Tornado

I met susan wells at an art museum in Washington D.C. An aspiring artist living in Couer D’ Alene Idaho. She gave me her number and invited me to visit. Just call before you come she said.I told her I would call when I left DC.

I took a few weeks off from work and packed my backpack. I hit the road the next day. A hitchhike from DC to Idaho Falls was pretty straight forward. Up I 70 to Breezewood Pa. Then the turnpike I-80/90 west almost all the way. I luckily got a ride all the way to Livingston Montana.. I stopped for the night at a small family motel near the Highway.

I rose early and headed west on highway 14.My first ride took me to Big Timber where I stopped for lunch. Then an old rancher named Frank took me all the wat to Couer D’ Alene Idaho Idaho. Nearly there. One phone call and Susan picked me up twenty minutes later.

We spent two weeks going from museum to museum. It was a nice time . But it was time to leave. Many goodbyes and a ride all the way back to Bug Timber. Back on the road. I took aride all the way halfway through Iowa wth an invite to spend the night. Took the invite, but it was off the beaten path, some forty miles from I-90. But up early with a ride to about 7 miles from the highway.

I started walking at 7:30 am. Five miles would take me 4 hours or so on account of my heavy backpack. After casually strolling along for two hours I could make out the line that was I-90. My spirits lighter I kept walking. and the highway cane closer, the I felt a strange wind behind me. I turned around and saw a dark line of clouds. I kept walking for 20 more minutes and looked back again. Now the line of ugly black and deep green clouds was creeping up the sky towards me. I looked ahead and it was still 1 1/2 miles away. I started walking faster. I cut the distance in half before I looked back again. Now that ugly line of clouds was still gaining on me, but now lightning bolts were were shooting out of it. I started to run towards I-90 looking back over my shoulder as I ran. The wind was howling now and a light rain started to fall. Still I ran on and the viaduct bridge was within reach. I looked back once more and I saw it. The funnel cloud coming right down the road.

I made it to the bridge, crawled under it, and pulled my backpack over me. Then every thing went silent. 20-25 cars pulled up under the bridge too. I guess they saw me crawl under and joined me. Then it came, sounded like a freight train as it roared across the bridge. Nothing moved for 2 minutes and then it was gone. I came out and saw thet a huge chunk of bridge was gone, the metal rail on one side was gone,two cars were crushed under the rubble,and everyone was out of their cars. I checked the two crushed cars and everyone was okay.

Then someone said he was going to Pittsburg and asked if I wanted a ride Sure I said and off we went. He dropped me at the Greyhound station in Pittsburg where I caught a bus to DC