Hurricane Katrina corrupted my image of the area around Mobile, Ala.
Four months ago trucks stuffed with equipment and supplies clogged the dark, local highways as they made their way to rescue and recovery efforts.
Many trucks roared along at 80 mph and 90 mph knowing that local law enforcement was either tied up with bigger problems or simply didn’t care about the super-legal speeds.
Things appear more or less back to normal now – at least on the surface, in the dark, as we breezed into town.
Traffic is back to a humdrum stream of sedans, minivans and SUVs.
Power is fully restored and debris appears to be cleared.
Restaurants are again filled with people who are back to chatting about daily life, family and upcoming Christmas obligations.
Service stations are pumping gas again. Radio stations are back to their usual play lists, touting half-price specials at local bars, rather than listing locations for water, ice and other post-hurricane supplies.
On a dark cool night in December, it was odd not to see endless convoys streaming west.
We’ll see how it looks in the daylight, when we head to Dauphin Island and then to Long Beach, Miss.