Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Ed's place and campfire event was hit by a tornado.

Guess this thread ran out of steam on Tuesday, but thought I'd add to it as I finally got home this morning from this event...

We certainly had a good time, all things considering, and despite the Fun Floor Show Friday night...I am proud as punch to meet a bunch more Campfire Members.. not a bad one in the bunch and certainly a bunch of real keepers... some folks I sure hope are new found friends...

But since this is about the Wrath of Mother Nature on Friday night, thought I'd throw in my 2 cents...

Whoever said " its going to be on top of us in a minute or two", made the understatement of the year....

When it hit, I thought someone had playfully shoved me out from underneath Ed's Covered Outside "porch"... I didn't feel the "push", but I was moved about 50 feet or more instantly...I started running to keep up with the momentum and to keep from doing a face plant in the grass....

I turned to see who was standing there and laughing about pushing me... instead I turned my head and had canopy and canopy frame raining down on me, and food and everything that had been on the table flying all around me, like it was in a slow motion explosion.....

It was then I knew we were in danger ( make this a total of about 3 to 5 second since the wind first hit)... I stood behind a post to the sun porch to just try and block a blow from flying debris....

The initial burst of wind had slowed from 100 MPH plus to maybe 75 or so, enough you could at least move in a direction...

at that point my Military Training as a Medic immediately kicked in, and I start making sure people were okay and was busy looking to see if anyone needed immediate medical attention...

I didn't see any of that... I remember seeing people moving in every direction quickly, but it was happening quick enough it wasn't being recorded in your mind...

In the lightning flashes I looked over toward where my Honda Pilot was parked and I had set up some of my gear....I saw both my stuff and Miles Patton set up had been totally wadded up and destroyed...

Tree were breaking all over the place, so my next thought was to get my vehicle moved before a tree fell on it...I remember running toward Ed's Front Gate there, and seeing someone just standing there, almost frozen... I rushed and stopped by them to see if they were okay instead of in shock..

I remember the hair going up on the back of my neck, and you get that feeling of danger...I took that person by the shoulders and moved them to their left and I took a step to the left in doing so...

Then there was another big "crash" sound, and I got clipped by a large piece of wood coming down....not hit, but clipped is the best way to describe it....

laying next to me was a large tree trunk, and the upper end had smashed against the roof of Ed's house and knocked a batch of that to pieces...it the dark, it blocked my access to the front gate, so I took off to the gate besides his back barn... I remember stopped in and making Sure Pablo's Wife and kids were okay... his wife was shaken up, and the kids were really scared, but I let them know it was going to be alright and to just stay in there until it quit raining and the wind blowing...

I made it thru that gate and got to my vehicle. the top of the tree I was concerned about had been knocked down, but in the opposite direction of my truck. I remember seeing Randy's family's two tents, that seemed to be alright.

I jumped in my Pilot and started it and pulled it out into the driveway to Ed's place, got the end of his drive, and then turned it around... I parked it in the middle of there, where I was sure it was away from a tree or phone pole falling on it...

I left it running and the headlights on, pointing at the house so that we had some sort of lights to see what was happening, as it unfolded...

people were coming out from cover as the intensity was starting to slow down some, so others were busy checking on significant others, and making sure no one was hurt... I rejoined the fray...


we had dinner in Ed's house, with lamps etc.. everyone at least got 'enough to eat' considering... the jokes already started coming out...

the next morning was dominated cleaning up Ed's Property with everyone pitching in... there was talk of just going home, but no one seemed to want to leave Ed and Barbara to deal with the damage on their own.... we were all just with a good set of folks that is for sure.


flash to when it was time and people were going home on Sunday afternoon.... the last two guys there were Miles and Me....we all were hanging loose to see if Ed and Barbara needed any thing else...in their graciousness they declined... they had insurance people to contact on Monday, who would take care of what needed taken care of...

As I was leaving as the last one there, since I had the furthest to go, I wasn't in a rush to get home, having a 3 day drive home...

I was thanking Ed for his hospitality and was saying I was glad that no one got hurt.... Ed told me He was glad I hadn't been hurt... AT first I didn't quite understand the personal attention, until Ed pointed out, when that tree fell, if I had been one step to my right, that tree would have fell on me...
and that they wouldn't have been calling an ambulance, they would have been calling the coroner, to pronounce me DEAD....

it was then and only then, that it dawned on me that I HAD missed being killed by about a foot...

Ed pointed out that it was not branches falling, it was the entire tree trunk, that was knocked out of that tree that fell right next to me and took out his porch roof...

I drove home sort of in a solemn mood...all the way to Oregon.

Thoughts abound....

It never dawns on you on how quick death can come or how close it sometimes "just barely misses us"....There truly was a guardian angel watching over me... no other explanation for it..

goes to show how when you get in a certain mode, that you focus on things and are oblivious to some of the dangers around you in situations like that.... certainly my military training kicked in immediately, and you function more like a robot than a human being, in a panic etc...

and I have no idea who it was that I moved out of the way... it was adult and a female, that's all I remember... I was behind her....

I certainly saved her life... because that tree would have killed her... but my mind is trained to think like that in those situations, so I don't give it much of a big deal or credence...

but whoever it was that I pushed out of the way, by taking a step to the left, as if something was directing to move in that direction, whoever I saved, they in turn indirectly saved MY Life...

if both of us had never moved, that tree would have claimed two people....and it wasn't a small tree at all....

and the top of it didn't topple off there, it was blown out like the hand of God had slapped it...

don't know if we had any other close calls, but I for one and glad I made it thru that storm and am still here....

I thank both God and whoever my guardian angel was....

I am really glad you were not hurt my friend!

Seafire,

Thanks for sharing your story and experience! Holy Cow!! Once again, I'm so very glad everyone came out of the episode unharmed.

Glad you were there, along with all the other Campfire stalwarts! Probably just as well that I missed this one.

As my friends in the dakotas and minisoda would say...UFFDAH!!!

Sure am grateful that no one was hurt.

I wasn't surprised in hearing how the event unfolded and folks helped out, having met many of these members of the 'fire it was what was expected.

Good folks indeed.

Me and Ol Miles grew up being told;" Hide will grow back, but clothes cost money", so I reckon our instincts kicked in an we just held on to that big old high dollar tarp while trees was blown down all around us.

We saved that sucker, too. It was quite a learning experience, also.

I discovered that it CAN rain straight up.

That's some bad stuff!!!! Still happy y'all made it out with no one hurt!

I was pretty amazed, and very thankful that no was hurt, given the sudden high winds and flying debris.

I didn't think about it until a couple days after the fact, but in May 1970 our hometown got hit hard by a twister. My brother was renting an old house with a couple of other college students, on the other side of town, near the university. He returned home after dinner to find the place flattened. They got with my Dad, who requisitioned a truck, and they collected belongings as best they were able that night. We were miles away, and only suffered minor inconveniences. As a ten year old, it was spooky seeing the damage around town. 26 died in the storm, though no one we knew suffered any tragedy.

When I was in college there was a rock group named Texas Weather. I always thought that was a good name for a rock group...

I probably would not have held on to the tarp, but my friend Gene is from the dry part of Texas, and there is no telling what a lot of water at once, would do to him. It could be like a raisin or something, soaking up a lot of water, and could be dangerous. miles

Should we be calling you two the Mary Poppins Twins?

Seafire this may seem strange but the lady you saved may not have been even an get together attendee but may well be the guardian angel who was sent to save your life.

I know that may sound strange to you but one night years ago I had an experience near Twin Falls, ID very similar while driving a semi. When the event was over and I got stopped there was someone was sitting in the good buddy seat to the right of me. I know I saw him and I was driving solo and had not picked anyone up before the event happened.

Chauk it up the Good Lord has other plans for you it wasn't your time to go.

I hate that I missed Ed's gathering, but I am glad that I missed the big blow out.rio7

Blue, you were missed, but that wind was scary for a few minutes.

Hey Blue, Remember Gene indicating he might 'get behind Miles'...
well, that's what happened, when the wind started blowing!

Blue.... Peggy told me to be sure and say hello to you on her behalf.

She didn't mention anybody else.

Tell her I'll need to fill out an accident report since she hurt my feelers.

Gene, ain't no dummy, you couldn't find a better guy than Miles, to stand behind when the sch!!t hits the fan. Ms Peggy, is a sweetheart, give her a big hug for me. David, eat your heart out--he-he-he. rio7

I was watching the weather closing in on Gilmer when my computer died(not weather related) and just got it back up. Glad no one was hurt.

When I pulled my phone out and looked at the RADAR map I knew were were going to get slammed but I didn't know how soon and how bad

Certainly the most crazy storm I have ever been in. I wondered who had pulled out and turned on their lights, now I know- the rest of the story!