Our plan was to head to Tampa today, but this morning we changed our minds and headed for Clearwater Beach. With the Gps set to the interstate 75 and a breakfast settled in our tummies off we went. We headed south listening to Oprah radio when a few miles down the road, at a rest stop, I picked up some brochures of the area and decided we should take a detour off the beaten track. Convincing the GPS to cooperate was another thing as it wanted to stay on the main roads. I finally turned it off and used the old fashioned map to set our course before entering it in the GPS. It was a battle of wills between me and the gps today. I am not sure who one out as it diverted us from Weeki Wichee , the home of mermaids, a town on my wish list, but we did end up back on route 98 down the coastal highway as we wanted. The road was not as scenic as yesterday, but alas I did find another alternative road further on that we could take and it was lovely. We passed many small harbour towns as we meandered along and took advantage of the local sites. The three and four story houses on the ocean front where unbelievable with their boat docks and boat lifts. No wee cottage by the sea that is for sure. Small sail boats dotted the coastline and looked very picturesque bobbing on their anchor about 500 feet off shore. Tarpon Harbour and Dunedin and just beyond hosted wonderful harbours with a variety of large and small boats. To Roger it was a sailor’s paradise and he can’t wait to see a few more harbours as we continue our venture. Just as a side note; the town of Dunedin is a sister town of Sterling Scotland. It even has a bagpipe player on the sign. (Sterling was our home base on our trip to Scotland).Equally enchanting was the small strip of villages before the causeway to Clearwater beach.
Clearwater Beach is a bustling place and is part of long string of resort communities that join together along a strip of land off of the main land. If it were not for a sign you would not know you had entered a different beach community. After driving the strip we decided to stay in Clearwater beach as it seemed most scenic with good access to the water. The fog rolled in around the time we arrived so I have not taken any pictures yet, although I have high hopes for tomorrow as they are forecasting a 23 C day. We are staying in a remodelled Best Western Hotel Resort right on the gulf with a private beach. The pool is heated and looks very inviting as do the hammocks along the beach. We have a great room on the fourth floor with a view of the water and the best part is that it is half price as tourism is down and there is competition between hotels. Lucky for us as this area is usually very expensive.
We have booked for 2 nights here and will stay longer if we want more time to explore. It is hard to believe we have been on the road a week already and I can see the time just flying by until we are home. We do miss everyone at home, but not the cold and I hear it is very cold there.
Goodnight all and stay warm.
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