Beyond the Thunderdome

I was a bit skittish driving along under the 'thunderdome' this morning as I patrolled for sea turtles in the Ft. Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore. I had waited until 5:45 a.m., when the cloud-to-ground lightning subsided, before heading out, but still heard an occasional rumble. Luckily the rain was light.

This photo was taken about 6:45 a.m. I rounded the western tip of the island and discovered the heavy band of clouds which had hovered over me all morning stretched back over the Port of Pensacola and far beyond. I was quite impressed!