Ream Wilson Trail - Revisted

Hi Blog! Today is Monday, March 2, 2015. It is our first full day in Clearwater. We are eagerly awaiting visits from various family members later this month. To get ready for company, we arranged to have our truck and RV power washed and waxed. The mobile wash truck came bright and early, so we let Eddie and George sleep in today. Three hours later, Baxter finally came out from under the bed covers. As soon as Baxter hears anyone walking on the roof, he goes into hiding. He is certain there are monsters up there!

The day started out really foggy. The air was so dense with moisture that our rain sensor kept closing our ceiling fan vent lid. By mid-morning, the fog had burned off and the truck and rig were bright and shiny in the noon day sun. We didn't have anything else planned for today because we were not sure how long it would take to clean the rig. We had stayed in Clearwater two years ago and remembered there were lots of bike trails near the campground. After a quick check of our blog from March 2013, we decided to take another spin on the Ream Wilson Trail. We left our campground on Gulf to Bay Boulevard and rode down Bayview Road and picked up the trail in the Eddie C. Moore Recreation Complex. Here is a map of the Eastern Section of the trail.

Here Kathy takes a break on the bridge of McMullen Booth Road.

The trail followed Bayshore Boulevard. Here are the types of houses looking out over the bay.

Before long, we enter the quiet little town of Safety Harbor. The name Safety Harbor originated from the early 18th century, when pirates were a substantial influence in the area. Once ships reached this area of the bay, all threats from pirates were gone, and it was commonly referred to as a "Safe Harbor".

The greenway along Bayshore Boulevard is beautifully landscaped with all kinds of interesting art along the bike path. We couldn't resist sharing this little guy with you. Is it an alien, a duck or mystic sitting cross-legged contemplating the fate of the universe? Only you can tell.

The ibis certainly like the greenway, except when the bike riders get a little too close.

Safety Harbor is the home of the historic Espiritu Santo Springs, or "Springs of the Holy Spirit", a natural mineral spring. Its waters were given this name in 1539 by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, who was supposedly searching for the mythical "Fountain of Youth". Espiritu Santo water was bottled and sold commercially, and later a health spa and hotel were built over the springs. To commemorate the old spring, a new fountain was built across the street from the hotel.

Next stop, Veterans Memorial Marina Park. Some of the locals gather to give their birds some fresh air.

We took a walk out on the marina pier. The water was so shallow these guys were just standing around.

The folks in Safety Harbor love their mailboxes. They range from the sublime to the comical.

Just on the other side of Safety Harbor, we came upon Philippe Park. This bayview park was acquired in 1948, making it the oldest park in the county. The park bears the name of Count Odet Philippe who introduced grapefruit and other citrus to Florida. The existing park property was part of the original Philippe plantation from which several citrus trees still remain.

The park has numerous picnic and beach areas.  These little puppies seem to be enjoying a small stretch of white sand beach.

Once we explored the park, we turned our bikes around and headed for home.  All this pedaling builds up a powerful thirst. We didn't remember the name of the dive bar we stopped at two years ago, so we did a quick Around Me search and came up with a list of possibilities.  Once we started down Main Street, it didn't take long to recognize it. We stopped, had a refreshment - "Cheers!" - and then biked the final miles home.