Category: Geography

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Blogging Geography Travel Weather

El Niño Winter

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Exactly 22 weeks ago I wrote about the impending El Niño Winter which had already gotten off to a strong start with severe weather and record-cold temperatures so early in the season (middle of October).

We’re now on the other side of that quite unusual winter season, and I have the final report right here.

This actually made national news early in February: It was apparently the cloudiest / gloomiest December and January in modern recorded history in Central and South Florida. (Records go back to 1941.) Cloud cover was about 70% of the time during those 62 days – almost double the average percentage.

It was also a consistently chilly winter season – but not record-breaking. In fact – it was quite an “average” winter season as far as temperatures were concerned – with no extremes. Here in South Central Florida – 40s in the morning were very common – more common than normal – but 30s were rare – mostly confined to pockets of North Central Florida. Here in Sebring – we had no 30s at all, but we had 38 mornings in the 40s. (This is actually the first winter season that I’ve personally collected weather data for Sebring, so I can’t compare that to previous seasons.)

Mornings in the 40s by month:
November = 3
December = 8
January = 14
February = 12
March = 1

We also had 22 days where we were stuck in the 60s. Combined – we had 60 days and nights with highs in the 60s or lows in the 40s. Those are called “cool” days, and they represent the number of days where the temperature did not reach 70°F plus the number of nights where the temperature dropped below 50°F.

While I was living down in Homestead Florida (South Miami-Dade County) – I was used to about 15 “cool” days per winter season (usually about evenly split). This season – Homestead recorded only 4 “cool” days – all days just below 70°F. For the first time in modern recorded history – no 40s were recorded during the entire winter season, but there was an abundance of early-morning temperatures in the 50s (more than normal). Excessive cloud cover prevented maximum radiational cooling, and that kept many of the usual 40s from occurring.

Rainfall-wise it was a little wetter than normal during the peak of our dry season (7 months in South Florida / 8 months in Central Florida). In fact – some portions along our immediate Gulf Coast actually received more rain during this El Niño Winter season than they did during the rainy season last summer. El Niño has actually ended an extreme drought along the coast.

It was a strange winter season due to a strong El Niño. It was the strongest El Niño since the strongest one ever recorded 8 years ago at the end of 2015. It’s now starting to wane, and perhaps we’ll get a La Niña develop before the end of the year. Some forecasters believe that a La Niña could even develop as early as this summer, but I’m thinking that it’ll be a slower transition from El Niño to Neutral to La Niña during the rest of this year.

Want to learn more about El Niño (and La Niña) ? The NOAA does a very good job of explaining it here.

Next #TravelThursday – I’m on the road again on a trip that’s nearly 40 years in the making. Hopefully the weather cooperates. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Driving Food Geography History Nature Photography Travel

Sugar Express

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This past Sunday afternoon I took a fun 2-hour / 46-mile train ride aboard the Sugar Express. It was my first such train ride here in the U.S. in my lifetime. I didn’t really know what to expect with it until it actually occurred.

I picked-up the train at the Highlands County Fairgrounds adjacent to the Alan Jay Arena across from Sebring High School near downtown Sebring Florida. U.S. Sugar actually owns and operates the railroad track that runs adjacent to the Fairgrounds, and we stayed exclusively on their railroad track (also known as the “South Central Florida Express“) for all 23 miles southward and then back northward.

Passengers were already aboard the train over an hour before our 2 PM departure. (I got there early too – surprised that so many others got there even earlier than I.)

The train departed on-time at 2 PM, and we began our slow southward trek towards south of Lake Placid. One of the most surprising things that occurred throughout much of the trip were people (I believe mostly locals who know the train schedule) getting out of their vehicles and taking pictures and recording our train as it passed by. (Lots of tripods were setup.) This occurred at street crossings and adjacent to neighborhoods and businesses where people came out of homes and stores to record us and wave at us. (And many of us waved back.) The scenery was beautiful on a sunny Sunday afternoon – from natural unspoiled Florida scrub to abundant orange groves to sandy hills to picturesque lakes around Lake Placid. It was interesting to see such a diverse and different part of my hometown county that I never see while driving 55 to 65 MPH along U.S. 27.

We arrived in the area south of Lake Placid known as Childs. It’s a sugarcane loading site between train and truck for U.S. Sugar. The train came to a stop for a moment, tested its brakes, and then began slowly moving back northward for the return trek to Sebring.

This was a fun ride. Customer service all around was outstanding. They actually made two trips back and forth through the passenger cars with complimentary bags of chips and cookies – far more than you get on a standard airplane in coach. You also get unlimited Zephyrhills bottled water out of a well-stocked cooler. They even pick-up your trash after you’re done. You’re able to walk through all of the passenger cars at your leisure – even while the train is moving. They sell souvenirs in one of the cars. The top speed of the trip was just shy of 40 MPH (outside of both Sebring and Lake Placid); although, for much of the trip it averaged from 15 to 30 MPH. The ride was mostly smooth except when it reached top speed when it got a little bit “jerky”. It’s got a nostalgic feel to it with original passenger cars from the 1950s, and continuous big band music from the 1940s playing throughout the sound system.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll look back at the cloudy and dreary and rainy and chilly El Niño Winter of 2023-2024 here in the Heartland of Florida. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Driving Food Geography History Travel

Retirement Road-Trip

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. A couple of weeks ago I revealed the first 2 pitstops / overnight stays of my upcoming retirement road-trip. You can read that original blog post here.

The first 5 days of my road-trip are mostly planned-out intentionally. I’m driving a little over 1,200 miles from my home in the Heartland of Florida to North Texas (Dallas area), so I spaced it out as good as I could in order to accommodate the memorials, monuments, museums, and nouns (persons, places, and things) that I wish to see along the way.

I’m spending Night 3 in Natchez Mississippi – overlooking the mighty Mississippi River. I spent a night there on my last road-trip to North Texas in November of 2021. I was able to take a few photos of the surrounding area around my hotel, and then the sun set right after that. For this upcoming trip I plan to arrive earlier in the afternoon so that I can visit one (or both) of the following historic homes / museums – Historic Auburn, and the Rosalie Mansion. Also – I hear that Magnolia Grill is the place to enjoy delicious food, so I’ll check it out. I was planning to eat dinner there on my last visit, but it got dark fast, and I didn’t want to drive around town at night. Sunset will be at 1927 (7:27 PM) CDT the night I’m there, so I should be good for this visit.

From Natchez I’m headed westward into Louisiana – mostly along U.S. 84 – and then northward – mostly along U.S. 59 – to Marshall Texas. That’s my pitstop for Night 4. I hope to visit the Starr Family Home while I’m there. I need to do more research on Marshall to see what else I may wish to visit, and of course – I need a good restaurant to enjoy dinner at.

On the 5TH day – I arrive at my destination where my family lives. I’ll be in North Texas for 9 days.

Next #TravelThursday – ALL ABOARD on the Sugar Express. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Driving Food Geography History Travel

Tampa Bay History Center

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last Saturday I visited the Tampa Bay History Center with about 30 of my Sebring Historical Society friends. We left our own museum (via charter bus) just before 8 AM, and we got to the Tampa Bay History Center (downtown on Water Street) right at 10 AM. Our docent was waiting for us up on the 2ND floor. (The museum is 4 stories with the bottom / ground floor serving mostly as the main entrance. All of the exhibits are on the 2ND, 3RD, and 4TH floors.)

It’s a very nice modern museum (built from 2007 to 2009). Our docent led us on a tour of the 2ND and 4TH floors, and we also watched a couple of short films. (The 3RD floor was self-guided.) There were lots of interesting and informative permanent and temporary exhibits supporting the history of the Tampa Bay area. (I especially liked the Roaring ’20s temporary exhibit.)

We spent 3 hours at the museum, but you can easily spend much of the day there, as there is plenty to see for all ages. (They are open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM.)

A few of us were also looking at that multi-story museum (built up instead of out) as an idea for our own future museum / offices / archives / conference center space somewhere near downtown Sebring. (Right now we’re bursting at the seams with a cramped standalone museum and offices and archives packed like sardines in leased space located underneath the city’s public library.)

After our museum visit we enjoyed a very nice buffet lunch at the historic (120-year-old) Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. The restaurant sits on an entire city block (East 7TH Avenue between North 21ST & 22ND Streets). It is perhaps the largest Spanish restaurant in the world at 52,000 square-feet. It can handle up to 1,700 customers at one time. It was very busy on this Saturday afternoon. (We had our own private dining room up on the 2ND floor.)

It was another fun field trip with my Sebring Historical Society friends. I’m looking forward to finding out the next destination !

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll reveal the next two likely pitstops on my upcoming retirement road-trip to North Texas. One overlooks the mighty Mississippi, and one is in East Texas where U.S. 80 and U.S. 59 meet. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp