This is now a series of posts about this amazing tornado photograph taken out by Simla, CO where I was born.  I actually have a large print of this in my house.  At one point I thought it might be fake but realized it was picked up by National Geographic and they tend to do a good job of vetting their photographs.  I just discovered on DPreview that this photo won a travel photography award:

WINNER, BEST SINGLE IMAGE IN A LANDSCAPE & EARTH ELEMENTS PORTFOLIO: James Smart, Australia

James Smart/www.tpoty.com

Location: Simla, Colorado, USA

Artist Statement: This ‘drill bit’ type of tornado is a rare anti-cyclonic tornado, which happens in around 2% of tornadoes. It touched down in open farmland, narrowly missing a home near Simla, Colorado as it tore up the ground, gathering the soil giving it its brown color.

Gear and Specs: Canon 5D Mark II 70-200mm lens, F4, 1/90 sec, ISO 100