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The Road To Clewiston

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This is Part 4 of my look back at my recent trip back to South Florida – my former home of 35+ years. It was my first trip back in nearly 9 months (38 weeks to be exact) – since the end of June 2025 – when I closed on the sale of my 30-year home.

Last week I wrote about my Wednesday with my brother – starting at Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise – continuing at Fuddruckers in Pembroke Pines – and finishing at Tate’s Comics + Toys + More in Lauderhill.

Early on Thursday March 26TH 2026 – me and my brother wished each other safe travels. He was headed to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (#FLL) for his return flight back to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (#DFW).

I was headed south along Hiatus Road, and then west along Oakland Park Boulevard, and then south along Flamingo Road, and then west and south along Panther Parkway / NW 136TH Avenue, and then west along Florida State Road 84, and then onto a tiny piece of I-75, and then finally north onto U.S. 27.

I arrived in “America’s Sweetest Town” – Clewiston – at around 9:20 AM, and I headed straight for the Clewiston Museum – right along U.S. 27. (Its right side faces the highway, and its front side faces Central Avenue.)

This was my 2ND visit to their museum. My 1ST visit occurred on October 21ST 2021 while I was driving through on my way from Homestead to Tampa to attend a concert. The 40-year-old museum was closed for several weeks of renovations in August and September 2024, and I’ve wanted to check it out again ever since then. They are open 5 days a week – Mondays to Fridays – from 9 AM to 4 PM. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (50+), and $5 for children and students. Upon entry I had a very nice conversation with Rosie at the front desk. She was going to do me a favor and give me the senior discount, and then I informed her that I’m 59 anyway. She was astonished. She said I looked like I was in my “mid-40s”. I’ll look for Rosie again on my next visit. I’ll also hope to meet the Director of the museum to share ideas with each other.

Next stop – Arby’s at Love’s near Moore Haven – my favorite rest stop about 1 hour and 15 minutes from home. I watched this truck stop / gas station / convenience store / restaurant being built as I drove by 4 times in September and October 2016 and February 2017. I knew back then that I would be a future customer of their fuel, food, and bathrooms. They opened in March 2017, and I’ve been a regular customer almost every time I’ve driven through the area. From my former home to my current home (northward) it’s at almost exactly the two-thirds point of that drive.

I returned home at 12:36 PM EDT on that Thursday March 26TH 2026, and my 420-mile road-trip was complete. It was my longest stay in South Florida since the week I retired 25 months earlier. It was my first multi-night stay in Homestead / Florida City since December 2024.

I figured I would write 2 parts for this #TravelThursday series, but once I got going writing it – I wanted to include more material. It expanded to 3 parts, and then (of course) 4 parts. I enjoyed writing this series, but even more important – I loved being able to hang out with members of my former home church family, former coworker friends, and definitely my brother of 51 years in West Broward.

This was a great road-trip that I’ll remember for years to come – especially since I’ve documented much of it here over the past 4 weeks.

Next #TravelThursday – I’m going on a cruise. I’ll reveal where I’m going. It’s not where you may think. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Commerce Driving Food Geography Shopping Travel

Sawgrass Mills Mall

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This is Part 3 of my look back at my recent trip back to South Florida – my former home of 35+ years. It was my first trip back in nearly 9 months (38 weeks to be exact) – since the end of June 2025 – when I closed on the sale of my 30-year home.

Last week I wrote about my Tuesday – starting in Homestead and ending in West Broward. This week – it’s my Wednesday – Day 4 of my trip.

We went to Sawgrass Mills Mall – one of the top tourist attractions in Broward County (after the beaches). The mall attracts locals and visitors regionally, nationally, and globally – perhaps up to 25 million annually. We got there before they opened, so we entered through Target on the northeast end. The mall was fairly quiet after its 10 AM opening time, but it gradually got busier as the morning progressed. By the time we left about 3 hours later it was busy – even congested in areas.

Fun Facts: Back in 1984 groundbreaking began on the MASSIVE Potomac Mills Mall in Prince William County Virginia – about 30 miles away from home. It opened for business in September 1985 – 3 months after I had left home for the USAF. I think we may have visited the mall as a family 2 months later in-between my tech school in Illinois and my first duty assignment overseas in the U.K. And we visited on a fairly regular basis over the next 11 years every time I visited my family in Northern Virginia. (They moved to Jacksonville Florida in 1996.) Shortly after I arrived at my next duty assignment in Homestead Florida – groundbreaking began on Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise – about 55 miles away from home. It opened in October 1990. I’ve been visiting the mall ever since then – less frequently over the past couple of decades. You can easily spend the entire day there, and some visitors do.

After the mall we ventured southward along scary I-75 to Pembroke Pines and Fuddruckers. I enjoyed eating at Fuddruckers down in the Kendall area of Miami-Dade County for over 20 years, and it was a favorite of my brother as well in Florida, Texas, and Ohio. He doesn’t have Fuddy’s (as we affectionately call it) where he lives now, as the nearest ones are down in South Texas and over in West Texas. Our lunch at Fuddy’s was wonderful – just as we remembered it.

From Fuddy’s we drove lots of various roads through the heart of West Broward – venturing in and out of many of its suburbs. We ended up at Tate’s Comics + Toys + More along North University Drive in Lauderhill. It’s a huge 10,000-square-foot store of (literally) comics, toys, and more. I’ve been to a lot of comic book and sports card stores with my brother (that’s his hobby), and generally after about 5 minutes – I’m bored. It was hard to get bored at that megastore, as there was so much to see there. My brother was recording short videos in the store (with permission I believe) for his popular YouTube site.

So – it looks like there will be a Part 4 of this current series. Next #TravelThursday – I’ll head out of South Florida and onto “The Road To Clewiston”. I’ll check out their historic museum along U.S. 27. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Christian Church Commerce Driving Food Geography Home Nature Shopping Travel

Homestead / Florida City

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. A couple of Sunday mornings ago I departed for my former home of 35+ years – Homestead Florida (at the south-end of Miami-Dade County). It was my first trip back in nearly 9 months (38 weeks to be exact) – since the end of June 2025 – when I closed on the sale of my 30-year home.

I departed my current home about 50 minutes before sunrise, and I arrived at my former home church in Homestead about an hour before the start of the 11 AM service. (It was a typical 3-hour and 20-minute drive.)

It was a great Sunday morning service – with wonderful Praise + Worship music and a relevant sermon from the Lead Pastor. And it was great to see everyone again. (I wrote about this church a couple of weeks ago on #SundayScripture. You can link to it here.)

I enjoyed ministering at the church from 2015 to 2024, and I learned a lot from the Lead Pastor. But nowadays it’s great sitting in the back row with friends as a guest observer and worshiper.

A small group of us went to Texas Roadhouse for lunch (my choice). I had a gift card from last year, and there is no Texas Roadhouse back home. Fellowship, food, and service were all great. I got to catch-up with everyone. I plan to visit again perhaps in 6 months. We have some birthdays to celebrate in September.

I checked-in to my hotel for 2 nights, and I settled in until the next day.

Day 2 was Monday, and after filling up with gas and shopping at Kohl’s – I met two former coworkers / bosses (also retired like me) at Longhorn Steakhouse. We enjoyed lunch together and reminisced, and we’ll probably meet again in 6 months.

After lunch I headed to the tiny mainland portion of Biscayne National Park (at the western edge of Biscayne Bay) for the 3RD time in the past 15½ years. I previously visited in October 2010 and May 2016. In April 2019 I actually took a fun boat tour of the 95% of the Park that is water. (Embarkation of that tour was actually about 10 miles up the coast at the Deering Estate.)

Biscayne National Park was stunningly packed when I arrived at 12:40 PM on Monday. There were only a few empty parking spaces remaining in their relatively large parking lot. I couldn’t believe it. Why were all of those people there ? Oh – Spring Break continued. I stayed there for about 2 hours, and by the time I left there were more empty parking spaces.

A lot of people were fishing at the Park. I have some unpopular opinions about that, but I’ll keep them to myself (as a non-fisherman). I didn’t appreciate how portions of the narrow bridge / walkway were essentially blocked by groups of people fishing (and not particularly watching who was walking behind them or in-between them). It was kind of a safety hazard. But who I am to raise a concern ? I’m just a tourist now. It may be another 10 years before my next visit.

Back in Homestead I hit some stores, and Starbucks, and Outback Steakhouse where I enjoyed dinner with a former coworker friend. And then it was back to my hotel for the 2ND of 2 nights.

The Homestead / Florida City half of my trip to South Florida was planned and implemented perfectly. I’m looking forward to my next visit later this year.

I’m headed to West Broward County for the next 2 days to hang out with my brother visiting from the Dallas Texas area. I’ll write about it – next – #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Commerce Driving Food Geography Home Shopping Travel

Publix

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last month (February) was Homecoming Month. I wrote about driving around Florida and walking around my neighborhood (Feb. 05TH), the Avon Park Depot Museum (Feb. 12TH), the Sebring Historical Society (Feb. 19TH), and the Charles F. Weigle House Museum & Gift Shop (Feb. 26TH). This week I write about a place that is quintessential Florida, and that is – Publix – where shopping is a pleasure.

Publix is my playground. It’s my favorite store in the entire world. I’ve spent more money at Publix over the past 33 years than any other store, and it’s not even close. And this month – March – does indeed mark 33 years as a Publix customer. I first started shopping at Publix in Melbourne Florida when I moved there in March 1993. I shopped at Publix # 704 on South Babcock (built in 1959). I lived a half-mile away from there.

When I moved back to partially rebuilt (post Hurricane Andrew) Homestead a year later in 1994 the Publix (# 510) on U.S. 1 eventually became my new go-to store. And then a 2ND Publix (# 1029) opened in Homestead in 2005. And then a 3RD Publix (# 1136) opened in Homestead in 2007. I shopped at all 3 almost equally. # 510 was my “Original Publix”. # 1029 was my “Work Publix”. # 1136 was my “New Publix”. They were each located just a few miles away from each other. They each had their own unique character. And then a 4TH Publix (# 1229) opened in Homestead just a mile down the road from my longtime neighborhood – a year after I had moved away to Sebring.

And now my Publix (# 1347) – opened in 2008 – is my home away from home – just a couple of miles away from home. I would not have moved to Sebring if there was no Publix. We have 3 Publix stores here in Highlands County, and I’ve never been to the other 2. (No need to.)

Nowadays I average about 40 Publix visits per year, and that’s actually down from my 2015 to 2023 average of 60 visits per year. (I often went to my “Work Publix” for lunch when I was working in Homestead.)

“But Chris – Publix is so expensive. How can you afford it there ?”

I probably don’t pay what you pay at Publix. I meticulously create my shopping list on their digital app based on weekly sales, BOGOs, and coupons. (Wednesday is a great day, as that’s the day they reveal their new weekly ad online.) I typically save anywhere from $10 to $30 or more on my average Publix receipt. Most of the items on my receipt are on sale. And everything I buy is actually less expensive than Walmart. (Believe it or not – I only go to Walmart about 8 to 10 times a year – more so now than I did when I lived in Homestead. Both of our Walmart stores are nicer here.)

So when I enter a Publix store I become noticeably happier. I belong there. If you see me singing in the aisles it could be because of the awesome music that’s playing on the sound system. Long live the ’80s and ’90s !

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll begin a multiple part series on a unique agriculture and natural resources tour of the local area. Go Gators ! Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp