd
1993 Ford E-350 pushed by a 1988 Wilderness 24' TT
Several years ago we were in the middle of the Everglades on the Nine mile pond canoe trail in our canoe and got caught in a hellacious lightning and thunder storm. After the first few bolts and blasts, we just sat back and enjoyed the show figuring when the Man upastairs wanted us, no matter where we were, our number was up.
A couple of years ago I was finishing my shift as a Marshall at the local golf course. It was early evening and I was down to just washing the last couple of carts. The Monsoon thunderstorm had been brewing all afternoon and all at once it let loose. About 75 yards from where I was standing a bolt struck the hillside scattering cactus, dirt, rocks and dust in every direction. No appreciable delay between flash and the seemingly simultaneous CRACK! I looked down and noted that I was standing on a 3 foot square steel drainage grate...with about 2 inches of water flowing across it.
Needless to say that was the end of my shift as I broke several olympic records shagging my butt out of there.
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