gulf beaches

A relaxing day at one of the Tarpon Springs beaches

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Yesterday we had a very relaxing time at the beach at Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The beach is on a small island at the end of a long causeway road. For $5 you get a parking pass good until dusk of that day.

Not a cloud in the sky, but very windy

Not a cloud in the sky, but very windy

We could park in the regular parking spaces

We could park in the regular parking spaces

We got there about 10:30 in the morning and enjoyed watching several guys wind surfing. My did the gusty winds send them flying across the water! Then it was back to the RV for lunch. This location is yet another example of why we love our 24′ Class C coach. The parking lot had spaces that allowed us to park. We could not have done that with a trailer/truck combo or a larger coach.

After lunch we took a walk along the beach. It was invigorating with the wind, but enjoyable all the same. After our walk Sher went back to the RV and I lingered a bit to take some pictures. We even took a little nap mid afternoon!

 

 

The causeway leading from the beach back to the mainland

The causeway leading from the beach back to the mainland

 

A local resident perched on the shower stand

A local resident perched on the shower stand

After our nap we stretched and did a bit of work online. Then another stroll on the beach to enjoy the sun and sand. When it got to be around 5:30 we headed out back across the causeway. We then took a drive through the mainland park. The trees and other vegetation were striking. This park has a great design. There are several shelter houses that can be rented for parties or family get togethers. The layout is such that each shelter house is sheltered (pun intended) from the view of the others. Privacy is a good thing.

All in all we had a fantastic day. It is days like this that make you grateful to be able to live this crazy RV lifestyle.

 

One of the magnificent old trees in the park

One of the magnificent old trees in the park

 

 

 

 

Sam’s Beach Bar in Hudson, Florida

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Nice sidewalk, sand, but not next to the water.

Nice sidewalk, sand, but not next to the water.

Today Sher and I headed over to Hudson, Florida in hopes of going to an auction nearby. The auction was not what we expected, and we were glad we got there early as we did not waste any time there. That is when we headed on to Hudson. We had yet to see the Gulf since we have been in Florida this winter. We found a great little “beach” in a city park. Note the quotes around beach. The sand was there, however it stopped at the sidewalk before the water!

The bar at Sam's Beach Bar

The bar at Sam’s Beach Bar

Right next to the sidewalk was a cute establishment named Sam’s Beach Bar. What the heck, let’s see what was on the menu. Things looked good, so we were seated out on the patio. The sun was out, the temperatrue was in the mid 70’s, and there was a very nice breeze.

Open air patio in the background at Sam's

Open air patio in the background at Sam’s

I ordered the 1/2 pound burger, topped with fixin’s including a great slab of cheddar cheese. It came with a good serving of seasoned fries. Sher had a side of fries and a large bowl of freshly made cole slaw. Tasty, tasty, tasty! We really enjoyed the meal. It was also fun sitting on the patio. We kept wondering how the place kept all the seagulls from attacking everyone’s food. There were tons of those birds, but they would not fly over the open patio at all.

Burger with all the fixin's and seasoned fries: it doesn't get any better!

Burger with all the fixin’s and seasoned fries: it doesn’t get any better!

Delicious freshly made cole slaw

Delicious freshly made cole slaw

 

Sam’s Beach Bar is worth your visit if you get to Hudson, Florida. (Hudson is north of Clearwater on Highway 19.) The parking was a city owned lot, pay your $2 and you are good ‘from dawn until dusk’ as the sign says. The view over the water was calm and peaceful, as was our meal at Sam’s.

Clearwater: A beautiful place

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The boardwalk to the Sand Key Beach

The boardwalk to the Sand Key Beach

We are in Clearwater,Florida today. We got here around 11 this morning. The strip down by the beach was packed with cars and pedestrians enjoying the nice weather. It is cloudy, but the temperature is very mild, and it is so much warmer than the midwest now we are really loving it!

We found a very nice public park with lots of beach frontage. Sand Key Park has lots of parking, although there were very few people there when we were. I guess Tuesdays are not the busiest times for beach visits.

Pretty widflower on the beach

Pretty widflower on the beach