[mitchell]

Several years ago a bunch of us metal boaters were fishing below the Ross Barnett spillway when a huge summer thunderstorm brewed up west of us. The fishing had been particularly good that afternoon and there was a silent mutual agreement that no one wanted to leave.

We all noticed that the cluster of storm clouds rotated towards south of Jackson with only a few dark clouds directly overhead. Watching the sheet lightning inside the mountain high billowy cream colored clouds was a beautiful thing to behold. Thick, crooked bands of lightning passed from cloud to cloud as they moved quickly on the horizon southward. It was majestic to watch the awesome power of nature. But, we all pretty much agreed amongst ourselves that the storm was passing away from us and had nothing to fear. Besides, most of the clouds were only a little stormy colored (dark and ominous.) The worst clouds, the dark stormy ones, were even further away and appeared to be moving south towards Terry.

I nodded my head to myself that the storm was "way over there" and I would be okay only because it was moving away from me. So I thought. I had not no sooner thought that silly idea when I looked down river where it bends and saw a bolt of lightning hit a tall pile of wood stacked up on the bank against a dead tree. "YOWCH!" I remarked out loud as the lightning flashed bright white just a football's field in length away from me. I grabbed anchors and the metal fish basket and tossed them into the boat with a clunk. I made for the boat landing below the Madison county side in record time for someone using a paddle. Had a bunch of guys in their boats right behind me, too.

I had the boat loaded, tied down, and was leaving when a classic example of a torrential rainstorm began to pour on my truck. It pounded the roof so hard I could hardly hear the CB radio on the WX channel warn of dangerous late afternoon summer thunderstorms. ("No, kidding," I'm thinking.) The last guys out of the river were soaked in minutes.

Storm gusts like wind demons picked up something fierce as I drove slowly down the spillway and back towards Ridgeland. The old Dodge was pushed hard by the fury of the storm winds that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It's like the wind would let up for a bit and then come back just as mean as ever. I was praying hard the whole time while on the spillway road as clouds as black as asphalt rolled overhead pushed by winds that came in hard punches. Those winds felt strong enough to push my truck right off the road and into the reservoir.

Stopped at the Shell Station on Pear Orchard and waited out the storm.

Lesson Learned: When I see a storm approaching, I just go on and get out of the water and get the boat loaded. I don't ever want to go through that again. Yeah, I was skewered.
Thanks
mitchell