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It's easy to get lost in the city

By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published January 29, 2006

	[Times photo: Lance Aram Rothstein]
	Bill Thompson paddles west on the Pithlachascotee River toward the Grand Boulevard bridge last Sunday in the James E. Grey Preserve in New Port Richey.

NEW PORT RICHEY - After paddling around for an hour and a half, we reached a tricky fork in the Pithlachascotee River.

The water split three ways. Daylight was fading. There were no trail markers and no landmarks, only 50-foot palm trees and scattered waterfowl to see where we went.

St. Petersburg Times photographer Lance Rothstein unfolded a hand-drawn map and suggested we follow the river to the right. That was my gut feeling, too, although for a brief moment, I thought of the pictures Lance's sister took of us leaving the boat ramp, and I wondered whether those snapshots would end up in the hands of a search team.

Lance resumed paddling, and I jotted down descriptions of the scenery: thickets of sea grass, a gnarled tree branch raking the water, the dark river glinting like obsidian.

Our red kayak rounded one bend, then another, and next thing I knew, we were facing another fork in the river.

We had made a giant circle.

Which was a relief, because at least the wrong path brought us back to the fork, where we should've turned left. I'm just glad it was a short detour.

You wouldn't know it from the parade of strip malls on U.S. 19, or the patchwork of neighborhoods and condominiums off Grand Boulevard, but it's possible to feel lost in the wilderness within the city limits of New Port Richey.

That's because there are two Cotee Rivers: the civilized waterway that runs past houses, Sims Park and the future home of Main Street Landing downtown, and the wild waterway that snakes through the James E. Grey Preserve in the southeastern corner of the city.

New Port Richey officials have linked the two with a 21/2-mile canoe trail dotted with city parks. Two weeks ago I told my editor about the latest addition, Grand Boulevard Park, which is slated to open in March with a small boat dock, playground, picnic tables and restrooms.

He said, "We need to get you in a canoe."

Thankfully, Lance had a kayak and some experience on the river. We pushed off last Sunday afternoon from River Park, paddled up to the Grand Boulevard Park, then on to Frances Avenue Park and the Grey preserve. We went at a leisurely pace, stopping to chat with boaters and photograph some wildlife, and finished within two hours.

The trip is a treat for bird-watchers. We spotted a great blue heron, a snowy egret, a night heron and a kingfisher, along with two osprey nests and a couple of woodpeckers drilling for snacks.

The journey can also be a bit tiring, especially if you're not used to sitting on a hard plastic seat, legs outstretched, for a couple of hours at a time.

That's where the city parks come in. You can start at River Park, stop at Grand Boulevard or Frances Avenue to eat your lunch and stretch your legs, and continue on to the 80-acre preserve. It takes about a half-hour to get from one park to the next.

It's a great concept, although officials admit the trail needs a little more work. For one thing, the boat dock at the Grey preserve is a good quarter-mile from the parking lot. That's quite a trek when you're carrying a 50-pound kayak.

The city will build a road next year allowing visitors to drive right up to the dock and park there, parks and recreation director Bob Consalvo said.

After hearing about our wrong turn on the river, Consalvo said he would also look into adding trail markers or signs at key points along the river. Doing so might require approval from state or federal agencies, he said.

"You can get mixed up there in a couple of spots," Consalvo said. "I've done it myself." Luckily none of the detours goes very far, he said.

The city plans to promote the canoe trail with signs, brochures and maps, but the blitz is probably a year away, Consalvo said. First officials want to finish the Grand Boulevard Park and add more amenities to the Grey preserve. The latter will get nature trails, a mountain biking trail, nicer restrooms and more picnic spots within the next 18 months.

While the city is focused on redevelopment efforts - revitalizing downtown, luring retailers to U.S. 19 and sprucing up older neighborhoods - it's nice to see the parks folks showcasing New Port Richey's greatest natural resource, the Cotee River. Every city should have a place where you can lose yourself.

Bridget Hall Grumet covers New Port Richey. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505 ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is bhall@sptimes.com

[Last modified January 29, 2006, 01:28:20]