Behemoths on the Beach

While we were at Casino Beach Sunday, we saw a gi-normous pickup truck sitting atop a frame at least two times the normal height and length of a pickup truck, with oversized tires the size of a small planet. It was so very large it could not even come close to squeezing into one of the (few) available normal-sized parking spaces. Indeed, it was barely able to idle down the parking lot lanes looking for one.

Judging from the expression on the young driver's face he was simultaneously surprised, frustrated, and really, really royally ticked off that there wasn't a parking space large enough for his mammoth vehicle. A normal person would have been surprised if there had been one.

He didn't look like he would be pleased if we took a photo of him having a hissy-fit. And, after all, thanks to the N.R.A. and the politicians they've purchased, Florida's public beaches are now a free-fire zone. So we kept our hands and camera firmly out of sight.

As we began to wonder what kind of gas mileage he could possibly get compared to, say, a Boeing-747, we looked around and saw that this young super-truck driver was hardly alone. In every direction, in every row of parking spaces, a half dozen or more extra-large, non-economy sized vehicles were to be seen.

It occurred to us that most or all of the drivers of these monster trucks, SUVs, campers, and ridiculous-looking Hummers probably were there to grieve over what seems almost certain to be the death of a clean, pristine Pensacola Beach. And, like us, they're probably mad as hell at BP Corp. for taking too many risks to satisfy our gluttonous appetite for oil.

What's wrong with this picture? Below is a small sample, taken from just three rows of parked vehicles.