Our Chevrolet Trailblazer was cursed.
The relationship didn’t start well when we realized 10 miles out of Tampa that the CD player didn’t work. The fact it didn’t have keyless entry was a nuisance.
But the deal breaker came this morning when photographer Kathy Moore realized the rear hatch wouldn’t lock.
This insight came, of course, after we left $4,000 worth of gear in the truck overnight, essentially unprotected.

I explained the situation to the nice people at Avis in Mobile, Ala., and they immediately set aside the last large vehicle they had left: a Chrysler minivan.
I joked with the woman at Avis that I’d try to find a family to ride with us for the rest of the journey.
She didn’t laugh.
“We’ll be there in 30 minutes,” I said in a deadpan tone.
We arrived at the Mobile airport and emptied the hapless SUV on a sidewalk and I went to get the minivan.
“Did you find a family?” the woman at the Avis desk asked.
I liked her immediately.
Minutes later, we were back in action.
Working CD player? Check.
Keyless entry? Check.
Locking hatch? Check.
Who new you could find salvation in a minivan?

From there we went to Dauphin Island, which teetered on the bizarre.
Among the ruin are several brand new apartment or condominium developments underway, standing right next to storm-ravaged homes still steeply raked on their stilts, as if the storm had hit overnight. Many of the homes were without walls or entire roofs. It was like someone had freeze-framed the lives of the occupants before the storm.
The main drag has been plowed clear of blizzard-like piles of sand from the storm, but huge chunks of road are still missing, filled in with sand and other debris.

Video from Dauphin Island

Power and water haven’t been restored to most of the western half of the island, and many of the homes look like they might never be habitable again.
It could be a long time before Dauphin Island is back to normal.
At this moment, we are dining at a little seafood restaurant just off the island.
A sign outside reads: “We’re here, why aren’t you….”