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Tar-Removing Tip For Beach-Bound Spring Breakers And Vacationers
As I pounded barefoot through the surf, I was struck by the fact that this beach, which shall remain nameless, was almost empty. It was bizarre, because usually there are lots of other runners, walkers and even the occasional horseback rider, all of whom come to take advantage of the mile-and-a-half-long swath of smooth sand. I also love this location because I never fail to see dolphins, but today, no dice.
After my run, I headed back to the car. Because I was trying to beat weekend traffic, I just brushed the sand off the tops of my feet and put my socks and shoes back on. I arrived at my parents' house an hour later, and, upon removing my socks, discovered why the beach was deserted. Apparently one of the many offshore oil rigs had recently had an accident, because the bottoms of my feet were literally blackened with tar.
Fortunately, my 80-year-old mom spends a lot of time trawling the Internet, and she had the solution ... sort of. "I'm pretty sure it's mayonnaise," she said. "That, or peanut butter." Which is how I ended up sitting on my parents' kitchen floor, rubbing both substances on my left foot with one hand, while trying to fend off their dogs with the other.
For the record, a cup of peanut butter works, although I don't recommend you use chunky, given the choice.
[Photo credit: Flickr user Tommy Petroni]
Filed under: Learning, Surfing, North America, United States, Budget Travel, Luxury Travel
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mark S. Feb 23rd 2013 3:08PM
A little internet checking showed that the last oil spill in the Santa Barbara area was in 1969. The tar on your feet was from natural oil seeps. Here is a blurb from one website I found.
"The largest natural oil and gas seeps in the Western Hemisphere lie in the Santa Barbara Channel. According to the California State Lands Commission,they comprise more than 1,200 of the over 2,000 active submarine seeps along the California coast. Half of these occur within three miles of an area called Coal Oil Point, located just west of Santa Barbara near the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus. It is estimated that oil seepage for a single 6-mile stretch, including Coal Oil Point, averages 10,000 gallons of oil each day (240 barrels). Every 12 months about 86,000 barrels of oil seep into the ocean—the equivalent of the quantity of oil spilled in the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara. Since 1970, the quantity of oil that naturally seeps into the Santa Barbara Channel equals ~ 31 "1969" oil spills."
http://www.soscalifornia.org/problem.html
So, it is natural...so it must be good then, right? I wonder if drilling and removing the oil for use would relieve pressure and then diminish the amount of oil going into the water?