I had my first ever ocean experience yesterday. Linsey and I had been cramped up in the house for the past few days sorting through our boxes and looking for jobs so we decided to take a break and head to the beach. The beach in Clearwater is amazing. The sand is so fine that it feels as if your walking on baby powder, not to mention that it is probably the whitest sand I've ever seen. The waves were quite calm while we were there, only averaging a foot or two high with an occasional rogue wave that plowed into us unexpectedly. I was amazed at how warm the water was. I'm used to the great lakes where you have to run up to the waters edge and dip your toes in to see if it's feasible for the rest of your body to enter. The water here is even warmer than any lap pool I have ever swam in and the view down the beach is spectacular. It's littered with brightly colored high rise hotels and condos with carefully manicured lawns. Dozens of small shops ranging from surf shops to small tropical themed restaurants line the beach and many of the inland roads. We stayed in the water near pier 60 for roughly a half hour before heading back home for dinner.


This morning I went out for a bike ride around 10am when the sun wasn't at its hottest. It was 85 degrees and I'm still not acclimated to the heat so it was a rough ride. I headed southwest from our apartment and met up with a bike trail that runs almost the entire length of Pinellas County, from the southern tip of St Petersburg up to the north side of Tarpon Springs spanning a total distance of roughly 40 miles. I took the trail south about 6-7 miles and then took a small causeway over to the islands that line the west coast of Pinellas County. The picture from the left is on the island.
While I was heading south on the bike trail, I came upon a road crossing where a man driving what looked like an old Volkswagon had stopped to let me cross. The man had a huge grin on his face and excitedly waved me across the roadway. The man looked exactly like Michael Jackson, pale white skin, nose and all. I waved back to thank him and continued on my way wishing I would have had the sense to request a photo with him. The rest of the day I had Man in the Mirror stuck in my head.

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