Few things are as depressing as waking up at 4:50 a.m., knowing your vacation is over and all you have left is a long day of driving. We planned to hit the road at 6 a.m. for the roughly 11-hour trek home. Factoring in an hour for stops—and given the hour we’d gain crossing back into Mountain time—I estimated our ETA in Rapid City to be 6:30 p.m.
You know what they say about those best-laid plans, though…
“See You Next Time!”
The moment we set foot in the parking garage to load the car, we practically wilted. The weather had turned very humid; in fact, a heat advisory was in effect for Tuesday. We figured we were getting out of there just in time to avoid the really unpleasant weather!
Oh, the irony in that statement.
We left Madison right on time and headed northwest on I-90. There was so much moisture in the air, we were inundated with dense fog the entire way to La Crosse. All that beautiful scenery we enjoyed on the way down was hidden behind fog so thick, visibility was measured in yards. I was gripping the wheel so tightly at times, my knuckles were white.
In La Crosse, we stopped once more at Kwik Trip to fuel up on gas and grab a couple of breakfast sandwiches.
If you’re unfamiliar with Kwik Trip, it’s another Wisconsin institution with a cult-like following. Just a gas station/convenience store, you say? Oh, but it’s more than that. They have an in-house dairy and sell their own private label milk, butter, eggs, etc. There’s also an internal bakery with freshly-made breads and pastries; a selection of hot meals to go; and a mini grocery section complete with fresh produce and other basics. They’ll even cook food to order; a staff member came up to us while we were perusing the sandwiches and offered to make us up something fresh if we didn’t see what we liked. No wonder they have been named the best gas station brand in the nation. Plus, the cashiers end every transaction with a perky “See you next time!”
I signed up for their rewards program even though the closest Kwik Trip is roughly nine hours away. I like them that much.
I asked the cashier if there was a grocery store nearby, and she pointed us in the direction of Woodman’s, a few blocks away. We were on the lookout for Jolly Good soda, a local brand popular with Sconies. Woodman’s carried it, so we stocked up on 10 cans to take back home. I don’t even drink soda, but I’ll make an exception for their surprisingly good diet line.
I’m very much a “When in Rome” guy if you haven’t picked up on that by now.
Fueled up and fed, it was time to bid adieu to Wisconsin. We crossed the Mississippi River to Minnesota, but the fog was still so thick, you’d never know there was water down there.
Sioux Falls was 4.5 hours away. We figured the timing would be perfect for a quick lunch. What we didn’t count on was getting caught in a storm so severe, it would make headlines nationwide.
Next Stop Oz?
Once we hit Minnesota, the fog finally lifted. It was so hot and humid, it felt downright tropical. No palm trees, though—just corn.
I started checking the radar on my weather app, as the forecast was calling for scattered thunderstorms. What I saw looked rather ominous: a large cluster of organized storms was crossing South Dakota, bearing down on us. I’m always wary about hail in the Northern Plains; you have to be around here, seeing firsthand the destruction it can cause. At the very least, I figured driving through the storm would be dicey. We were planning on stopping in Sioux Falls anyway, so I suggested we find a covered parking garage for protection and wait out the storm.
This turned out to be a very smart idea.
We stopped at Williquors first in search of specialty ciders, then hit up Pickle Barrel for sandwiches we stuck in the cooler. That would be our dinner, as we were in no mood to cook that day. We found a suitable parking garage, and best of all, it was right across the street from Oshima, the sushi place I discovered on a recent business trip to Sioux Falls. I’d been raving about it so much, I wanted Tara to give it a try. The radar showed the storm heading directly for us but still a ways out, so we ordered sushi rolls and enjoyed a nice, leisurely lunch…even as our phones began blaring emergency alerts. It was becoming apparent this storm would be a monster.
Tara loved her sushi and agreed it was the best we’d had in the Midwest so far. It’s nice to feel validated! We didn’t want to hold down our table at Oshima too long, so we decided to walk over to the parking garage and watch the storm as it rolled in. Things didn’t look too bad at first, but then we noticed a green line on the horizon, racing toward us. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the wind kicked up something fierce. Tara and I looked at each other, in awe of the approaching storm. It looked otherworldly; we had never seen anything like it.
At this point, a little bit of fear started to creep in. That green sky was terrifying. I thought we might end up in Oz before the day was over.
Soon, the storm was directly overhead. Day quickly turned to night as rain came down in torrents. The wind was gusting to 80 mph and hail began falling. Fortunately, it was only marble-sized at best.
What a wild experience! We felt fairly safe in a covered parking structure, even though rain and hail were being blown inside.
About 45 minutes later it looked like the worst of the storm had passed—at least judging by the radar—so we decided to venture out. That turned out to be a mistake; the hail may have stopped, but the rain was coming down in sheets, and the wind was blowing so hard it shook the car. We watched nervously as trees were bent over sideways in the gale, branches and leaves flying everywhere. The interstate was a slow crawl and visibility was so poor, I could barely make out the highway signs even as I passed by them. A lot of cars and semis were pulled over to the side of the freeway. They were the smart ones.
We were perilously low on fuel at this point, so I stopped in Hartford, 11 miles east of Sioux Falls, to gas up. The storm was finally beginning to wind down, so we eased back onto the interstate. Had to skirt a couple of blown-over tractor trailers just west of Hartford. Think you’re having a bad day? This should give you a bit of perspective.
We learned later that the storm had been classified as a full-fledged derecho, and it made national news. Ironically, I had missed another derecho that tore through Sioux Falls in May by about 36 hours. Weather geek that I am, I secretly lamented missing out on the action. Tuesday was a perfect example of that old saying, be careful what you wish for.
Finally, the storm passed. The rain stopped, the wind died down, and the sun was once again shining brightly. The remainder of the drive home was uneventful. We didn’t pull into our driveway until 8:30 p.m., two hours later than expected, tired but in one piece.
What a way to end our vacation, though.
What is the wildest/worst/scariest weather you have ever experienced?
Mark My Words 
Whoa – that is a wild ride! I was super impressed that you made it to Sioux Falls in time and had such a prepared plan. Loved experiencing it vicariously through your pictures.
Kwik Trip – what a find. Although I suppose it’s not much of a find if it’s been voted best gas station chain. But what a great place to fuel up in all the senses of the word!
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We got pretty lucky with the timing, arriving in Sioux Falls an hour ahead of the storm. If it had arrived any sooner or any later, we likely would have been caught in it on the interstate. That would NOT have been fun!
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I am so unfamiliar with that type of weather, I’m afraid I’d be the idiot who takes inadequate cover with no idea what I was in for. I’m glad you two made it safely home. The craziest weather I ever experienced was monsoon season in San Miguel de Allende… deafening loud (and close) thunder and streets turned into rivers.
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I wasn’t all that familiar with this type of weather either, until we moved out here four years ago. I will say this: you learn (and adapt) quickly!
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You guys were extremely lucky, but I bet it was awesome to see that coming toward you in a nerdy sort of way. I’ll stick with the random and fairly tame PNW thunderstorms thank you.
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Words cannot describe how incredible it was! I say that now, days later, knowing we came through the whole experience unscathed. I’ve seen lots of green-sky pics on social media and in the news, and it’s cool to tell people, “Yep. I was there. And the sky really was that color!”
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That is some serious green footage!
I am envious of all the cool sodas and cheese and even sushi you got, though.
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Wisconsin really delivered in the food and beverage department!
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Wow. Just, wow. That pic where the sky is half green, half blue. Wild! Glad you made it home okay and that parking garage was a godsend. I feel so bad for those tractor trailers.
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I feel bad for the guys who were driving the tractor trailers. No idea how they fared, though there weren’t any ambulances on the scene so that’s probably a good sign.
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And how on earth do you get them upright again? I’m sure this must happen, so they must have a plan, but… yikes. Probably had to get out on the passenger side and then climb down the underside of the truck. Eesh.
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They must have some heavy-duty tow truck/cable system for getting those things turned right side up again. I’ve seen a lot over the years I’ve lived out here; it’s more common than you might think!
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Wow. Tough job.
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I want to taste the butter from the Kwik place. 😀
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We didn’t try the butter but did buy some cheese and milk. It lives up to the hype.
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Decades ago we drove through a storm north of Lansing MI. Had to pull over because I couldn’t see. Lighting was a strobe light. Thunder was opera. Parked under an overpass. Was totally awed by the whole thing.
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You always see people parked under the overpasses whenever big storms roll through. I’ve done it myself.
I like your strobe light and opera analogies.
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Holy crap! I’ve ridden out numerous hurricanes barricaded in my house, but that picture of the green sky is positively freaky. I’m glad you’re a sensible person and rode the storm out in safety. My husband would have barreled right through it and it would have been our overturned car you took pictures of on the highway. (With my nails still imbedded in the dashboard. )
Glad you made it home in one piece and lived to tell the tale.
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My inner storm chaser longed to drive right into the heart of the storm…but I like my car too much to want to worry about buffing out hail damage after!
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First off, the color of the sky!! Secondly….we were driving in Texas and saw a tornado across the plain…crazy….wild rainstorm which lead to flash flooding in New Mexico (oddly…same trip, just days apart) and hurricane Sandy was pretty crazy
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The sky was unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it. I was really expecting a tornado at that point. Speaking of, I would love to see a tornado someday. From a safe distance and out of harm’s way, of course.
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That’s how we saw it. It was wild
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We had a freak thunderstorm blow through last December. I was on my way to pick up my grandson when everything… disappeared. The wind was blowing hard enough to rock my half-ton truck while tree limbs came down all around. It hailed so bad I was surprised none of the windows shattered. Visibility was zero. I couldn’t even tell if I was still on the road. It turned out that I wasn’t. I almost hit a road sign that suddenly appeared in front of me. I had to veer into a field to miss the sign and narrowly avoided getting stuck. Once I could see, I went back home and sat on the couch until I stopped shaking.
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That sounds pretty terrifying! I’m glad your windows didn’t break and you weren’t hurt. You hear about those things happening a lot around here.
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Great pictures of those storm clouds.
Jolly Good soda! It’s been a looooong time.
I feel kinda guilty for not loving Kwik Trip like I guess I’m supposed to as a native Sconie. I think it’s the blatant misspelling of Quick. Drives me crazy.
Glad you made it home safely. My worst storm experience was driving through weather much like you described, except it was in Nebraska (of course). Oh, sorry, that sentence makes it sound like it was a one-time experience. Alas, no. It’s happened several times there.
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If I can get past the Kwik/Quick abomination, you can, too! Come on! They’re awesome! 🙂
Nebraska does get their share of really bad weather. Then again…what part of the Midwest doesn’t?!
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That green sky is extremely freaky! I feel as though it’s miracle you found a parking deck with spots open mid-day. We went through a lot of ‘100 year floods’ at our old house (at least 5, but I lost count) where our street turned into a river three feet deep, but nothing compares to a childhood vacation where my dad drove through an Illinois storm and we could see a double funnel tornado in the distance.
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You’re the second person to mention seeing a tornado while driving! I can’t even imagine how exciting that would be. As long as it was FAR off in the distance.
It probably helped that we found the parking garage at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday.
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Wow. Those green and green/blue sky shots are incredible. The first one made me think “tornado weather” and figured that’s what you were going to describe, but a derecho sounds even more intense – at least time wise.
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I was CONVINCED we were about to experience a tornado, and ultimately thrilled/terrified at the prospect.
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Our convenience store cult following in Pennsylvania is for our Wawa’s. As for worst weather experience, January 1996. Blizzard conditions, 30″ of snow and ice over three days. If I recall correctly, the state of Pennsylvania was “closed” for at least 24 hours at one point because the roads could not be made safe. Power outages. Building collapses. That was a wild ride for sure.
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I’ve heard of Wawa’s but never been. Sounds like the name of a George Harrison song if you ask me!
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After seeing your pictures, I can see why the Wicked Witch of the West, and the storm from which she emerged, were green. Scary!
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I never made that connection before…but I think you might be onto something there!
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