| Palm Harbor is about 30 miles north west of Tampa on the Gulf
coast of Florida. We stopped overnight there before continuing our journey
south. Pinellas county is on the western side of Tampa Bay with Tampa itself
to the east. At the southern end is a huge bridge over the entrance to the
bay. The county is very built up and we decided to bypass Tampa,
particularly since campsite space was getting rather hard to find and very
expensive.. |  |
 | The bridge is
pretty impressive as you drive over it too. There are many similar ones as the coast road crosses the
many bays, but most are rather smaller. Much of the land is very close to sea level and is often little
more than a sand bank. It is easy to see how hurricanes, and particularly
the associated storm surges, can cause so much havoc. This part of the coast
is also very built up. |
| We got sidetracked a bit when we spotted Mel's Diner, with its
traditionally-based curved design and lots of shiny chrome. It turned
out to be a chain but I'm sure our friend Mel would be at home here. |  |
 | We travelled down
another sandbank which seemed to be completely built up with no access for
the common man to the beach, and eventually found our way to Sarasota. |
| We are not much taken with cities but there is some good artwork
along the seafront, if only we could have found anywhere to stop and look at
it. It is, of course, peak season in Florida as the weather is warm and dry,
and everywhere is crowded with snow birds. I
suppose she is a nice girl, and loves her sailor... |  |
 | Eventually we
reached the south west corner and the city of Naples. We didn't actually go
there since our campsite was somewhat to the east of the town. But we did
take a day trip down to the southern coastal island of Marco. Plenty of big
houses ($1 million+) with not just a garage but a private dock on the canal
too. Alright for some. But again they have sold most of the coastline and
you can't get to the beach unless you own it. |
| Unless, of course, you are a brown pelican. This one was going all
shy on us. The rest were just asleep. |  |
 | We stood on the
dockside of the bay and wondered what happened when the wind blows, but
there was a fair bit of evidence around us. |
| Still there is no shortage of money here, and everybody has a
boat, and not just a small one. Radars on the mastheads etc. |  |
 | So we left the
island via the bridge and returned to the 'Seniors' park we had found a
space in. Then we moved on to the Everglades along the Tamiami Trail (US41). |
|