One Year Later
Posted in Pensacola on June 23, 2011
On June 23, 2010 the oil washed up on the shores of Pensacola Beach. When tragedy stuck and the oil rig exploded, it seemed as if the entire Gulf Coast watched BP struggle to plug the leak. We spent all day at the beach picking up shell fragments and trash so that when the oil finally washed up…because it would wash up…sand clean up would supposedly be easier. When the oil hit the shore, it came up in big ugly balls of tar and layers of oil. It stuck to the powdery white sand and buried beneath it everytime a wave crashed on the shore. The beaches were closed while cleanup crews did their work. We avoided the beach and only visited to support our favorite local restaurants. Tourism suffered and the beach sat quietly.
Six months later we went camping at Ft. Pickens, a campground on the Gulf Islands National Seashore. We avoided the beach because it was too cold but as we drove along the beach road we could still see cleanup crews.
A few days ago we spent the afternoon splashing in the waves, digging in the sand, and watching the sand plovers nest. We spotted several seas turtle nests blocked off by the rangers for the turtles’ protection. We saw many families playing nearby, the restaurants were packed and the fishermen were reeling in their catch.
Do you have any plans to visit the Gulf Coast this summer?
