Our last day of the trip was a good way to end the adventure. We left Tarpon Springs about 7:30 and went to a breakfast place called Yumlette, a few miles down the trail on the Pinellas Trail. It was the best breakfast I’ve had in a while. Eggs, corned beef hash, and toast. Mmmm.
We had a shorter day planned and our pickup was scheduled for about 2PM. So we decided to leave the trail and tack on a side trip out to Clearwater Beach and Belleair Beach islands. I’ve been to Clearwater Beach many times in my younger days, but not recently. It’s changed a lot since I was a teenager. I rolled my bike out and dipped the tires in the Gulf water, and soaked my feet for a few minutes before washing the sand off and continuing on our way. We went over some causeways to get to and from the islands, which provided great photo ops. It’s really nice that there are wide and separated lanes for pedestrians and bikes on the connecting causeways.
We connected back up with the Pinellas Trail, taking us all the way through to the St. Petersburg pier. We rode out to the end of the pier and took a picture of the completed trip. Atlantic to the Gulf in 5 days!
At the pier, I spotted a vendor selling giant sno cones. I got one and it felt sooooo good to eat something cold and wet. It was a really hot sunny day again, so the ice felt wonderful.
Randy’s wife graciously volunteered to pick us up in St. Petersburg. On the drive back to Brooksville, I ran over a nail and we had to divert to a tire shop to get it repaired. About 45 minutes later, we were back underway. A good dinner at Chipotle made for a nice finish to the day. My laundry is being washed and I will soon be packing up to head home. Another new tour in the books.
This has been a fun trip. I’ve never toured with Randy before, so it was nice to spend some time getting caught up on life and doing something we both enjoy.
I’m done cycling for 2026. Not sure what 2027 will bring! Stay tuned.
Peace, Dcn. Matt
