I launched my kayak this afternoon from the Bay Pines War Memorial Park to gain access to the Cross Bayou area. There had been talk around 2003 of making it into a full fledged canoe trail, but I guess the County Parks Department has put it on hold until the upcoming elections are over.
I was a little leary of the powerboaters that were hauling ass all over Boca Ciega Bay, but soon found that the water up near the bridge and Pinellas Trail extension was too shallow for them.
As I neared the pilings supporting the Pinellas Trail, I soon found out why. The engineers had never bothered to remove the old stone and shell causeway that had once supported the old Coastline Railway bed, making passage nearly impossible for anything without a very shallow draft. I actually had to double back until I found a gap that only spanned a mere four support pilings wide area marked by some very small buoys that I had missed on my first pass. This was made so that a few scant boats could make it into a marina on the other side. All in all, the area is very safe for canoes or kayaks to navigate.
Once I got into the Cross Bayou section, I headed immediately to the area that ran along Park Street and it was'nt long before I was paddling right up to the backside of the old Milton Roy Building which had housed the very biggest of all the Straight Programs. I could clearly see the old caged in dock area where if we were good, Chris Casselor would lead guys raps from and I remembered this one rap where a huge afternoon storm came off the bay in the middle of the rap and the rain came down with hurricaine force, but we just kept right on up with it and got soaked to the skin with the rain blowing in sideways through the chain link fencing.
A little ways to the right was a meadow like area where they actually let us have outside raps until this guy named Mike from Tampa tried to split one early evening and brought it all to a close. In all, I was a part of I think 5 or 6 outside raps which were treasured by all, because we got in touch with nature and could see Great Blue Herons and other water birds fly by as we all talked. It was the scene of my very first "Love Rap" and watching the sun come down on this beautiful bayou area was breathtaking.
Now I am not trying to downplay the atrocities that happened in that facility, it is just that some poigniantly painful memories came up is all.
They had the perfect setting, yet they could not control it, or us for that matter, and after the Tampa Screw-up, this place had simply lost it's luster for the scum-bags that ran it. Once the Tampa families pulled out, there simply was not enough of a strong money base to continue operations there and that is when they pulled up stakes and moved us all into the Morgan Yacht Building behind Tyrone Square Mall. I hear tell that that is where the Seed first started.
I will leave you all with this...... The same damn building that was once called Milton Roy is now up for lease. Let's just pray that a legitimate firm rents it out. Happy 4th to everyone, Love, the one and only 85 Day Jerk
