Tarpon Springs, Florida – The Sponge Docks

We had begun the day with intentions of cycling the Pinellas Trail from Tarpons Springs to St. Petersburg but when it began to rain and remain cold, we decided to turn back at about the 30 km mark and take a rather leisurely return to our vehicle in Tarpon Springs.

Tarpon Springs was once a major source of natural sponges harvested from the ocean floor by trained divers. Although artificial sponges have long since replaced much of the demand for sponges, Tarpon Springs remains a busy port on the west coast of Florida with plenty for the tourist to see and buy.

Althogh the rain had stopped, the forecast did not look promising and more clouds were gathering in the distance so, as darkness began to arrive, we once again drove off into the night and headed further south to a campsite in the Everglades south of Miami in search of sunshine and warmer temperatures.