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Days 227-232
Clearwater Fl.
We are both more than ready to move on from Clearwater. While it is a great town 30 days is more time than either of really want to spend in any one place. We have made our plans and have confirmed dockage for the next two weeks. We are hearing that the closer we get to Key West the harder it will be to get slip reservations. (They are also getting much more expensive!)
I have used our time here to catch up on maintenance. I was able to get the oil changed in both motors, the starboard side of the boat waxed, and four more zipper windows put in the isinglass, install an additional bilge pump, and a few other small projects. I have also washed the boat a couple of times. As much as I like Florida and the warmer weather (relative term, some days it is in the low 60's and I am not happy!!!) boating in salt water comes with more maintenance. Even when we don't move the boat, it get a salty crust on it and needs to be washed at least once a week.
We also did a lot more exploring around Clearwater. One day we took a 22 mile bike ride from Clearwater to Safety Harbor. On this ride we stopped at BayCare Ballpark, the home of the Philles Spring Training Camp and the Clearwater Threshers. Almost the entire ride was done on the Pinellas County Trail System. The trail system consists of over 50 miles of multiuse trails. You can go from Tarpon Springs to Tampa, and more. One thing we have seen is that the motorist are very away of the bikes and most of the time will yield to the bikes where the trails do cross the roads.
The electric bikes have been wonderful; right up until Angel got a flat tire. We were considering using Uber to take the bike back to the boat. Then Angel thought about seeing if there was a bike shop nearby. We ended up walking the bike ¾ of a mile to Hands On Bicycle, where Bullet (yes that was his name) quickly replaced the back tire and tube. He highly recommended replacing the tire as it was nearly bald. After checking my back tire, I went back the next day to have him do mine. I was VERY glad that we went there. After helping Bullet replace the tires on both bikes, I am not sure I could have done it on my own. Removing the rear tire on an electric bike is a lot different than on a pedal bike.
We spent our last day in Clearwater, stocking the boat up, and preparing to get back under way. It is true that when you stay put too long, you start to spread things out. We are very excited to get back into the routine of moving every couple of days.
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