Lightning Storm in Space
April showers, indeed-- but some good can come from it. (other than, you know, flowers and all) One of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life is a lightning storm from above the clouds. Flying through Texas at night in the spring/summer there are often storms. The clouds are thick and heavy and dark, but when the lightning flashes, they light up in the most amazing ways-- illuminating the entire cloud. The best way to view these, which you probably will never get the chance to do, is from the flight deck. The pilots get the best view-- hands down.
From there you can see several storm systems at once, stretched all across the sky, each storm cell lighting up its section, the color and brightness varies with each one, depending on the cloud, the composition, the density, how much water is left in it, etc. You rarely see the lightning bolts, just the clouds lighting up. From above, it's one of the coolest sights, especially at night when the lights and colors and clouds are more vivid and visible. The thunderstorms are annoying as hell from an operational standpoint-- making us weave around them and messing up arrivals, but it's worth it for the view from the top.
It's been rainy and gross all day here in San Antonio, which kinda sucks. Our hotel is right on the Riverwalk, which is totally cool. Because of the rain though, I didn't want to venture out too far. The other flight attendant and I wandered a bit and got some rather yummy enchiladas from a little Mexican cafe (Blanco Cafe)we stumbled upon. We got only mildly drenched in the process. Usually, I like to go all the way down the Riverwalk, enjoy the scenery, eat at one of the cool restaurants down there (some are eye-rollingly overpriced, but some are reasonable) and enjoy the atmosphere, but I don't like to wander too far when it's raining, because it's no fun having to walk back in a torrential downpour or having to take cover if it starts lightning and having to pack soaking wet clothes into your suitcase.
Ah, crazy, stormy Texas.
From there you can see several storm systems at once, stretched all across the sky, each storm cell lighting up its section, the color and brightness varies with each one, depending on the cloud, the composition, the density, how much water is left in it, etc. You rarely see the lightning bolts, just the clouds lighting up. From above, it's one of the coolest sights, especially at night when the lights and colors and clouds are more vivid and visible. The thunderstorms are annoying as hell from an operational standpoint-- making us weave around them and messing up arrivals, but it's worth it for the view from the top.
It's been rainy and gross all day here in San Antonio, which kinda sucks. Our hotel is right on the Riverwalk, which is totally cool. Because of the rain though, I didn't want to venture out too far. The other flight attendant and I wandered a bit and got some rather yummy enchiladas from a little Mexican cafe (Blanco Cafe)we stumbled upon. We got only mildly drenched in the process. Usually, I like to go all the way down the Riverwalk, enjoy the scenery, eat at one of the cool restaurants down there (some are eye-rollingly overpriced, but some are reasonable) and enjoy the atmosphere, but I don't like to wander too far when it's raining, because it's no fun having to walk back in a torrential downpour or having to take cover if it starts lightning and having to pack soaking wet clothes into your suitcase.
Ah, crazy, stormy Texas.