Shrimp boats wait for a promising sign on the Gulf Coast.

Of course, as a veteran travelers, you already know this. What you may not know is how you can personally help to protect, preserve and heal the Gulf Coast — both the physical natural environment and also the welfare of those who live and work in Gulf states — following the mind-boggling blow it has been dealt by the failure of BP’s deepwater oil well.

Here’s our primer of some very easy ways you can make an immediate difference in Gulf states destinations:
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Ash above the Iceland volcano, as seen by a NASA satellite. Full disclosure: we lightened the image a bit in Photoshop to make it easier to see the details.

We captured this NASA satellite image of the Iceland volcano the other day. Yes, it’s been out of the news (mostly) but it’s still sending ash into the sky.

The thing is, disruptive as it is to travel, with the perversity of color digital imagery, it’s actually kind of beautiful from space. We thought you’d like to take a look.

Extra credit if you can pronounce it: Eyjafjallajokull.