May 17, 2000

	We had some good remote assistance this morning, and Chris and Brian 
gathered data until late last night; our decision was to make a mad dash from 
Medicine Lodge to just north of the Nebraska border.
	Our cell connections have been lousy all along, and it doesn't seem 
to matter who's cell phone, service, computer or access number we use.  Nor 
is it related to where we dial from.  Data acquisition on the road has 
totally SUCKED.
	After nearly a week of waiting patiently, we were rewarded 
tremendously!  First off, Bill Tabor (good friend and fellow chaser) hooked 
up with us early this am.  Bill has a signal booster on his cell phone, and 
he's been the only chaser we've met this week that was able to maintain a 
connection long enough to grap a radar image. Bill joined the convoy, and we 
headed north to just north of the Nebraska state line, and when there, headed 
west.
	In retrospect, some here feel that after a week of too strong a cap, 
perhaps the cap today was too weak.  Storms popped up everywhere.  Even 
Bill's data feed was growing iffy, and we had to either bluff or beg a land 
line a few times along the way.
	It was magnificent.  There were tornadoes, and we were within view of 
at least one, but from the wrong side... from our vantage point it was hidden 
by a rain shaft. We caught a few wall clouds and funnels, and superb RFD (rear 
flank downdraft) and skies as dark as midnight.  We were ecstatic, and the 
wind finally hitting us in the face, lightening crackling over head, and a 
sky boiling with energy and action.  The storms were so numerous, and moving 
quickly, that it was impossible NOT to do a little core punching if one was 
to make any forward momentum.  So the MESO fleet was christened with a little 
hail here and there.
	A few in our group were disappointed that we just missed that beauty 
in Lincoln County, but most of us were delighted to have caught what we did.  
We'll be posting pix tomorrow on the web page, as we've been on the road 
since 9am... and its 11pm now.
	We're kinda up in the air about where to go tomorrow... the area of 
interest is kind of far to trot for a slight risk.  However, ya never know.  
We'll check the data in the am.
	Friday, we're back in Wichita to meet the rest of the team...it'll be 
great to see everyone again, and wonderful to have McWar.  I think we'll be 
spending time in Texas, but its too early by a lot to tell.

Nancy Bose

MESO     (www.mcwar.org)