On the coast

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

DUNEDIN, FL – This morning John and Fawn rolled up on a pair of bicycles and announced they would be ours to use for the duration of our stay! A couple of neighbours were putting them into storage because they had bought new ones, so they asked if they’d be willing to let us use them and they agreed. We are delighted. It will mean we can go exploring whenever we feel like it.
Once we were organized, we set out as a foursome along the Pinellas Trail into the town of Dunedin. The bike trail is wide and paved – some of it built on an old railway trackbed – and it means you can get around without having to worry about road traffic.
The town of Dunedin is actually named after Edinburgh in Scotland (that’s the “edin” part) and there is a strong Scottish tradition here, including Highland games and pipe bands. It was established in 1899, and there are still some charming old homes along the shoreline with wide verandahs and large windows overlooking the water.
After a gruelling 15-minute trek along the path, we decided we needed to refresh ourselves, so we stopped at Kelly’s, a little restaurant in the town, where there is a lovely outdoor terrace with a large canvas roof to provide shade, and lush palm trees surrounding it. We enjoyed a tasty meal of spinach salad, shrimp omelette, fruit and granola and warm raspberry and pecan muffins between the four of us, washed down with beer or iced tea.
Our bike hike continued through the town and westward to the shore where there was another path right along the water. Across the way we could see Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island, where each has a state park and marina. There were lots of marinas on the mainland as well, with expensive yachts bobbing in their slips, and large birds flying overhead. At a couple of spots along the edge of the water, there were tall poles with large saucers mounted on top where ospreys had set up nests of branches and Spanish moss. One osprey flew over our heads with wings spread wide, landing on the nest where we could hear babies screeching plaintively. The parent bird glared at us as we watched, clearly relieved to see us remount our bikes and pedal away.
At another spot along the shore there was a row of posts heading out into the water, and on each one was perched a pelican or other seabird, looking almost like a military troop ready to move off in formation. Fawn spotted a fish jumping out of the water, but all I could see after she pointed it out was the ring of ripples indicating where it had happened. You have to be quick!
I’m sure I will have a few stiff muscles tomorrow after our expedition, not having ridden a bicycle for any length of time in years, but it was a most pleasant way to spend an afternoon!