Gulf Coast Beach, Alabama - the first thing that hits you is the indescribable beauty of the beach, impossibly white sand meeting neon-turquoise water. The second thing is the overwhelming smell of gasoline.
Driving from Tallahassee, Florida, on our way to New Orleans, LA, my husband and I decided to take a southern swing through Pensacola, Florida and the Gulf seashores of Mobile, Alabama to see with our own eyes what we'd only seen on the news.
As it happened, President Obama was taking a tour through the area at the same time. And in a weird way, this coincidence proved to be a metaphor of sorts - us searching for an elusive President and seeing instead heartbreaking evidence of a tragedy yet to happen, of an entire region holding it's collective breath, knowing whatever they imagine will happen will likely be unimaginably worse.
We came to bear witness. This is what we saw.
A message for President Obama from Sam's Seafood - Pensacola, Florida
Yellow flag warning, Perdido Key State Beach, Florida
Yellow flag warning, Perdido Key State Beach, Florida
Sunbathers ignore oil containment booms at Gulf State Beach, Alabama
Sunbathers ignore oil containment booms at Gulf State Beach, Alabama
News crew hangs out at Gulf State Beach, Alabama
Tourists takes photos of oil containment booms at Gulf State Beach, Alabama
Tourists takes photos of oil containment booms at Gulf State Beach, Alabama
Oil globs, Gulf State Beach, Alabama
Oil globs, Gulf State Beach, Alabama
Once you get this stuff on your hands, you can't get it off.
A family watches oil containment work, Gulf State Beach, Alabama
Boy plays in surf with oil globs, Gulf State Beach, Alabama
Father and daughter watches oil containment work, Gulf State Beach, Alabama
Police roadblock - Daulphin Island, Alabama, where
President Obama was touring.
This was as close as we got to him.
Oil containment booms being transported to Daulphin Island, Alabama
Oil containment booms protect an estuary just north of Daulphin Island, Alabama
Oil containment booms protect an estuary just north of Daulphin Island, Alabama
Oil containment booms protect an estuary just north of Daulphin Island, Alabama
Oil containment booms protect an estuary just north of Daulphin Island, Alabama
Dueling signs, Bayou La Batre, Alabama
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