I went to see Yungblud.

And yes, I realize that sentence might sound a little strange coming from a 63-year-old guy who grew up on Fleetwood Mac, Boston, Kansas, KISS, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Thin Lizzy, and all the great rock music of the 1970s. But that’s exactly why this whole thing caught me off guard.

Until late 2025, I had no idea who Yungblud was.

None.

I had never heard the name. I had never seen him perform. I had no idea what the Yungblud world was all about.

Then one night I was watching the Video Music Awards while working on the computer, which is something I do a lot. I usually have something on the TV in the background just for noise. They were getting ready to do a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, and I happened to look up.

There was this guy in the audience with a microphone. Jet black hair. Rock star attitude. A look that made me think he should be in one of those vampire movie series where everyone is young, pale, and dramatic.

My first thought was, “Who is this dude?”

Then he walked toward the camera, started singing, climbed onstage, and within about 30 seconds I was hooked.

This guy had it.

He had that old-school, 1970s rock star energy. The swagger. The attitude. The stage presence. And on top of that, he could actually sing.

That was my introduction to Yungblud.

Discovering a New Kind of Old-School Rock Star

After that performance, I started looking him up. I watched more videos, including his performance of “Changes” during an earlier Ozzy tribute. That one had a different feel. He was dressed in black, more serious, and really connected with the crowd.

By then, I was paying attention.

I wouldn’t say I was ever a huge Ozzy or Black Sabbath fan, but I respected the music. What caught me was the way Yungblud performed those songs. He made them feel alive in a way that hit me differently.

Of course, once you search for someone a couple of times, social media decides that’s your new life. Suddenly I was seeing Yungblud videos everywhere — TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, live concert clips, fan videos, stage dives, crowd surfing, screaming audiences, and people singing every word.

Then something interesting happened.

A Facebook post popped up from a guy I remembered as a popular weather personality in Oklahoma City. Around here, weather guys are almost rock stars themselves. He had gone to a Yungblud concert and posted about how it was one of the best concerts he had ever attended.

And he was about my age.

That got my attention.

I messaged him, mentioned that I remembered him from his weather days, and we talked a little about the concert. He said it was high-energy, incredible, and by far one of the coolest shows he had ever seen.

That’s when I started thinking, “Maybe I need to go see this guy.”

What Yungblud Reminds Me Of

If you’ve never seen Yungblud, here’s my best description.

Take some 1968 Elvis in the black leather — the jet black hair, the swagger, the attitude.

Mix in some Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler, especially the dancing, the stage movement, and the way they command an audience.

Add a little Steve Walsh from Kansas back in the 70s, running around the stage in shorts with no shirt on, jumping in the air, pounding on the piano, bringing that wild rock-and-roll energy.

Then throw in the crowd connection and emotional concert vibe of a Garth Brooks show.

Mix all of that together, and that’s what I saw in Yungblud.

He doesn’t feel like someone pretending to be a rock star. He feels like someone who wandered out of another era, got dropped into the 2020s, and brought a lot of that old concert magic with him.

I’ve liked newer artists before. Teddy Swims impressed me. Greta Van Fleet had a great vibe. But neither one made me think, “I need to buy tickets and go see this person live.”

Yungblud did.

Getting the Tickets

Once I found out he was coming back to the United States to promote his Idols album, I started checking dates.

The two closest shows were Irving, Texas and Austin. Irving made the most sense because my buddy Stayton lives in Grapevine, which is basically right there.

The concert was scheduled for May 28. I signed up for the Yungblud fan email list so I could get early access to tickets before they went on sale to the general public.

When ticket day arrived, I had my computer and phone ready. It was one of those ticket-buying situations where you’re watching the queue, seeing how many people are ahead of you, and knowing you’re going to have to move fast.

The tickets reportedly sold out in about a minute, and I believe it. They went fast.

I grabbed two tickets inside the venue. Then the next day, I decided to try for two more. I figured if no one else wanted to go, I could always sell them. But if I was going to make a weekend out of it, it might be fun to have a group.

I ended up finding two more tickets in the same section and on the same row as the first two — just ten seats apart.

So now I had four tickets.

I asked Denise if she wanted to go. She said yes.

Then I called Stayton and asked if he and Michelle wanted to go. They didn’t really know who Yungblud was, so I gave them the warning: he cusses a lot, says the F-word a lot, and likes to call the audience a certain colorful name.

They were fine with it.

So the four of us were going to Yungblud.

Why This Mattered to Me

Part of the reason I wanted to go is because I keep talking on the podcast about staying young, staying active, doing things, and not letting life shrink down as you get older.

I’m 63 years old. I don’t want to sit around acting like all my best adventures are behind me.

And here was this artist who seemed to have fans from age 8 to 80. Young fans, older fans, parents, grandparents, rock fans, punk fans, alternative fans — all mixed together.

For older fans like me, I think part of the appeal is that we recognize something in him. We feel that old rock concert energy. The kind we grew up around. The kind that made music feel larger than life.

I didn’t just want to hear the songs. I wanted to be in that crowd. I wanted to feel that energy. I wanted to see what it was like when everyone had their arms in the air and were singing every word.

I wanted to know if that feeling still existed.

The Trip to Grapevine

Denise took off work that Thursday, and we drove down to Grapevine. We got changed, got ready, and headed to the concert area.

The venue was in a nice area with restaurants, shops, and open space around it. We ate at Bar Louie, had a couple of drinks, grabbed some food, and then walked over to the venue.

By the time we got through the line, metal detectors, and everything else, we had about 10 or 15 minutes before the first act started.

Our seats were split — two on one end of the row and two farther down. Luckily, Stayton asked the people next to our other seats if they would switch. They were happy to move closer to the aisle, so we ended up with four seats together.

That was a win.

The Opening Acts

The first performer was Emily Wolfe from Austin.

She came out with a double-neck electric guitar and played a great rock set. She was a fantastic guitarist, had strong songs, and was a great surprise. Her set started around 7:15, even though the original start time I had seen was 8:00.

After about 30 minutes from Emily Wolfe, they changed the stage over for The Warning.

The Warning is a three-sister rock band from Mexico, and they were fantastic. High energy, strong songs, and a great live sound. One of their songs, “Kerosene,” has a video with a cool early 70s Camaro in it, which of course caught my attention.

They played for about 45 minutes, and by the time they were done, the crowd was ready.

Then came another stage change.

The lights went down. Rock songs were playing over the speakers. I noticed some Van Halen. Then they cranked up an Ozzy song, and everyone knew what was about to happen.

Yungblud was coming.

When Yungblud Hit the Stage

One thing I had learned from watching videos is that Yungblud often does something before he comes onstage. Sometimes there’s a camera following him backstage. Sometimes he’s with someone famous. Sometimes there’s some kind of pre-show moment shown on the big screen.

In Dallas, he rode up to the venue on a horse.

Yes. A horse.

We watched him on the big screen get off the horse and walk into the venue. His band got onstage, and then suddenly he came running from behind the stage, past the drums, and exploded out in front of the crowd.

And it was on.

The place went crazy.

Within the first minute or so, confetti blasted everywhere, covering the standing-room crowd near the stage. From there, it was just song after song, high energy, crowd interaction, banter, shouting, singing, and that wild rock-and-roll feeling I had been hoping for.

Everyone stood up. And I mean everyone.

I stood for the entire show. Most of the crowd did too.

There was a large standing area in front of the stage, then lower seating, then upper seating where we were, and behind us a lawn area outside the big open doors of the venue. The concert was sold out, and you could feel it.

The Best Moments

One of the big highlights was “Fleabag.”

That’s the song where Yungblud usually brings someone from the audience onstage to play guitar. For the Dallas show, he brought up a young kid, probably around 13 or 14.

The kid started the song and played guitar through the whole thing. Yungblud put him on his shoulders and held him up, which was a really cool moment.

Then Yungblud went out into the audience, where the crowd held him up while he sang. He was basically standing on people’s hands and shoulders.

That’s the kind of stuff you don’t see at every concert.

He was throwing water, running around, firing up the crowd, and giving everything he had. It was nonstop.

There was one point, maybe three-quarters of the way through, where I think he felt the crowd getting tired. He pushed them hard, basically challenging Dallas to keep up. And to be fair, he was wearing people out. The show had a lot of energy, and he expected the audience to give that energy right back.

They did.

The encore ended with “Zombie,” and the crowd went nuts. More confetti came down, and everyone sang along.

How Good Was It?

His performance was a 10 out of 10.

No question.

The crowd, the songs, the energy, the whole concert vibe — also 10 out of 10.

But the overall experience for me was probably a 9.5 out of 10.

The only thing missing had nothing to do with Yungblud. It was probably just me being 63 instead of 23 or 33. I loved going with Denise, Stayton, and Michelle, but it was naturally a little more laid-back than if it had just been me, Stayton, and Todd down on the floor acting like idiots.

If I ever go again, I’d want to be closer to the stage. Maybe even down in the standing area.

Because that’s where the real action is.

This is not really a sit-down-and-politely-watch kind of concert. If you want that, go see James Taylor. And I say that with respect because I like James Taylor. But Yungblud is a stand-up, sing, shout, jump, throw-your-hands-in-the-air kind of concert.

That’s what I wanted.

And that’s what I got.

Where It Ranks

The best concert I’ve ever seen is still Garth Brooks in Tulsa in 2015.

That one is hard to beat.

I had interviewed Garth right before that concert, which made the whole thing more special. It was his first show after a long retirement, and the crowd was insane. The show went almost three hours. He just wouldn’t stop. Every time he tried to end it, the crowd went crazy again.

I don’t even own Garth Brooks albums or listen to country music much, but living in Oklahoma, you know the songs. And that concert was unbelievable.

Yungblud is number two.

As far as rock concerts go, Yungblud might be the best rock show I’ve ever seen.

I’ve seen Styx, REO Speedwagon, Kansas, ZZ Top, The Beach Boys, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, and others in recent years. Most of those were great shows. But they are different now. A lot of those bands only have one or two original members. Some of the performers sit during parts of the show. Some shows are the kind where you sit for a few songs, stand for a hit, sit back down, and enjoy the nostalgia.

Yungblud was not that.

Yungblud was alive.

What Kind of Music Is It?

People put him in different categories. Some call him rock. Some say punk. Some say metal.

To me, he is alternative rock.

He has rock in him. He has punk in him. He has a little metal in him. Some songs almost lean pop. But overall, I’d put him at the top of the alternative rock world right now.

And I think his popularity is only going to grow.

If you get a chance to see him, I highly recommend it. Just know what you’re walking into. If you’re offended by vulgarity or the F-word, this probably isn’t your scene.

But if you like real rock-and-roll energy, crowd involvement, and the feeling that something unpredictable might happen at any moment, go see him.

And listen to the Idols album before you go. That way you’ll know the songs everyone around you is singing.

The Rest of the Weekend

The concert was Thursday night, but the whole weekend turned into a great adventure.

On Friday, we hung out in Grapevine, did some shopping, ate out, and just enjoyed the day. That’s part of what I keep talking about — staying active, getting out, doing things, saying yes to small adventures.

Saturday, we headed to Granbury because Stayton’s boat was ready. It was hot — around 96 degrees — and felt like a full-blown July summer day.

We took the boat out on the lake, which was fantastic. I love being on the water. We ate at Stumpy’s on Lake Granbury, one of our favorite places, then went back to their house and sat on the dock watching the sunset.

That night we watched Remarkably Bright Creatures with Sally Field. I had already seen it, but they hadn’t. It’s a fantastic movie and worth checking out.

Reconnecting With an Old Friend

The weekend wrapped up with something really special.

I had been in touch with an old friend from junior high named Mike Stearman. He had moved to Enid in the 70s, and we hung out with him in junior high and early high school. Then his family moved to Tulsa, and over time we lost touch.

I found him again years later and invited him to our wedding in 1998, which was really cool. Then we lost touch again. Later, I found him on LinkedIn and started messaging him every year on his birthday because, for some reason, I always remembered it was December 10. Mine is December 20, so maybe that’s why it stuck.

When I knew I was heading to Dallas for the Yungblud concert, I messaged him and said we needed to meet up.

So on Sunday morning, Stayton and I met him at 9:00.

We talked for three hours.

No wives, no distractions, just three guys remembering all the dumb, funny, crazy stuff we did as kids in the 70s. We easily could have talked for another three hours, but we needed to meet the wives for lunch and get back on the road to Enid.

That was one of the best parts of the whole weekend.

The Big Takeaway

So that was my Yungblud weekend.

A road trip to Grapevine. A sold-out rock concert. A weekend with good friends. A boat ride on Lake Granbury. Dinner at Stumpy’s. A sunset on the dock. A movie night. And a three-hour reunion with an old buddy from the 70s.

That’s a pretty great weekend.

And honestly, that’s the point.

Don’t sit at home and let life get small.

Go to the concert.

Take the road trip.

Meet the old friend.

Get on the boat.

Walk around the town.

Try the new thing.

You don’t have to act 23. But you also don’t have to act old just because the calendar says you’re older.

At 63, I went to a Yungblud concert and stood the whole time.

And I’d probably do it again.

CONCERT VIDEO

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The post My Big Yungblud Weekend Adventure appeared first on Curtis Tucker.

Hey Buzzheads, Shaggheads, and Zoinkers — Curtis Tucker, a.k.a. Shaggs, here from Shaggy Duck Studio with another episode of The Curtis Tucker Podcast.

This one is a little different.

If you’re watching on YouTube, this may be an episode worth seeing instead of just hearing, because I’ll be mixing in some of the tornado footage I captured during one of the wildest Thursdays I can remember.

I’m almost 63 and a half years old, and this past week may rank as one of the craziest of my life. But today, I’m focusing on one part of it:

My Thursday tornado adventure.

That title sounds casual on purpose. In Oklahoma, tornado watches, warnings, hail, and wall-to-wall weather coverage are part of spring. You never get careless about tornadoes, but after you’ve lived here long enough — and especially after you’ve storm spotted a few — you learn to stay calm, watch closely, and respect what’s happening.

Still, this one was different.

It formed near my hometown. It was clear, slow, powerful, and close.

A Normal Thursday Turns Fast

The day started like a typical Oklahoma spring setup: warm air, moisture, a dry line, and the possibility of hail, severe storms, and tornadoes.

Most of the day felt normal. I wasn’t glued to the weather. Later that evening, after taking Mr. Saucy Pants for a haircut and picking up dog food, I headed out to the studio to work on the podcast.

I turned on the TV and landed on David Payne’s weather coverage. A storm north of Enid, near Bremen, was showing signs of rotation. Bremen caught my attention because Todd and I had been there before to interview Gene Simmons and later Paul Stanley.

For a while, it looked like a tornado might cross I-35 near Bremen. The highway was even shut down north and south of town. Then, just before it got there, the tornado lifted and disappeared.

I thought about jumping in the Jeep, but by then it was too late.

Then I noticed clouds building south of Enid.

I checked WeatherBug, and there was a tiny little blip on radar. Nothing huge yet, but the ingredients were there. So I grabbed my phone, grabbed Mr. Saucy Pants, and headed south to a spot I use for storm photos — a flat oil road in the middle of a wheat field southwest of Enid.

My plan was simple: get some cool storm cloud pictures.

That plan lasted about thirty seconds.

By the time I parked, the storm was already on top of us. It started raining, then hailing. Inside a hardtop Jeep, hail is loud, and Mr. Saucy Pants was not impressed. He climbed into my lap, trembling, ready for the adventure to be over.

The rain was too heavy to see anything, so I headed home.

The Tornado Warning

When I got back, Denise and Piper were home, and the weather was on TV. Then all our phones went off at once. It was a tornado warning.

In Oklahoma, a watch means conditions are favorable. A warning means something may be forming or already on the ground.

Right after the alerts hit, David Payne said he thought he saw a hook south of Enid.

I looked at Denise and said, “I’m going to be so mad if there’s a tornado and I’m sitting here at home.”

So I left.

Because it happened so fast, I didn’t grab my good cameras, tripod, or extra gear. Just my phone.

I headed south on Cleveland toward Vance Air Force Base. The rain had stopped, but a few big pieces of hail were still clunking off the Jeep. The sky was dark, but visibility was good.

When I turned onto the dirt road along the north fence line of the runway, I saw it. A wall cloud!

And not a messy one. This looked like a spaceship dropping out of the storm. Smooth, dramatic, obvious. I knew immediately that was where the hook was.

It was right in front of me.

Watching It Form

I started filming out the window as the wall cloud lowered. I stopped on the dirt road with the runway, the storm, me, and Enid all lined up.

The cloud kept spinning. Little vortices started moving underneath it. I was about to say, “I think this is going to become a tornado,” when I saw dirt and debris spinning on the ground.

Just like that, it was on the ground.

At that moment, I had to choose: record high-quality footage for myself or go live on Enid Buzz and tell people what was happening.

I only had one phone.

So I went live.

That meant giving up the better video, the polished shots, and the classic “me with a tornado in the background” photo. But it also meant people in Enid could see where the tornado was and hear what it was doing in real time.

That’s the difference between storm chasing and storm spotting.

I wasn’t just trying to get cool footage. I was trying to help people know where the danger was.

The Tornado Moves Around Enid

The tornado became clearer as it picked up dirt and debris. It started as more of a tube or column, then later grew darker and more cone-shaped. The view was unbelievably clear — no heavy rain hiding it, no messy clouds blocking it.

It moved near the south side of Vance Air Force Base, then east. From my angle, it looked like it might be going through the base, but somehow it went around it.

Then it crossed Highway 81 and did its worst damage in the Grey Ridge area.

At one point, I had to move my Jeep out of the middle of the dirt road. When I got back to filming, the tornado looked darker and more intense. I think that was when it was hitting Grey Ridge and pulling in debris from homes, roofs, trees, and everything else in its path.

A guy I knew showed up with his family and offered to drive while I kept filming. That was a huge help. We followed the tornado down Southgate as it hit random buildings, a barn, homes, and the dump, sending debris everywhere.

Power lines were down. Poles were down. Signs were scattered. Emergency vehicles were moving in. Traffic was building fast.

The tornado eventually moved toward the east side of Enid near Brookside, then lifted before reaching Enid Woodring Regional Airport.

It missed Brookside. It missed the airport. It missed Vance. Considering how strong it was, Enid was incredibly lucky.

The Aftermath

The tornado damaged more than 40 homes and buildings, with Grey Ridge taking the hardest hit. Some homes were flattened. But somehow, there were no fatalities.

That is the miracle.

Later, the National Weather Service classified it as an EF-4. Trees were stripped of bark and leaves, and some homes were reduced to slabs. This was not just another weak Oklahoma spin-up. This was serious.

After the tornado lifted, my phone battery was almost dead. I headed back to the studio, charged it, and started trying to keep up with information coming in.

People wanted to know where to donate, where to volunteer, what was needed, and what was not. Reports were conflicting. Some people said take supplies to the Expo Center. Others said don’t. Some said nurses were needed. Others said they weren’t.

So at 12:30 that night, I drove to the Expo Center to find out for myself.

I talked to the Red Cross contact there, and she said they did not need nurses or volunteers at that moment. They had water, food, and clothing, and they asked people not to bring more items until they had a better system in place.

The next morning, I was back at it — posting updates, checking press releases, interviewing people at the Expo Center, and trying to keep Enid Buzz followers pointed toward the most accurate information.

Then the media requests started coming in. CNN, NewsNation, storm chasing crews — everybody wanted to use the footage.

It turned into 24 hours of nonstop tornado coverage.

Why This One Felt Different

When you storm spot in another town, your job is mostly technical. You report the location, direction, size, and whether it’s on the ground.

But when it’s your hometown, everything changes.

You know the roads. You know the neighborhoods. You know who might be in the path.

Watching that tornado move near Enid was eerie because I knew exactly what it could hit if it shifted just a little north.

My best friend Stayton and his wife were watching the live feed from Dallas, and she was yelling at the screen for me to go home to my family.

I get that.

But from where I was, I could see the tornado clearly. It was moving away from me. It wasn’t rain-wrapped. I knew where it was the whole time. In that moment, I felt safer watching it than driving back into town and losing track of it.

Had it turned toward town or disappeared into rain, I would have made a different call.

The Footage

Because I chose Facebook Live, I didn’t get the highest-quality video I could have captured directly on my phone. But I did get the live information out when it mattered.

I’ve downloaded the live videos and plan to edit them into one cleaner version, cutting out the parts where I’m moving the Jeep or getting situated. I’ll post that edited version on Enid Buzz so it stays available permanently, since Facebook Live videos eventually disappear.

I’ll also embed the footage on the Curtis Tucker blog page for this episode and include some of it in the YouTube version.

Just Another Oklahoma Spring Day — Almost

This tornado was strange. It formed quickly, moved slowly, shifted oddly, and missed several major targets by what felt like a miracle.

It missed Vance Air Force Base.

It missed Brookside.

It lifted before Woodring Airport.

But it still caused serious damage for the people it did hit.

That’s the reality of tornadoes. They can be fascinating from a distance and devastating up close. You can admire the power and still feel sick for the people who lost homes.

For me, this was probably the clearest, slowest, strongest tornado I’ve ever watched form from beginning to end. I’ve seen tornadoes before, but I don’t believe I had ever spotted an EF-4.

It was incredible, eerie, heartbreaking and it was very Oklahoma.

Have You Ever Seen One?

So that was my Thursday tornado adventure here in Enid.

Have you ever seen a tornado in person? Have you ever gone storm chasing or storm spotting? Would you want to see one, or would you rather stay far away?

And if you saw my tornado footage on CNN or NewsNation, let me know.

You can reach me at shags@shaggyduck.com or curtis@curtistucker.com.

Thanks for listening, thanks for watching, and if you’re in Oklahoma this spring — keep one eye on the sky.

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NEWSNATION INTERVIEW

PHOTOS
These are photos from the Gray Ridge neighborhood in Enid, Oklahoma.

The post My Thursday Tornado Adventure in Enid appeared first on Curtis Tucker.

Todd and I have created a great group of friends over the last eight years that listening regularly to our weekly 70’s Buzz Podcast. Many of these listeners call in, email and message on a weekly basis. They’ve become part of our show and some have become friends with each other and hung out.

We are always telling our listeners if they ever get to Enid, Oklahoma we’ll take them to dinner at Callahan’s, show them Enid and have them on an episode of the podcast.

One of our faithful podcast listeners took us up on the offer and made a trip to Enid to hang out for a week! Her name is Gretchen Waller and she had been calling in weekly for over a year.

Gretchen flew into Tulsa and we drove over to pick her up. She stayed in Todd’s guest house and we showed her some highlights of Enid and other hot spots in Oklahoma. She was also on the 70’s Buzz Podcast and the BuzzHead Radio Podcast.

Here is our week long adventure with Gretchen with video and photos. We did not document everything we did but this covers a major part of her stay. Enjoy!

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The post The Groovy Gretchen Adventure appeared first on Curtis Tucker.

The adventure started with a simple blog post about tickets being given away in a random lottery drawing through our Senators office. You can read more about the beginning of the journey and how it all came together here. My wife Denise volunteered to be my assistant on this trip and took off work to travel with me. Our entire time in Washington D.C. was squeezed into 48 hours from the time we landed on Thursday to the time we took off again on Saturday.

Thursday, January 19 started out from OKC at 3:30am in the morning. We flew to Chicago and then to Washington D.C. Reagan National Airport is in Washington D.C. and is very close to downtown and all areas of the government. Two alternative airports are much further away and located in surrounding Virginia and Maryland. We arrived without incident around 11:00am where we were welcomed by one time Enid resident Annette Burgart.

This story has 2 more parts: Day Two Inauguration – Day Two Parade.

The first stop we made immediately after departing the plane was straight to the Pentagon. From the outside it looks almost like a normal building because you can’t see all of the other sides. Picture taking is not allowed in the Pentagon so I did not get inside photos.

The Pentagon is almost a city within a city with over 25,000 employees. Once you enter the series of buildings and hallways you quickly get the feeling that you are in a huge airport. There are restaurants, a credit union, hair salon, DMV, complete athletic center and more.

We were given a very rare personal tour of the Pentagon and got to see many aspects that a guided tour might not get to encounter. We had lunch in the dining area which resembled a mall food court with Burger King, Subway, Popeye’s and others. Dennis Burgart gave us a history lesson on the building and took us to the Pentagon Memorial area.

Although I did not get any inside photos of the Pentagon I did snap a pic of the courtyard in the middle of the complex. This is the only place you can use your cell phone. You supposedly can get from any place in the Pentagon to another in 12 minutes by using the corridors and the courtyard.

The hallways of the Pentagon are a huge military museum in themselves. You could spend hours reading history, looking at photos and touching artifacts. If you ever get a chance for a tour be sure and take it especially if you are interested in history and the military.

We left the Pentagon and traveled by Metro to Union Station. Buses were lined up everywhere, not waiting to move people, but to block any vehicles from being able to drive into the inauguration areas. From there we made our way to Senator James Lankford’s office in the Hart Senate Building. Sen. Lankford was having a reception for Oklahoman’s dropping by to pick up tickets. I don’t know how many tickets were given out but around 3500 people put their name in the lottery. We were invited back the next day if we needed a place to warm up.

Our inauguration ticket packet included an official invitation, a program, White House photos of the President and Vice President, 2 tickets to the orange section and an Oklahoma flag pin. The card on the bottom was our commemorative inauguration Metro card that got us anywhere the Metro went all day for just $10.

We left the senate building and crossed the street to the U.S. Capitol. This was the sidewalk and park out front. A nice couple stopped and asked if we wanted them to take our picture. The Capitol building was so much larger and cooler than I had imagined. We were able to walk right up to the front of the building. The sun was about to set and the temps were actually fairly warm.

The U.S. Capitol faces the Supreme Court, shown here, and the Library of Congress. Everything is just a quick walk across the street from each other. There is a street in between each building. Here I am facing the U.S. Capitol, which is to the west of these buildings.

We ran into this vehicle across the street from the Supreme Court. Not sure what it was being used for other than advertising. A news reporter from another station was sitting in the passenger seat doing a story.

This is the back of the U.S. Capitol where the inauguration took place. It faces west and looks over the National Mall. The National Mall runs from the back of the U.S. Capitol all the way to the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument in the middle. These photos were taken the evening before the inauguration. We had full access to wander around up to a certain point. All of these areas were closed off for ticket holders only on inauguration day.

A closer shot of the back of the U.S. Capitol. The seats and our standing area were on the Capitol ground or West Lawn. Just behind me in this shot was the Capitol Reflecting Pool.

This is the Capitol Reflecting Pool just west of the Capitol Grounds. Beyond this is the National Mall which leads to the Washington Monument seen in the distance. Further west is the Lincoln Memorial. It is 1.9 miles between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial.

One of the best parts of the day was the fact that Pennsylvania Ave. was closed to traffic but not pedestrians. So we walked the exact route of the Inauguration Parade. On inauguration day this street was lined on both sides with police officers.

Along Pennsylvania Ave. we noticed a very large building with a tall clock tower. As we got closer we realized it was the Trump International Hotel. Very odd that he would be walking by his own hotel on inauguration day. This building was originally the U.S. Post Office. After sitting empty for years and being saved from demolition it was ultimately leased to Trump development which renovated the entire building.

In the middle of the National Mall sits the Washington Monument. We were told no other building in D.C. could be taller than the monument. Looking to the east you can see the Capitol, to the west you can see the Lincoln Memorial and to the north you can see the White House. From this location we could see and hear the Inauguration Concert featuring Lee Greenwood, Three Doors Down and Oklahoma’s Toby Keith. We did not make it to the Lincoln Memorial due to the concert barriers.

Looking north from the Washington Monument you can see the White House and South Lawn across the street. The streets around the White House had so many barriers we did not make it to the north side. After seeing this view we called it a day and headed to our host’s home for dinner and rest.

Continue on to day two of my Washington DC trip!

The post Part 1: Attending the 2017 Inauguration appeared first on Curtis Tucker.

Twisters is a $200 million blockbuster film that was released on July 19, 2024. Learn what it’s like to be an extra in huge film and what happens behind the scenes.

I filmed with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos and Glen Powell. We filmed a tornado destruction scene in Chickasha, Oklahoma, called Crystal Springs in the movie. It was a three block set and filming lasted an entire day.

UPDATE: I recorded this episode back in February. The movie has now been released and I was able to see it in OKC on Friday, July 19.

Although not anything big, I was able to spot myself in the movie! You can’t blink or you’ll miss me! Watch for the walk through by Daisy and Anthony in Crystal Springs.

In one shot from a distance you’ll see an ambulance crew and I’ll be on the very right of them in a yellow hard hat searching in the rubble.

I’ll have a movie review coming soon! #movieextra #twisters #extras #twistersmovie

There are photos below the podcast and video.

An aerial shot of my set in Chickasha. I am positioned to the right of that police car.

Here is my scene! I’m that guy over on the very right!

Look for this guy in the movie!

The post Being An Extra In The Twisters Movie appeared first on Curtis Tucker.

These signs can be called “Winks From The Universe” or “Synchronicities”. Synchronicity is a phenomenon in which people interpret two separate—and seemingly unrelated—experiences as being meaningfully intertwined, even though there is no evidence that one led to the other or that the two events are linked in any other causal way.

Over the years I feel like I’ve been doing certain things for a reason, I’ve just never known what those reasons were. Now I’m beginning to put my own interpretation to all of those events that have been happening around me.

I truly think I’ve been preparing myself for the past 61 years to play the game of Survivor. Read my 22 “signs” below and let me know what you think. They are in no particular order.

#1 – I have two “Life Words”. They are “Adventure” and “Community”. Adventure defines how I see each and every day and how I want to live my life. I’m sure to always have some type of an adventure waiting for me down the road. Community is something I enjoy building. I tend to bring groups of people together that are in one or another related. I’ve built an entire business around my hometown community by keeping them informed and tied to one another. I’m also the planner for my high school reunions and keep everyone connected no matter where they may be.

Both of these words line up perfectly with playing Survivor. The game is one big adventure and to win the game you need to create your own community.

#2 – My favorite movie quote is from the movie Dolittle. Polynesia the Macaw pops into Tommy’s room and asks him, “Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?” I’ve stopped the movie and rewound just so I could hear that quote over and over again. I’ve been waiting my whole life for someone to come to me and ask if I’m ready for the adventure of a lifetime.

Researching information on casting for Survivor I can’t count how many times I’ve run across that exact phrase. I am manifesting the day that I get a call that asks me to be on the cast of Survivor and live out my adventure of a lifetime. I very much want to play the game of Survivor.

#3 – I’ve been watching Survivor since 2000. I have seen every episode and it is the one show that makes my blood boil if an episode is interrupted for any reason at all. I’ve seen every plot twist, mistake, strategy and winning speech. I’m a huge fan of the game but not exactly a super fan. I have not memorized every winner and what season they were on. I take a more leisurely approach to my obsession with the game.

Watching Survivor over the years has given me insights into player strategy. I would not go into the game copying one person but would draw from a number of players. Part of my strategy would be to not annoy anyone and not feel like a threat to anyone. If you’re helpful and you win competitions you don’t have much to worry about in the first part of the show.

#4 – Survivor was one of two shows that my mom and I kept a close bond over. The first was the series MASH. We almost always watched it after the news in reruns for decades. After it finally left the air we bonded over Survivor. My mom would always remind me of when the season was about to start and she would buy me a buff for Christmas. She always thought I would make a good cast member.

My mom passed away at the age of 81 in 2020. She’s one of the reasons I decided it was time to apply for the show. She would have the biggest grin in the universe if she saw me playing her favorite reality show.

#5 – I’ve always tried to maintain a good fitness level and have done some form of exercise almost my entire life. It wasn’t until I really saw my mom and father-in-law in such bad shape in their 80s that I decided that wasn’t going to be me. I began running seven miles every morning and continue to do some type of strength training or stretching every day. One thought is that I want to be physically fit at the age my mom died and I’m on a longevity kick to be a healthy 102 year old.

Playing survivor into my 60s would be a breeze physically. Luckily I look younger than I am and would use that to my advantage on the show. I can compete with any 30 or 40 year old physically and would love to compete in the endurance challenges to see where I land.

#6 – I had never applied to be on Survivor because I was a stay-at-home dad and was helping keep an eye on my mom. In the last few years my mom passed away and my daughters have finally grown up. One daughter has graduated college and the other is taking a gap year before finishing her last year.

There’s currently nothing preventing me from being a cast member on Survivor. Now is the perfect time for me to be on the next season. I have a business that allows me to be away when I need to be. I’ll put it on autopilot while I’m away.

#7 – I became a full-time entrepreneur in 2003 and started working from home. Part of my continuing job is to go on adventures and report on them. I blog, podcast and shoot videos of my different activities. I’ve flown with the Thunderbirds pulling 9.3 g’s, chased two solar eclipses to the path of totality, tracked and filmed Oklahoma tornadoes, taken part in multiple Hollywood movies as an extra, covered a Presidential inauguration, interviewed the likes of Garth Brooks and Gene Simmons and more. I’ve even gone into the burning fire training building in my hometown so I could write about it.

Out of every adventure I’ve been on nothing would compare to playing the game of Survivor. I believe it’s the game that would challenge me the most physically and mentally. Although I would not be at work I would still be working in the sense that I would be documenting what it takes to play the game of Survivor for future players.

#8 – I like to challenge myself. I hit the trail every morning at 6am for seven miles no matter what the weather. I push myself through freezing temperatures, darkness and wind chills. I also will hit the trail a second time in the afternoons in the summer just to tackle a 103 degree day. I love to test myself against the extremes. In May of 2024 I entered my first step challenge. I started out far enough in the lead that I decided to make my own challenge halfway into the month. I wanted to see if I could reach 1 million steps in 31 days. I actually made a million steps in 29 days.

I’m ready to try the challenges on Survivor. I believe I can compete in any physical challenge against anyone half my age. The only way I ever know is to be a cast member on the show.

#9 – I’m always trying to motivate the people around me that are my age to get out and move more and do more. I want to show that 60 years old is just a number in your head. Playing the game of Survivor at my age would show so many people that staying in shape is not all that hard to do and the payoff can be significant. I don’t take any medications and have had no medical problems. I have many classmates that have already passed away and others that are on heavy medications. Some might not be able to get off the ground if they fell.

A 60 year old can go on Survivor and compete! I would love to prove this to myself and to everyone 50 and older. There has to be a reason I’m trying to motivate people at 61 years old! Survivor is my megaphone to keep moving!

#10 – I grew up with a huge fear of speaking in front of people. I was terrified at giving speeches and avoided them like the plague. At some point in my 40s I decided it was time to conquer my fear. I asked to be the liturgist at my church so I would have to stand infant of people and speak. I also said yes every time I was asked to give a speech. The more I spoke the more I was asked to speak. Also started talking infant of my camera and applied to be an extra in every movie that I could.

I now have no fear in getting in front of people and speaking. I’ve spent years on live morning radio, recorded over 600 podcast episodes, filmed over 800 videos and gone live on social media hundreds of times. Being infant of the camera on Survivor would not be a problem.

#11 – When you live in Oklahoma you understand the weather can change on a dime. We’ve seen swings of over 60 degrees in a single day. Our summers are 105 degrees hot and our winters are 10 below cold. I understand cold, wind and rain and have dealt with it every morning on the trail for over a decade.

The weather extremes on Survivor would not slow me down. I love the heat and even thrive in it and I’m used to being in chilly weather when the temperatures suddenly drop.

#12 – I usually only eat two meals a day and normally fast for 16 hours a day by skipping breakfast. I go through spurts of eating small snacks but have the discipline to cut them out completely.

Going without food is a major factor in playing Survivor. I believe I can handle not having regular meals and get by on whatever I can scrounge.

#13 – I love to tell a good story. I podcast every week and my favorite episodes are when I shoot from the hip and talk about growing up in the 70s and what great memories I had. I love stories that are from my memories and not a subject I had to look up and research. I’m currently writing a book about growing up in the 70s with four of my best friends.

I can get animated while telling a story to my friends and I love using my hands and expressions when giving speeches. I seem a little more calm and mellow on my podcasts but that is the nature of podcasting. Being in marketing and advertising for decades and also blogging I have learned how to tell a concise story without much needed filler.

#14 – I have good energy and I would use it when needed. When giving speeches to young people I get excited to talk about my background and my knowledge. I understand that if I’m dull and boring my audience is not going to listen to a word I say.

I know that talking on camera with great energy is going to keep the viewers engaged and hopefully get them to pull for me.

#15 – I know how to pivot and adapt to new situations. My entire business fell apart in one day after ten years and I had to completely pivot to a new business model and start making money within a year. I have been able to adapt to changes in marketing, social media and communication. My company has done well because I see what’s coming and adapt quicker than my competition.

My survivor strategy would be to adapt to whatever is thrown at me and readjust from there.

#16 – I don’t mind taking chances. I applied for my first big job with very little experience because I knew I could learn on the fly. I got the job and never missed a beat. After 13 years I quit that job to work for myself at home. I had no net to save if I failed. I did really well for 10 years until an algorithm change caused me to lose my entire business. Rather than going to get a job I created a completely new business from home and have been thriving in it for another 10 years.

On Survivor you need to take chances and big moves to get ahead. Taking chances also helps when you get to the jury. While playing Survivor I will be hunting idols, tracking down advantages and teaming up with questionable players.

#17 – I love to test myself. I go out in the heat and cold just to help keep my mind and body ready in case I’m ever put in a position of survival. I love flying in jets to feel the rush and the g’s. I’m a roller coaster junkie and have spent entire afternoons riding nothing but coasters.

Immunity challenges can make or break a players game. Endurance is something I really want to test myself on. I understand that many of the competitions come down to mind over matter and I think I can push myself as far as the best of them.

#18 – Many of my friends and family have told me over the years that I should be on Survivor. When you have friends that watch the show and think you’d bo a good fit, that’s an indication.

Survivor is looking for contestants that people want to watch and become invested in. Of course I’m that player.

#19 – I’m not a person that needs much sleep. On an average night I’ll get 5.5 hours of sleep and on a good night I’ll get 6 hours. Every morning I’m wide awake, I hit the trail and I don’t seem to have the normal ill effects that come with the lack of sleep. I’ve been doing this for decades.

I wouldn’t be the player always trying to nap on the show. I would be out exploring and finding things to occupy my day. I would love to test myself on how well I’d perform in challenges with even less sleep.

#20 – I have the social skills of a 60 year old which are far more than a 25 year old. I have sat on several boards and had to keep opposing sides of an issue on the same page so that the entire board looked unified.

I would use my social skills to form an alliance that saw me as a valuable team member but not necessarily the leader. My main strategy would be to remain a player that is needed but not threatening to anyone.

#21 – I need a retirement plan. Working for myself over the last 20 years has been a great experience I wouldn’t trade for anything but it came without a retirement plan. I will continue to work well into my 70s and possibly 80s due to my lack of an investments and a pension.

Winning Survivor would be the retirement plan that I’m needing. Any earnings made from the show could be invested and help me stop working at a younger age. It would also hopefully set me up to go on more adventures!

#22 – I love manifesting and asking the Universe to give me the things that it wants me to have. The more I manifest the more I am amazed at what shows up. I also notice that if I take a break from manifesting things get really quiet. The biggest wink I could get from the Universe would be to make it on a season or two of Survivor.

On a whim I sent my first video to casting at the age of 61. Something told me it was the right time and I would be a great addition to a season of Survivor. I’ve been manifesting ever since I sent in my video and can’t divulge if it’s working or not until a later date. Needless to say I am now obsessed with getting to play the game of Survivor!

Below I have embedded my first official Survivor audition video. I will also turn this blog post into a podcast episode and video later this week.

Submitted in June of 2024

The post 22 “SIGNS” I Should Be On Survivor appeared first on Curtis Tucker.

I call this an adventure because that’s what I turned it into. It was something I didn’t know if I could do at age 61 and every day I wasn’t sure how I was going to squeeze in all of my steps.

This did turn into a big month long adventure and I think I inspired several people to start walking and others to up their steps to another level.

Why did I walk/run a million steps?

My million step adventure was an unplanned spur of the moment decision that morphed from a simple Walk This May step challenge in May of 2024. I knew about the challenges before but it had never dawned on me to join one. My neighbor posted on Facebook that he was forming a team in case anyone wanted to join him. I jokingly commented, “Hmmm?,” like I might be interested in joining.

He texted me on the last day to sign up to get a t-shirt. That reminded me of the challenge and on a whim I decided to go ahead and sign up.

I started the Walk This May challenge committing to 21,000 steps a day. I was already doing 17,000 steps a day so this wasn’t going to take much more effort. The 21,000 steps a day kept me in the lead during the trial period in April. I assumed this was going to be enough to win since nobody was passing me.

The actual challenge began on May 1 and I hit 21,000 steps pretty quickly. Come to find out nobody was taking the trial period very seriously. I was passed very quickly and had to add more steps on the first day to keep up.

By the end of the day the leader stopped at 34,000 steps and I went over 30,000 to stay close but didn’t want to jump them. On day one I changed my personal challenge from 21,000 steps a day to 30,000 steps a day for the entire month.

On day two I decided to get over 30,000 steps and not look at the app so I wouldn’t feel the need to add more to pass someone. At the end of the day when I did look I found out that I was the only one who had done 30,000 two days in a row and I was already safely in the lead.

Since I had committed to 30,000 steps a day I decided to make that my personal challenge. I also wanted to do at least one day over 40,000 steps just to say I did.

All of these planned steps and extra steps started to add up by the middle part of the challenge. I was pretty far in the lead and one morning on the trail I was asked if I was going to get a million steps. I had actually looked into it but at the time I did the addition I was going to end up with just over 900,000 steps for the entire month of May.

On the actual midway point of the month I hit 500,000 steps in the morning. I sat down and did the math and found out I would only need 32,360 steps a day for the rest of the month to reach one million steps.

By this time in the challenge I wanted to really see if I could push my limit so that’s why I opted to go for one million steps in one month. One thing lead to another and I was able to cut my timeline down from 31 days to 30 days.

And then on Day 29 I decided to really push myself and got in 46,000 steps hitting one million steps two days early.

How did I get one million steps and how much time did it take?

I devoted about 3.5 hours a day on average to hit my goal. I walked/jogged on our local trail every morning from 6am to 8am. This two hour trek averaged about 19,000 steps a day. If I fast walked more I’d get 18,000 and if I quick jogged I’d get 20,000 steps. I was never able to get more than 10,000 steps in an hour.

At some point in the afternoon or evening I had to get another hour of walking to add 7,000 to 8,000 more steps. In the first half of the month I’d walk a track around the inside of my house and in the second half I’d hit the trail for the afternoon steps.

Throughout the day I’d get an additional 3,000 to 4,0000 steps from just normal moving around. By the end of the day I’d have my 30,000 steps. If I was short I’d pace back and forth in my studio until I reached my daily goal.

What tips do I have on getting in lots of steps?

If you’re going to go for a large number of steps you’ll need to do at least one big block at some point during the day. For me, mornings were the best for this. I never used a treadmill for this challenge.

To reach a million steps you’ll need to do a smaller block at another point in the day. If you don’t want to be walking all day long you’ll need to do some speed walking.

I was able to get 4,000 steps in 30 minutes walking fast. To get even more steps in less time you’ll need to jog. I jogged with short fast steps trying to add as many as I could in a limited amount of time.

There are also dozens of other time you can add lots of steps. One of the best times to get extra steps is to walk around while you’re on the phone. Another great time is when you’re snacking on something you can carry around.

I even added lots of steps walking while I brushed my teeth and watched some TV shows. Always park far away if you go to a store or restaurant. Avoid sitting for long periods of time. Get up for even ten minutes to stretch your legs.

Wear an Apple Watch of Fit Bit that will send your step count to your phone. That way if you’re being active but not carrying your phone you’ll get credit for the steps.

Also wear very comfortable shoes that fit well and make sure your socks are made for heavy activity.

What were the downsides to doing a million steps?

The only major downside that I can think of from getting a million steps in 29 days is that it required lots of my extra time. I was unable to get all of my steps in one block so I had to spend time throughout the day stopping my projects or work to get more steps in.

Another downside I can think of is that a challenge with an app can suck you into checking it all day long and if you see that you’re getting passed you are tempted to start adding more steps. I was fortunate in the fact that I had no plan and blasted out so quickly that I gained a lead that no one was able to keep up with.

I did not encounter these other downsides but beware that you could get blisters if you don’t have the right shoes and socks. You can also get achy knees, legs and feet if you’re not in good shape.

1o things I learned or gained from my million step adventure:

1. At the age of 61 I was able to do something that very few people will ever do.

2. I set goals and conquered them giving me a continued sense of accomplishment.

3. I lost three stubborn pounds that I had been trying to lose.

4. My legs are more tone and I’m in better shape than when I started.

5. I was able to get a great tan from walking outdoors for about three hours a day.

6. I tested my endurance and stamina in preparation for my first half marathon adventure.

7. I won the Walk This May challenge and got a free pair of shoes!

8. I had something to look forward to every day of the challenge giving me motivation to do more steps.

9. The adventure gave me something new to blog and podcast about.

10. I also learned that we can all do way more then we think we can if we just put our mind to it.

That’s my million step adventure and as much as I enjoyed it and feel like I could easily do it again I feel like I’m one and done. I encourage everyone to get more steps in on a daily basis.

Walking a few extra steps here and there is not going to allow you lose weight quickly or prepare you for a marathon but it will keep you moving. Movement is key these days since we all spend so much time sitting. Keep on moving!

Also keep looking for adventures everywhere you can. Document what you are doing and start a blog, podcast or video channel. And always have fun!

See yaaaa!

P.S. I tried to stop the step count on my Pacer app at exactly 1,000,000 but due to the delay in the step count going from the devices to the app I missed it. If you know me at all is is strangely ironic that it did stop on 1,000,022. The number 22 is my favorite two digit number and 2 is my lucky number so two 2s is double lucky!

PODCAST

VIDEO

The post My One Million Step Adventure appeared first on Curtis Tucker.

May, 1, 2024 – Whelp! Now that I’m 61 it’s time to take on some challenges! First up is Walk This May. This is a challenge to see how many steps you can get in a month. There are 107 people in our local challenge. I have never done one of these so I have zero idea of how many steps people try to get in every day. The prize is bragging rights and a new pair of shoes for the individual winner.

Teams win something every week if they are in first place and then there are random drawings as well. Everything is tracked on the Pacer app.

I ended the trial period of the challenge in April in 1st place with 21,000 steps a day. 21,000 isn’t a huge challenge since I’ve been averaging 17,000 steps a day for several years. This contest will be a good start for the half marathon Piper and I are doing in April 2025.

DAY 1

My weight today was 161.8 lbs. My goal is 157 lbs by May 31. My morning goal was 16,000 steps which I made. I then noticed that there were a few participants that were really pushing up the number of steps and it dawned on me that this really was a challenge and there are going to be people trying to win.

I added more afternoon steps by taking a quick 30 minute run and took several breaks from sitting to walk around the backyard. I also had to go film an event and walked a couple of blocks to get there which added some extra steps for the day.

At the very end of the day I noticed participants that had not been in the trial period racking up steps in the evening. One person went until they passed all of the top totals. I ended the day in 2nd place with just over 30,000 steps. Our five person team was in 1st place.

DAY 2

Happy Thursday May Twoth!! Day 2 of the Walk This May Challenge. I’ve been wondering if I could run a half marathon and what my time might be. Well, I unofficially found out this morning. 13.3 miles in about 2.25 hours and 20,000 steps by 8:15am. I weighed this morning and came in at 159.8 lbs. I think it was from lack of fluid.

I’m seeing more people upping their steps and it is only day two. It’s looking like 30,000 steps a day is going to be the minimum to hang in the competition. It will be interesting to see if the the people at the top can sustain for 31 days.

My strategy today was to avoid looking at the app. I’m going to set the number of steps I want to do each day and that will be my limit. I tried to get up every hour and walk for 1,000 steps around the house, studio and yard. These were easy walks and it took about 10 minutes to get the 1,000 steps. The big problem is having a dog with FOMO! He can’t sit still and follows me everywhere!

I’m not liking this strategy. It’s too disruptive in my schedule. Having a standing desk or a desk with a treadmill would solve lots of problems.

This step challenge can be challenging without a treadmill. I think I may wear out my carpet before this is over.

At the end of day 2 I stopped at 34,029 steps putting me in 1st place with 64,054 total. Our team is also in 1st place with 46,884 average steps.

At this stage I’m over 12,000 steps in the lead. This would be a good weekend to build a bigger lead and try to maintain that lead for the month.

DAY 3

Had to hurry this morning so I could be back at 8am. I ran, with no walking, for 1 hour and 50 minutes getting in 19,000 steps. Busy day running around. Added 3,000 steps just going to lunch, the post office and the bank.

After the first day I thought I would need 30,000 steps a day to win the challenge but it might not be that high. We’ll see how the first week pans out.

Grabbed lots of extra steps downtown at First Friday walking around the square. Also did a short walk at home barefooted to give my feet a rest.

Ended the day still in 1st place with 30,117 steps today and 94,171 total for 3 days. Our team is in 1st place with 69,126 average steps.

DAY 4

A crazy morning. Radar showed storms on the way but I decided to go out until they reached town. I was able to get in about 7,000 steps on the trail before the storm hit. Got a great pic of lightning and a rainbow.

Got another 3,000 steps by pacing in the garage. Took a break, fed the dog and grabbed a granola bar. About 20 minutes later the rain passed so I hit the trail again. It turned out to be a beautiful morning with some blue sky on the second trip out.

I got 21,000 steps in total by the time I got home again. Long morning, started at 6am finished at 9am. Added a few steps here and there just walking around the house.

Drove to Edmond for a graduation party and racked up more steps. Drove back to Enid and paced around the house to finish at 30,000 steps for the day.

My 4 day total is 124,700 which is 1st place. Being Saturday there were several bursts of steps by other competitors. 2nd place is currently at 97,002.

Our team total is looking really good at 89,768 average steps which is 1st place. 2nd place is at 66,039 average steps.

Day 4 and my feet are feeling worked out and tired. Might need to find some cushy socks.

DAY 5

I decided today would be a rest day from running. My legs and feet are feeling overused. This means I’ll have to add some extra time to get all of my steps in.

The morning started out with rain so I did not hit the trail. I did some fast pacing in the garage until I reached 10,000 steps. That’s lots of circles and turning around. Almost started felling dizzy.

Walked around while eating my light lunch at home. Watched TV and got in 1,000 steps in 15 minutes just meandering around. If you ever feel like you can’t exercise all you need to do is get up and move around? Every little bit helps!

The sun came out so I hit the trail. Did some speed walking in the sunshine and hit a total of 25,000 steps by the time I got home.

It’s amazing how many steps you can get by working in the yard. I added more planting flowers in the garden and more going to dinner.

I’ll end the day at 30,500 steps and just over 155,000 steps to date. I remain in 1st place with a couple of people surging and our team remains in 1st place with 112,866 average steps from four team members. We lost one member due to her counting device not working properly.

DAY 6

Hit the trail at 6:10am and it was windy, cool, gray and misting. Made it back home in two hours and logged about 18,000 steps with a mix of running and speed walking. Paced around the house while making tea and eating breakfast and stopped at 20,000 steps.

Added more steps at lunch and running errands. Thought about trying for 40,000 steps but decided against it.

Walked around during afternoon breaks and made it to 27,000 steps. Drove out to the edge of town to photograph the storms. Paced back and forth for over an hour and added another 3,000 steps making my 30,000 for the day.

Walked around after dinner and took storm pics outside. Paced a bit in the studio while watching the weather reports. Decided to stop the walking and pacing when I hit 34,000 steps for the day.

Day 6 weigh-in was 159.8 lbs. I remain in 1st place with just over 189,000 steps. I’m currently 49,000 steps ahead of 2nd place. Our team remains in 1st place with 130,745 average steps. 2nd place is at 90,271 average steps.

Feeling the effects of the added steps on the bottom of my feet. A few tender areas on the ball and heel of my foot but my legs are good.

DAY 7

A clear morning and excellent weather on the trail! Recorded 18,000 steps in two hours both running and walking. Added another 1,000 in the driveway.

Paced around the house getting things done and eating breakfast for another 1,000 steps.

Went to lunch and ran errands. walked in the backyard to get some steps and some sun. Got to 27,000 steps.

Reality is setting in that this is going to be a challenge for me to make 30,000 steps a day. There are 25 days left! Yikes!

Ended the day and week at 220,000 steps. The team and I both took 1st place for the first week.

DAY 8

Wednesday, May 8 starts week 2 with everyone back at 0 steps. Each week there’s a reset for a new week but all steps continue to count towards the overall total.

Great weather on the trail for a morning trek. I tried to see if there were more steps in running versus walking but I seem to get around the same no matter what I do. I read that walking a fast pace would be more steps than running but I’m not seeing that.

Both ran and walked the trail for 2 hours and got back to the house with 18,000 steps. Paced around the driveway and in the house while eating a granola bar to get my 20,000 steps before taking a break.

I weighed in at 158.8 which means I’m now trending down in weight. I think I’m officially 2 lbs. down from May 1st.

Showered, got ready, went to eat, ran errands and got back to the house with about 24,000 steps. Walked the backyard while the dog played for an extra 1,000 steps. The afternoon walks around the yard are great for getting a little sun and tan.

Snuck in an afternoon walk and reached 28,000 steps. Walked around the house while eating dinner and made 31,000 steps for the day. Thought I was done for the evening but got a phone call and decided to walk while talking. Ended the phone conversation at 34,000 steps.

DAY 9

Another great weather morning! Hit the trail for two hours and came back with 19,000 steps. I jogged most of the way with slower, shorter steps. I did a little walking.

Added 1,000 at breakfast and walking around. Weighed in at 158.2 lbs. Looks like I am losing those extra pounds.

Went to lunch and ran errands racking up more steps. Took a few breaks throughout the day to walk for 10 minutes getting about 1,000 steps each time.

Talked on the phone again and got an extra 2,000 steps. Ended the day at 37,000 steps and still in 1st place overall. My average daily steps is 32,500 for the month.

291,600 total steps on Day 9.

DAY 10

Normal run/walk on the trail. Was out for 2 hours and got 19,000 steps. Packed up and went to get gas.

Drove to Fayetteville. Stopped to pick up a trailer in Springdale.

Reached Fayetteville and loaded the trailer. Lots of steps going back and forth from the condo to the trailer.

Drove back to Enid. Walked outside because it was really nice weather. Finished the day with 30,000 steps.

DAY 11

Ran/walked the trail in the morning. Made in home with just over 19,000 steps. Unloaded the trailer and carried stuff inside.

Drove to Norman for graduations. Walked from the parking lot to Loyd Noble twice and also walked around the arena during the ceremonies to stretch my legs.

Spent the night in Norman but reached my 30,000 steps for the day.

DAY 12

Went for a run in Norman. Our AirBNB was about a mile from the OU campus so I decided to go run around the University of Oklahoma. Hit 20,000 steps in 2 hours! Lots of walking around and running errands in Norman.

Drove back to Enid and went for a 45 minute walk on the trail. Stopped with 30,000 steps total.

Added more steps just walking around and going back and forth from my studio to the house. Total for the day was over 32,000 steps.

DAY 13

Back on the Enid trail like normal. Ran/walked for 2 hours and got another 20,000 steps in. Added more steps just getting ready. Weighed in at 158.2 lbs.

Went out to eat and played with the dog for extra steps. Added some pacing in the studio to reach my 30,000 steps for the day.

DAY 14

The end of week 2! Hit the trail at 6:05am and got 20,000 steps by 8:15am. Weighed in at 159.2. Usually add another 3,000 steps getting ready, going to eat lunch and running errands.

Did not get many afternoon steps in. Went to eat dinner and then it was podcasting night. Ended the evening at about 26,000 steps.

Paced around the studio barefooted to add more steps. Ended the day with 35,000 steps.

Our team won 1st place for the second week in a row. I was in 1st place for week 2 as well.

My total for the month after two weeks is 452,496 steps. Our team is at 290,632 average steps.

DAY 15

Woke up and was ready to head out the door at 6am when I noticed storms on the way. Rather than wait I decided to run out to the storms and run back when they got close. I got a about halfway to my furthest point and the lightning started.

I had to book it back to the house to not get wet. Made it to my garage just as it started raining. Had 9,000 steps.

Paced around the garage until the rain stopped and then headed back out on the trail. Walked and ran for over an hour and got back to the house at 9am. 3 hours total workout this morning.

Talked to Gary on the trail and he asked me if I was going to make a million steps. At first I said no. It looked like I was easily on pace to make 900,000 steps for the month. After looking closer at my totals I actually am on track to make 1 million steps!

Ended the morning with 23,000 steps and a new idea. The halfway point of the challenge will be on the 16th at noon. I will have 500,000 steps at that point. So! I’ve decided to up my personal challenge to getting 1 million steps in May.

After some calculating it looks like it will take an average of 32,360 steps a day to reach a million. My average right now is slightly above that so I am on track to make a million!

Weighed in at 159.2 lbs. Went to lunch and ran some errands. Played with the dog and got steps in from going back and forth from the studio to the house.

DAY 16

Today is the official halfway point for this challenge. My goal was to get 500,000 steps by noon which I did. I got 20,000 on my morning trek which put me over the halfway mark to 1 million steps. Weighed in at 159.4 lbs.

I paced in my studio during another phone call and got 3,000 more steps. Added more steps going to lunch and running errands. Went grocery shopping which added lots of steps.

I had around 28,000 by afternoon and decided to hit the trail and get some sun. Returned in an hour and added a few thousand more steps. Had around 35,000 steps by dinner.

Added 3,000 more steps walking around and pacing in my studio. You can really add steps easily if you just keep moving especially if you’re just watching TV! By early evening I had reached 38,000 steps. I was only 2,000 away from a personal goal of getting 40,000 steps in one day just to say I did.

Whelp! I was so close I decided to go ahead and get my day of 41,000 steps in today! A quick 20 minutes of walking to and from the house and then pacing in the studio put me over the top!

I’ll be ending the day with about 526,800 steps. Only 15 more days to go! The team is at 333,734 average steps. Good night!

DAY 17

It’s Friday! Cruised out on the trail and got back in just over two hours with 21,000 steps. Weighed in at 198 lbs! Met my goal for now!

Gained the regular steps getting ready, going to lunch and running errands.

Added an hour long walk on the trail in the afternoon to get some sun and extra steps. Got back with a total of 30,000 steps.

Had a total of 34,000 steps after dinner and called it a day.

DAY 18

Up at 3am to drive my daughter to the airport. Got in an early 2,000 steps. Back home by 7am.

A tough two hours on the trail. Ended with 18,000 steps at a much slower pace. Walked in the driveway to get in 20,000 before doing some work.

A tired day with my knees feeling all of the steps. No pain, just wear.

Active walking around in the evening and ended the day with around 34,000 steps. About to reach 600,000 total!

DAY 19

Back out on the trail at 6am! Ran slow taking little steps. Made it back home in two hours with 18,000 steps. Great morning to be outdoors.

Walked in the back yard while I updated social media and the dog played. Made it to 20,000 steps before a pause in the day.

Afternoon walk around the backyard and walked a figure eight in the house. Made it to 32,000 steps.

Added a couple thousand steps going to dinner and just doing evening things.

DAY 20

Out on the trail at 6:05am. Jogged taking fast little steps. Made it home at 8am with 19,000 steps. Another 1,000 steps eating granola bars and feeding the dog.

Got another 1,000 steps getting ready. Added more going to lunch and running errands.

Went out for an afternoon walk in the sun. Walked fast for an hour and got 8,000 steps. Made 32,360 steps by 3pm. Everything else today is bonus!

Quick walk in the backyard after dinner for another 3,000 steps.

DAY 21

Day 21 is the end of week 3! Woo Hoo! Feeling good this morning. Out on the trail at 6:10am with lots of wind. Jogged with lots of quick short steps and made 4,000 in 30 minutes.

Cruised back and forth on the trail mostly jogging but also fast walking. Got back home at 8:30am with 22,000 steps. Got another 2,000 steps eating breakfast and moving around.

Weighed in at 159.2 lbs. Went to lunch and ran a few errands getting a few thousand extra steps. Ended up with 28,000 steps before going to podcast.

It was a great evening outdoors so I walked really fast back and forth in the backyard for 30 minutes and got in just over 4,000 more steps making my goal for the day.

Ended the day over 700,000 steps. Leading in the May Challenge by over 200,000 steps. Our team is in 1st place with 428,768 average steps, over 100,000 more than the next closest team.

I’ve set another mini goal! I want to reach a million steps in 30 days rather than a million in May which is 31 days. I’ll be traveling out of town so I’d like to be done. That means sneaking in a few more 40,000 step days.

DAY 22

Up at 6am. Already have 500 steps from going to bed, getting up and letting the dog out. On the trail by 6:10am.

Did a speed walk out to my furthest point and 6500 steps. Decided I needed to jog with short, fast steps to gain more in less time. Made it home in two hours with 19,000 steps.

Added 2,000 easy steps walking around the house while eating a granola bar and feeding the dog. More steps at lunch.

Hit the trail in the afternoon to pad my step total. Made it back after 90 minutes with 32,000 steps.

Added more steps at dinner and just walking around the house. Reach 34,000 steps and decided to go for another 40,000. Paced in my studio while watching Survivor and easily made it to 43,250. Overall total is now at 745,450 steps.

DAY 23

Out on the trail at 6:10am. Pushed it to day since there won’t be time for an afternoon trek. Got in 20,000 steps in 2 hours. I don’t think I can get any more than 10,000 steps an hour.

I can add 1,000 steps eating a granola bar at breakfast. Added more steps throughout the day here and there. Ended up with about 24,000 before I had to drive to OKC.

Walked in the backyard in the evening until I reached 33,000 steps.

DAY 24

Hit the trail at 6:10am. Did a speed walk out to the end of the trail and then jogged for the rest of the trek. Racked up 19,000 steps before I made it home.

Added 2,000 more steps walking around the house. Another 1,000 steps added getting ready.

Went to lunch and ran a few errands. Got 24,000 steps in by afternoon. Got a phone call to go storm chasing on Saturday.

Needed to pad my steps for Saturday so I went walking for 90 minutes. Got in a total of 39,000 steps. Added 2,000 at dinner and pacing in the studio.

DAY 25

It’s Saturday, May 25 which is predicted to be a big storm day with possible tornadoes. Out on the trail at 6:05am. Got in 20,000 steps in just over 2 hours. Added more steps eating breakfast.

More steps getting ready and running to lunch. Left to go storm chasing at 1pm with about 24,000 steps.

Added another 4,000 steps storm chasing. Got back home around 10pm. Paced in the studio to get my 32,000 for the day.

DAY 26

Sunday! Up early and back out on the trail. Walked more than ran but still got 19,000 steps in just over 2 hours. Added another 1,000 walking around eating a granola bar.

Went for a long afternoon walk. Got in 10,000 steps and got lots of sun.

Added a few more steps pacing around while watching TV. Ended the day with 34,000 steps.

DAY 27

Today is Memorial Day Monday. A beautiful morning on the trail with almost no wind. Hit 900,000 steps at the halfway point of my morning trek.

Got home in just over 2 hours with 20,000 steps. Added 500 steps walking around the kitchen while eating a granola bar. 910,000 total steps by 8am.

Went out for another afternoon walk and got in another 8,000 steps. Ended the day with 34,000 steps.

DAY 28

On the trail at 6:10am. Jogged quickly with lots of small steps and got in 20,000 steps by 8:15am. Added another 1,000 snacking on a granola bar and feeding the dog.

Paced in the office for another 2,000 steps. Weighed in at 158.6 lbs. Got ready, went to lunch and ran to the grocery store for an additional 2,000 steps.

It was podcasting day so no afternoon trek. Added more steps at dinner and going to podcast.

Got home with about 26,000 steps. Decided I wanted to maintain my 30,000 steps a day goal so I paced in the studio until I reached it.

Ended the day with 956,597 total steps and #1 in the Walk This May Challenge. Next closest total is 684,368. Our team is #1 with 569,656 average steps. The next closest team is 413,841 average steps.

The plan is to get 30,000+ steps on Wednesday so I can get a million steps sometime early Thursday, May 30.

DAY 29

Decided I wanted to take it easy on the trail. Walked more than jogged. Beautiful morning. Got in a 2 hour trek with 18,000 steps. Added another 2,000 snacking and walking in the house.

Went to lunch and ran some errands. Had 24,000 steps by 2pm. Had a total of about 980,000 steps. Went on the trail again for an afternoon walk. Reached 30,000 steps leaving me 12,000 short of one million.

Squeezed 2,000 more steps at home watching the news. Decided to go for it at 4pm!

Went to the driveway and listened to the news while I walked back and forth. Got the last 10,000 steps just after 5pm. One million steps n 29 days!! Challenge accomplished!

I ended up getting over 46,000 steps on Day 29. I plan on walking on the 30th and 31st but only for pleasure.

Read Part 2 HERE.

PODCAST: PART 1

VLOG: PART 1

#onemillionsteps #1millionsteps #amillionstepchallenge #walkingchallenge #stepchallenge #amillionsteps

The post One Million Steps In A Month Diary appeared first on Curtis Tucker.

I was totally oblivious to chasing an eclipse and what the zone of totality was until 2017. After I started reading about the stories people were having at totality I figured it would be a great adventure to experience myself.

With very little planning Todd and I hopped in my car and drove to Fairmont, Nebraska to sleep in the SUV, in a park. We were in awe of everything because we had no idea of what to expect. It was a very outdoorsy one-with-nature feeling.

I started planning the 2024 eclipse chase at least a year before it happened. The main objective was to drive to Grapevine, Texas and stay with my best friend and all watch it together. His house was in the zone of totality but not near the center. My original thought was to be as near to center as we could get.

I kept reminding everyone to plan for April 8, 2024 and ask off of work months ahead. The plan was for my wife and other best friend to all drive down to Grapevine. From there my plan was to drive east towards the center of totality.

Up until a couple of weeks I wasn’t sure where we’d be watching the eclipse from. As I researched cities in Texas I started to lean towards Terrell, TX. They seemed to be close to the center line on a highway with lots of activities happening.

The one thing I wanted for sure was to be around a decent sized group of people so we could all experience the eclipse together. One of the highlights of totality is the moment the sunlight completely disappears the crowd begins to cheer, clap, cry, whistle hug and kiss.

Two weeks out the eclipse chasing plan was looking like Terrell, TX would be my first choice as the final destination. I figured we’d just drive back to Oklahoma on the back roads after the momentous event.

The first kink that popped up was the long range weather forecast. It started to look like a front would move into the Dallas area with lots of clouds on eclipse day. At that point I started monitoring the weather every day.

About one week before the eclipse there were dozens of articles and interviews with local authorities about stores running out of supplies and traffic jamming up around the cities in the zone of totality. The possible influx of tens of thousands of viewers from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area into Terrell started making me nervous.

I did not want to get stuck in traffic trying while trying to get to our destination and then have to worry about gas, supplies and really large crowds. I came to the realization that it wouldn’t be that big of a deal to lose two minutes of totality in exchange for not having to fight traffic and possibly not make our destination.

I decided we would just drive to Grapevine the day before the eclipse to miss the morning rush and then we would just stay in Grapevine and go to a local park. We would get to experience totality with all of our best friends.

About four days before the eclipse the weather was not looking good for Texas. The forecast called for thick clouds and possible rain. At that point I started to look for an alternative plan in case Texas was a wash. The next easiest place to get to in a short drive was Arkansas. The weather forecast there called for some high clouds but they also had sunshine throughout the day.

Unfortunately waiting until the last minute to book a room in totality is almost futile. I actually was finding a limited number of rooms available in cities like Clarksville, AR but the prices were outrageous. One hotel had rooms for a $1,000 a night.

Due to possible clouds in Arkansas just three days before the eclipse I was looking all over the map for places to go. I narrowed my choices to Jasper, Clarksville and Ozark, all towns in Arkansas. Jasper was further north with clearer skies forecasted but the road to get there was a narrow two lane that wound through the mountains.

Ozark and Clarksville were on I-40 and easy to get to in Arkansas. I also looked at rooms in Fayetteville and they actually had lots of rooms at regular prices. Since our daughter attends U of A in Fayetteville we are very familiar with the town and I thought we could stay there if needed.

The eclipse was on Monday, April 8. On Saturday, April 6 the weather seemed to be getting worse for most of Texas. I talked to my buddy in Grapevine and he suggested we go where the weather might be better. So on Saturday I pulled the plug on going to Texas and booked rooms in Fayetteville. Way more planning and decisions on this chase as opposed to the 2017 chase.

Late Saturday I had to try and make a decision on where we would go after Fayetteville. Todd and Denise had no preference so there still was no solid plan even on Sunday, April 7.

The original plan was to wake up early Sunday morning to get to Texas to spend the day with friends. Since the plan changed to Arkansas we decided to leave later in the day and just get there in time for dinner.

We loaded up and left Enid at 2pm on Sunday for our second eclipse chase. While driving I told my cohorts to look at the towns and help decided where we should go on Monday morning. Denise pulled up some info Russellville and they seem to be having lots of activities.

All of this time I had been texting and messaging with lots of people telling them where we were going. Many of them had to go to Texas because they already had reservations. Others cancelled plans and headed to Arkansas.

One of the listeners to our 70’s Buzz podcast lived near Fayetteville and told me he would be in Clarksville. We thought it would be fun to meet him so we started leaning in that direction which was also the way to Russellville.

Once we got to Fayetteville we filled up with gas so we would start our adventure with a full tank. We then stopped to eat dinner at Feed and Folly near the hotel and had a long talk with the local bartender there. When we started discussing the eclipse we asked her if she knew of any good places to go or if she had heard of any events happening. She asked what our choices were at the time.

I told her Jasper, Clarksville and Russellville. She quickly said not to go to Russellville because it was a small town and they were excepting large crowds and thick traffic. She said the roads to Jasper were two lane filled with lots of curves. Getting stuck on one of those roads could delay us for hours.

After the dinner discussion we had pretty much made up our minds to go to Clarksville where we could meet up with our listener. One of our classmates names Joe texted me to ask where we were headed. I told him we made the decision to go to Clarksville. He said he was heading that way and was going to spend the night in his Suburban.

We stayed at The Graduate Hotel in Fayetteville and had a few drinks at the bar before heading to bed. Our final plan at that point was to get up early, go eat at 7am and then hit the road by 8am. I checked weather that night and it was actually improving for Grapevine and had a mix of sunshine and clouds for Arkansas.

Monday, April 8 was eclipse day! We got up early and had breakfast at First Watch. Around 8am we headed south on highway 49 toward I-40. The traffic, to our surprise, was normal and flowing smoothly. The skies were blue with a very thin layer go high white clouds.

We made a very quick trip to Clarksville and I pulled in thinking we’d easily see where anything was happening. I thought the town would be thick with cars and people walking around all over. What we found was not much. We couldn’t tell if they had anything going on. We decided to stop in a parking lot and look online for any posted events.

Denise found one event in the downtown area. About that time our classmate from Enid called and asked where we were. I told him and he drove to the parking lot to meet us. While talking there Denise found info on some bigger events in Russellville. The local paper had said there was an event going on with near a stage.

All of us decided to drive to the downtown area to check it out. There were a few vendors on the small square with about a half a dozen people looking. There just wasn’t any crowd there. I texted our listener where he was going to watch the eclipse but he didn’t answer right away. We drove around little more and ended up at the airport where there were a few people camping and also several skydivers.

Since there didn’t seem to be any activity in Clarksville we decided to drive the twenty minutes to Russellville to check it out. We drove the back way to avoid any traffic on I-40. Denise found a big events going on downtown so we decided to start there.

Our vehicles pulled into the downtown area at 10:15am and could tell this was an eclipse watching hot spot. The city had roads blocked with a big stage set up and vendors scattered around their square. NASA was there as well as other national and regional media.

After parking and entered the Russellville downtown area. There was a NASA person on stage taking questions from the audience. There was a big crowd but not huge at that point. The four of us spent time walking around the downtown area looking at t-shirts and other eclipse memorabilia. The sky at this point was blue with just a thin layer of high white clouds.

NASA had several tents set up providing eclipse information and they were giving out free glasses. Astronaut Mike Massimino, a veteran of two space flights was there signing autographs. There was also music being played up on the stage.

I had been texting with Stayton, who was in Grapevine, about what was happening in his area. His crew had gone to a local park and there were lots of clouds but intermittent sunshine as well. He was hopeful they’d get to see the sun during totality.

The temperature in Russellville was nearing 80 degrees so we stopped at an old bank that had been converted into a bar. I don’t usually day drink but this was a very special occasion so I grabbed a beer. After having a pre-eclipse toast we gathered up our supplies and went to find a spot to experience totality.

There was a very crowded area on a section of grass that was filled with media and eclipse watchers with cameras. We found a spot with enough room to sit down in the grass and made that our home for the day. At this point it was noon making it two hours until totality which was around 1:50pm. The dynamic at this eclipse was different than in 2017 because there was a group of four of us rather than just Todd and I.

Our area was filled with media people doing interviews while filming live. A local Arkansas TV station had created a big set with our area in the background. Ariel Rodriguez with Telemundo was next to us. He was a meteorologist out of Miami that kept us updated on the weather.

By 12:30pm the sky was a clear, bright blue with no sign of major clouds moving in. There were a few wispy clouds but they moved by quickly. It was hot enough for me to break a sweat and get the beginnings of a sunburn. But as soon as the moon began to cover the sun at 12:33pm you could almost feel the temperature start to change.

Every ten minutes or so the temperature felt better and better. By 1:00pm you could start to sense a change in the sharpness of light. People started to get excited and were using items with holes in them to project the sun onto something to show the first bite out of the sun. Most people were looking up with their eclipse glasses on. Things were starting to buzz all around our area.

NASA had someone on stage talking about their tracking of the eclipse and giving everyone updates on the timing of totality. I set up a monopod with two iPhones and a GoPro on it. I was also holding my newest iPhone and my Canon 70D 35mm camera with a zoom lens. I was ready to capture the moment!

As we got closer to totality the temperature really dropped and the sun was too longer beating down on us. It was the perfect day as far as weather. About ten minutes before the full eclipse I turned on my three cameras to film the gradual transition from light to dark. I was also filming with my iPhone and taking photos with my camera.

You could feel the anticipation from the crowd as the light began to fade. People started whistling and cheering even before totality. The person on the stage said something which caused the crowd to cheer. A few seconds later everything went dark and the entire crowd began to cheer and yell.

I immediately had that same feeling I had experienced in 2017. I was in awe of the darkness and the calmness of the atmosphere even though the crowd was loud and very active. Unfortunately the TV crew near our location decided to keep their set lights on during the eclipse which spoiled a bit of the overall darkness.

One of the big differences at this eclipse versus the 2017 was our location. In Fairmont we were in a park with no lights or buildings and see could see a full 360 degree sunset all the way around us. In Russellville there were lots more people, buildings and extra lights which blocked some of our view. None the less it was another cosmic experience.

In 2017 we had about 2 minutes and 30 seconds while in Russellville we had around 4 minutes and 30 seconds. As soon as totality started I looked up at the sun and was surprised at how many of the sun’s solar prominences we could see. There were not that many visible in 2017. I filmed the surroundings with my iPhone to capture the darkness and then took several shots of the actual eclipse. I got some really great pics with the camera and lens that I had.

Joe was also taking pics while Todd and Denise were just soaking it in. I took a selfie with Denise in totality. Then I spent a short moment to enjoy the feeling and feel the presence of the people around me. I could see the street lights had come on and everything seemed very still other than the crowd. I couldn’t believe how much time I had to shoot another round of photographs.

I started filming again with my iPhone when Denise said I had better get my camera ready to snap the diamond ring effect which was one of the most iconic photos. At that exact moment a tine spot of light popped out from behind the sun. I snapped a quick photo and then my camera went out of focus just as I took the money shot. Luckily I just kept shooting and the camera focused again for one more shot and then the sunshine came screaming back to earth.

It only took seconds for things to light right back up and you could feel the warmth returning. That was it. It was over again. I wasn’t going to most likely experience that phenomenon for another 21 years. Although different than 2017, it was a one of a kind event that I wouldn’t have missed for anything. All of the decisions we made lead to the perfect location, the perfect weather and an overall awesome memory I will never forget.

After gathering our gear we headed back to the cars with a renewed sense of awe. Denise, Todd and I left Joe so we could drive back to Fayetteville to pick up our dog from our daughter. One of the things I feared about getting closer to the center of totality was the increased traffic. I was not disappointed when we got on I-40. Traffic was bumper to bumper for at least 90 miles.

Our average travel speed was around 25 mph and it took us an hour longer to travel the other direction towards highway 49. We did finally make it back to Fayetteville where we had dinner, grabbed the dog and drove to Enid. Our eclipse adventure ended after 10:00pm that evening. So much had happened and I had driven so many mile that I was not able to soak it all in until the next morning.

On my morning trek the next day I was able to process the entire event and my mind started racing. When I got back to my studio that day after I didn’t want the experience to fade away and I got a crazy idea. The next huge cross country eclipse will happen on August 12, 2045 and totality goes right over my house with a full five and a half minutes of totality! Even though Enid is not on the center line we are close enough for the longest amount of totality I have ever experienced.

I immediately got the idea to start promoting the 2045 eclipse in Enid with a website, t-shirt and possible podcast. There are two things I wholeheartedly believe and they both deal with next eclipse. I believe everyone should experience totality at least once in their life which gives everyone 21 years to plan and save money to make it to Enid. The second thing is that I believe you should always have something to look forward to especially some big event.

A huge eclipse in Enid, Oklahoma in 21 years is the perfect motivation for people to get excited about. I’m going to create some t-shirts for eclipse chasers to wear letting everyone know they are already planning the next big cosmic event. I plan on selling t-shirts and updating the website to keep the buzz going.

I’ll do another blog post and podcast episode as soon as I get all of my Shaggy Ducks in a row on this new adventure. I know this sounds a little crazy but it will be fun to see how this evolves over the next 21 years. I have several of ideas for the website already as well.

The website is EnidEclipse.com and there is also a Facebook page created. Bookmark the website and go like the Facebook Page. I’ll have the t-shirts available soon! See ya!

The post I’m An Official Eclipse Chaser! appeared first on Curtis Tucker.

NOTE: This blog post was written in 2017 but I just recently added a podcast episode to go with it so I bumped it back to the top of the blog.

FAIRMONT, NE – The last 12 months have been a banner year for That Buzz Guy and our BuzzHead Media Company. In that year I’ve flown to Washington DC to cover a Presidential Inauguration, I’ve chased and filmed multiple tornadoes with a storm tracking crew, I’ve been an extra in three films with actors such as Jake Gyllenhaal and Bo Derrick, and I’ve interviewed rock legend Gene Simmons from KISS and TV personality Michelle Malkin.

Most of those events could be crossed off as top “Bucket List” items. As great as they all were and as much as I had looked forward to many of them, it was an event this week that I had never even contemplated that has topped them all.

It has never been my desire to see a total eclipse of the sun. I’ve never even sat down with anyone that had ever gone through the experience so I was completely unaware of what to expect and why I would even be crazy enough to go eclipse chasing. But crazy we were.

Todd Wheeler, my partner in crime on our new BuzzHead Radio, and I have been chasing stories every chance we get. We are both fortunate enough to own our businesses and have the ability to take off at the drop of a hat. I was intrigued by the hype surrounding the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse and thought it might be the next big thing for us to cover.

The only way to truly experience a solar eclipse is to plant yourself in the middle of totality. That’s the 70 mile wide area that becomes almost completely dark as the moon passes in front of the sun. A few weeks before the big event we made the decision to embark on the adventure of covering the first coast-to-coast solar eclipse over the United States in 99 years.

The first task I set out to do was find a prime location for eclipse viewing. My first thought was to head to Kansas City where I had friends and a place to stay. I quickly learned that we might run into traffic jams if we headed to the larger cities so I pulled up a map of totality.

Our hometown of Enid, Oklahoma is on Highway 81 so I decided to look straight up 81 to see which towns would fall into the path of the total eclipse. The first town that fit the bill was all the way up in Nebraska. There were a few towns in northeast Kansas that we could reach by driving on I-35 but again, I was leery of the traffic situation in that area. There were several Nebraska towns that looked promising but I honed in on Fairmont due to the fact that it was straight up 81 and was in the center of totality.

Fairmont, Nebraska luckily had a Facebook page that looked very inviting. They had posted that they would have a free parking and camping area in the park with porta-potties. Cha-ching! That’s exactly what we were searching for since all hotels had been booked for months ahead. There were also several comments on the page from travelers from other states that were planning on landing in the little town of around 600.

Without much other planning Todd and I made the decision to drive the 5 hours to Fairmont. The week before departure I started paying more attention to the hype learning that I would definitely need eclipse glasses. That turned into a futile search as there were no glasses left for sale on the planet Earth. No biggie, we’d wing it. Todd came up with some glass replacements for a welding helmet and a couple of paper eclipse glasses.

We told our families we were going and started the countdown. The only hitch I could see to our entire plan was the weather. Of course at the beginning of our plan the forecast was for mostly sunny skies but turned to mostly cloudy skies just a day before we departed. We toyed with the idea of driving to a different location but decided we’d stick with our original plan and hope for the best.

Our adventure began on Sunday, August 20 around 2pm. We left the BuzzHead Studio and stopped to stock up on snacks and drinks. We then hit the highway and drove up Highway 81 into Kansas. With zero knowledge of eclipse chasing we had no idea if the highway would be packed or not. We made a quick stop in Concordia, Kansas to get dinner out of the way at Dairy Queen. We also downed a quick Blizzard.

Story continued here…

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