Friday April 15th

Friday April 15th we were at Ratcliffe Ferry on the trace .The tornado sirens had started and we moved quickly to get on our way. As we traveled down the parkway the weather began to worsen. We were passing the spot where the Pearl River branches out into the Reservoir. In this area a possum crossed our path. Soon after that it began to hail about pea size, thunder and lightening. We were headed only five miles away for the Ranger Station on the Trace but we could not see anything! Finally when things calmed down we had a delightful visit with the ranger. She was without power and had lots of informal information on what was happening South of us....cars upside down on I 20 and building damage in Clinton and Jackson. More tornados due there we went to the Arts and Crafts Center a few miles off the trace in Ridgeland. Several storms passed over while we were there... and when we left there were still tornados in our path so we decided to have lunch about a half mile away. The motorhome would not start. This continued for about 30 to 40 minutes. Then it started and we went on to the restaurant. After eating the waitress shared with us that about a half hour before we came there were two funnel clouds headed toward the restaurant. After lunch, we went down passed Jackson and Clinton. By the time we arrived at Rocky Springs campground on the trace it was a different day! We were grateful for the blessing of safety today.