People who intrigue me...

I was born in Cedar Rapids, IA; and during the first eight years before my family relocated to Wisconsin, I lived through three tornadoes. Over the past 18 years which I have lived in Wisconsin I have experienced two more tornadoes. Only a few summers ago, I was driving North on HWY 41 from Oshkosh to Appleton- less than a quarter of mile to the east, a tornado had formed and touched down. I relived this story as a I told it to the first block Literacy class. The fear, panic, and excitement which takes me over during tornadoes is not something that I look forward to or anticipate. The high school which I graduated from was devastated by an F-5 tornado in 1984. Nine lives were claimed, and millions of dollars had to be spent in order to restore semblance and infrastructure to the small rural community of Barneveld. Each time a storm moved in, panic could be seen in the eyes of the folks who had lived through the tornado in '84.

Given the above information, there exist a group of people who truly intrigue me- tornado chasers. Why would any healthy, rational, educated individual want to chase after something which is so destructive. I understand thrill seeking, but what I don't understand is why someone would want to actively pursue a tornado. Although smaller tornadoes routes can be predicted, I cannot begin to fathom why someone would chase after a larger tornado. Maybe my personal experience with tornadoes has provided me with an appropriately developed sense of fear. Maybe people who chase tornadoes have some sort of fascination that I am lacking.

What's your take? Why do you think some folks decide to ride around states such as Kansas and Oklahoma chasing tornadoes? Are there other types of individuals which intrigue you?