Category: Driving

From Texas To Florida

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date February 27, 2025

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Exactly 16 years ago here on my blog – I wrote about my road-trip westward from the Jacksonville Florida area (specifically Fleming Island in Clay County) to the Dallas Texas area (specifically Allen in Collin County).

This was a very unique road-trip. It was a relocation road-trip for my parents. After a dozen years of living at 3 different homes in and around the Jacksonville area – they moved to the Dallas area to be close to my younger brother and his wife. My dad had Lou Gehrig’s Disease at the time, and it would ultimately end his life the following year in 2010.

The moving truck had already come and gone – headed to Texas. All that was left was to drive from Homestead to Fleming Island, pick-up my parents and their cat Pumpkin, and head west. And so that’s what I did. I left Homestead shortly before 4:30 AM on that Tuesday, and I drove about 375 miles to my parents’ home (which was deeded over to me). They got in my mom’s car, and I drove her car. We drove about 345 miles westward along I-10 on that first day, and we made it to Milton Florida (just east of Pensacola). We ate Dinner at a fancy Mexican restaurant called La Hacienda. (It’s still there today.)

We got back on the road again on Wednesday morning. We made it another 415 miles – straight into the heart of Louisiana. You know – timing is everything – and we hadn’t planned on it – but we got mixed in with very heavy traffic coming out of New Orleans. It was Ash Wednesday – the day after Mardi Gras. Thousands of tourists were heading north out of New Orleans. I remember us eating Lunch at IHOP, and it was jam-packed. I also remember us missing National Pancake Day at IHOP by exactly one day.

We stayed at a hotel in Alexandria – near their airport. Their airport used to be England Air Force Base for 50 years until 1992.

Incidentally – Pumpkin the cat – who didn’t care too much for me – stayed with me in my hotel room for both nights. (We stayed at pet-friendly hotels.) Pumpkin was completely terrified during the trip – especially in the hotel rooms. It was quite the chore chasing that big heavy cat out from underneath the bed.

On the 3RD day (Thursday) we arrived at my brother’s and sister-in-law’s house in Allen Texas. It was about 1,075 miles in my mom’s car. It was the first and last time I ever drove that car.

Meanwhile – my own car was still sitting in Florida on my parents’ former driveway. I flew back to Jacksonville International Airport on that Saturday. I then took a taxi back to my car some 35 miles away. I then drove 375 miles back home to Homestead – arriving late at night.

You think I have such a great memory from exactly 16 years ago ? Not so much. Most of these facts were copied and pasted from that blog post that I originally wrote.

I think I’m driving to Arcadia Florida today. If I am then I’ll let you know how it went – next #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Carnival, Colon, Costa Rica, Cruise, Limon, Panama, Panama Canal, Panama City

Blogging Driving Geography Travel

Panama Canal

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date February 20, 2025

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Exactly 15 years ago today in 2010 I was on the final day at sea of an 8-day Carnival Freedom cruise to and from Central America. It was my 9TH Carnival cruise (out of 16), and my 14TH cruise overall (out of 24).

This cruise ship (Carnival Freedom) was special to me in that I sailed it from Rome Italy (Civitavecchia) – through the Mediterranean – and across the Atlantic over to Miami Florida for its inaugural homecoming cruise in late-October / early-November 2007. In other words – I was on the cruise that brought it to the U.S.A. for the first time ever. It was – and still is – my favorite (and longest) cruise ever.

This specific cruise (exactly 15 years ago) was special to me in that it included two brand new nations / ports-of-call for me – Limón Costa Rica, and Colón Panama.

Upon arrival in Colón a group of us (who booked the same shore excursion) boarded a coach bus, and we took the 55-mile trek from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Transisthmian Highway (Pan-American Highway). At one point during the trek southeastward we reached a security checkpoint where we came to a complete stop and allowed armed military police on-board to visually check us to make sure that we were legitimate tourists. They allowed us to continue on our way to Panama City. Once in the big city we got off the coach bus and we boarded a large boat. We enjoyed a breathtaking view of the skyline of Panama City as we entered the Panama Canal. We sailed about half of the Canal, and then we picked up our coach bus for the rest of the trek back to our cruise ship in Colón.

It was a fun day on the Panama Canal, and I’ll remember it forever – despite no photos. (It was shortly before me owning my first smart phone.) Maybe someday I’ll be able to sail the entire Panama Canal on a cruise ship that’s repositioning from one home port to another.

16 years ago – I drove / relocated my parents and their cat Pumpkin over 1,050 miles from Fleming Island (Clay County) Florida to Allen (Collin County) Texas. I’ll look back at that – next #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Carnival, Colon, Costa Rica, Cruise, Limon, Panama, Panama Canal, Panama City

Blogging Driving Geography History Holidays Travel

Arcadia Florida

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date February 13, 2025

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I stated that I was spending the day visiting Arcadia Florida for the first time ever, and that I would write about it this week. That didn’t happen, as I got sick with the 3-day flu on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. My daytrip to Arcadia has been postponed to Thursday February 27TH 2025. That gives me a little more time to plan it all out. I plan to park my car and walk and browse the entire historic downtown district. I’ve already got my map of the area downloaded.

Arcadia is one of the oldest incorporated cities in the region. It became a city in 1886. A year later with the creation of DeSoto County (carved out of Manatee County) – Arcadia became the County Seat. DeSoto County was named after explorer Hernando de Soto. Arcadia was named after 25-year-old Arcadia Albritton. She was the daughter of local pioneers Thomas and Fannie Albritton.

Footnote: It’s the start of Presidents’ Day Weekend here in the U.S.A. – the unofficial start of Spring Break here in Florida – starting with the week leading-up to the Daytona 500. It’s historically been a big Florida travel weekend for me. For the 2ND year in a row – I’m staying put, as I’m already living in paradise. This weekend in 2023 – I bought my dream home in my dream neighborhood. In 2021 I visited this area. In 2017 I drove through this area en route to and from the Florida Panhandle. In 2016 I drove through this area en route to Walt Disney World. And in 2015 it was my first recorded visit to this area. I took photos of many of the murals all around downtown Lake Placid.

15 years ago I was in the Panama Canal. I’ll look back at that – next #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Arcadia, Florida

Blogging Driving Geography History Music Travel

South Florida State College Arts

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date February 6, 2025

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. It occurred to me today (as I’m writing this) that I’m coming up on 32 years of online activity here in Florida. It all started in a cozy studio efficiency apartment in Melbourne Florida during the Spring of 1993. Back then I was posting on a friend’s BBS (bulletin board system) before I created my very own – “MANx CAT BBS” (named after my childhood cat). It was a lot of fun back then, and perhaps the only subject that I posted about then – that I’m still posting about now – is travel. Back then I posted in “Fluffy’s Travel Bureau”. Today – it’s the simpler-named #TravelThursday.

Last Thursday I headed a couple of miles up the road to the Avon Park campus of South Florida State College (#SFSC).

My first stop was their Museum of Florida Art And Culture. It was my second visit to the museum. It’s a small museum – perhaps about one-third historical and two-thirds art gallery. They feature temporary exhibits throughout the year, and they had one this time titled “Echoes Unveiled” by Katya Neptune. It’s portraits of women and children that Neptune captured in Rwanda Africa in 2012 and 2014. The art pieces include matte medium, watercolor, polyurethane, thread, pencil, markers, and yarn on paper and fabric to embellish the large-scale photo-transfers.

There was actually a second temporary art exhibit adjacent to the museum inside the lobby of the concert venue. It was titled “Whiskers And Tales” by local 92-year-old resident Mary Seigfreid. It’s an exhibit on fluffy cats. And that brings this post full circle. (I saw a cat in her exhibit that kind of sort of looked like Fluffy from 35 years ago.)

Inside the concert venue – formally known as the Alan Jay Wildstein Center For The Performing Arts – I attended a free afternoon / matinee concert with the Charlie Redd Band LIVE. The 4-piece band (lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, drummer) was very good. They performed mostly ’60s and ’70s pop classics – nearly all of which I knew and sang along with. Their encore was “Sweet Caroline” (Neil Diamond), and that was a lot of fun. They performed over 20 songs in 100 minutes.

It’s great to have #SFSC so close by so that I can enjoy LIVE concerts, and history and art in the same building.

Today I’m spending the day visiting Arcadia Florida for the first time ever. I’ll write about it – next #TravelThursday – Let’s keep traveling together.