A little lightning

eric · 07-27-2009, 10:17 AM

I went up to Lopez Island this weekend and despite weather reports Thursday of perfect weather I saw the biggest thunder and lightning storm I've seen in the NW. After being flushed out from our campground by a very close strike we ran to the bar where we had a great view of the storm from across the harbor.

I wish I had my tripod and polarizing filter but oh well...

An hour before we went out to the harbor to check the crab pots one more time:

From the bar's deck:

This was a huge strike but I barely caught the beginning of it before my shutter closed. It arced clear over the sky and it looked like daylight for a second.

Before the lightning really started we were up in our campsite (in the woods behind Islander Resort if you've ever been there) cooking a bunch of crab. We heard the thunder but it was about a mile and half away for a bit. Then there was a strike about 1/2 a mile from us and all but four of us ran into the bar while we stayed to finish cooking. We decided it was getting a little bit too nasty out (it was absolutely pouring besides lightning getting really close) and I told me friend I was making a run for it since my camera was getting soaked. As soon as I turned around lightning struck a tree 30 feet from us, never seen it that close, it literally sounded like a bomb. You could feel the heat flash and a big thump in your chest. Fragments from the tree exploded all over the place.

Here is the tree the next morning. You can see the long branch laying against the tree on the right and the huge piece to the left that got split off and jammed into the ground.

To give you an idea of where I was standing, I was right next to the logs laying on the ground to the left. The little 2-3 ft long branch to the right of the logs was a piece that flew off the tree.

Here's the huge piece that broke off. It stuck about 3 ft into the ground.

This big chunk was found on the other side of one of our tents.

And the blowup doll got stabbed in the jugular the night before.

ciao998 · 07-29-2009, 12:01 AM

Nice pictures, scary story, made weird........

I love the second pic, the lightning looks like a stick man terrorizing the lands..........

DocWatson · 07-29-2009, 12:10 AM

Crazy. Holding the blowup doll might have been the safest thing to to.

Nice pics.

The #1 Dad · 07-29-2009, 07:44 PM

lucky. i want to shoot lightning so bad. haven't gotten a chance yet :-(

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07-27-2009, 10:17 AM	#1
eric Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Seattle Posts: 596	A little lightning I went up to Lopez Island this weekend and despite weather reports Thursday of perfect weather I saw the biggest thunder and lightning storm I've seen in the NW. After being flushed out from our campground by a very close strike we ran to the bar where we had a great view of the storm from across the harbor. I wish I had my tripod and polarizing filter but oh well... An hour before we went out to the harbor to check the crab pots one more time: From the bar's deck: This was a huge strike but I barely caught the beginning of it before my shutter closed. It arced clear over the sky and it looked like daylight for a second. Before the lightning really started we were up in our campsite (in the woods behind Islander Resort if you've ever been there) cooking a bunch of crab. We heard the thunder but it was about a mile and half away for a bit. Then there was a strike about 1/2 a mile from us and all but four of us ran into the bar while we stayed to finish cooking. We decided it was getting a little bit too nasty out (it was absolutely pouring besides lightning getting really close) and I told me friend I was making a run for it since my camera was getting soaked. As soon as I turned around lightning struck a tree 30 feet from us, never seen it that close, it literally sounded like a bomb. You could feel the heat flash and a big thump in your chest. Fragments from the tree exploded all over the place. Here is the tree the next morning. You can see the long branch laying against the tree on the right and the huge piece to the left that got split off and jammed into the ground. To give you an idea of where I was standing, I was right next to the logs laying on the ground to the left. The little 2-3 ft long branch to the right of the logs was a piece that flew off the tree. Here's the huge piece that broke off. It stuck about 3 ft into the ground. This big chunk was found on the other side of one of our tents. And the blowup doll got stabbed in the jugular the night before.

07-29-2009, 12:01 AM	#2
ciao998 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kennewick, WA Posts: 331 My Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XTi	Nice pictures, scary story, made weird........ I love the second pic, the lightning looks like a stick man terrorizing the lands..........

07-29-2009, 12:10 AM	#3
DocWatson Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: W. Washington Posts: 8 My Camera: Lumix DMC-FZ20	Crazy. Holding the blowup doll might have been the safest thing to to. Nice pics.

07-29-2009, 07:44 PM	#4
The #1 Dad Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Oly Posts: 298	lucky. i want to shoot lightning so bad. haven't gotten a chance yet :-(