Category: Geography

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Blogging Driving Geography Travel

Florida State Road 80

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Every time I drive between my old home in Homestead and my new home near Sebring (185 miles apart) I drive along a 25-mile portion of Florida State Road 80. It’s actually the 25-mile concurrency with U.S. 27 in Hendry and Palm Beach Counties.

(A concurrency is where a single road or highway shares different names or route numbers.)

Fun Facts: Florida State Road 80 was built (and completed) about 100 years ago – when cars were big and loud. It was originally known as Florida State Road 25 from coast-to-coast (Gulf to Atlantic). Strangely – it is still known as (hidden) State Road 25 at the 25-mile concurrency with U.S. 27.

At the 25 of 25 & 27 & 80 (see what I did there ?) it’s mostly a 55 to 65 MPH rural highway traversing west / east between Clewiston and South Bay. (Speed limits drop dramatically within the limits of the two cities.)

Between Clewiston and South Bay the road wraps around the bottom of the giant dike that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. (You actually can’t see the lake because of the giant 3-story-tall dike.) Some much-needed road milling, paving, and striping is occurring in this area. Before work began – the highway was in rough shape – like it had been neglected for several decades. Once work is completed this will be a smooth ride.

The eastern end of the concurrency of 25 & 27 & 80 is in South Bay. Florida State Road 80 pulls off by itself and runs from there to the famous A1A along the Atlantic coast in Palm Beach.

There’s a western portion of Florida State Road 80 that I’ve been on a couple of times this month, and strangely – it’s another 25-mile portion that runs between Fort Myers and Labelle.

Next #TravelThursday – Let’s go to the mall. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2023 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Driving Geography Travel

Florida SouthWestern State College

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. 4 months ago I was at Florida SouthWestern State College (#FSW) in Fort Myers – specifically at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. It’s 1 of the 2 main venues (along with Hertz Arena) where Southwest Florida goes to attend events, shows, and concerts. I’ve been to 8 concerts at the #BBMANNPAH since 2011. It’s a nice place to enjoy an entertainer.

Well now there’s a 3RD main venue to go see a show in #SWFL. Located within eyesight – literally the next big parking lot over – is the newish (built in 2015 and 2016) Suncoast Credit Union Arena. It can hold up to 3,500 people during basketball games. This past weekend I attended my very first show there. It’s a nice arena. I sat in the front-most section (116) to the right of the end-stage.

Leaving the parking lot was a massive confusing debacle with more than a thousand vehicles all pulling out of their respective parking spaces and trying to squeeze out onto the main roads all at the same time. Naturally I parked in an awkward parking space. It’s a miracle that I managed to slide out of it. Otherwise I would’ve waited for a long while. (Some did just that. They just sat in their car and watched the endless parade of vehicles crawl out of the parking lot.)

The Fort Myers area is about 100 miles (2 hours) away from my new home inland near Sebring. I’ll continue to look southwest for shows that I wish to attend; although, I am scaling back the number of concerts that I’ll be purchasing and attending in order to cut expenses overall in my new life as a soon-to-be retiree.

Next #TravelThursday – Let’s take the 80. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2023 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Geography Travel

AMTRAK

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. My new hometown of Sebring Florida has its very own AMTRAK station (#SBG) downtown. Located at 601 East Center Avenue (less than a half-mile from The Circle) – the Sebring Train Station is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built 99 years ago in 1924. I imagine that some type of celebration may be observed next year for its centennial. It’s been in near-continuous operation ever since.

Many trains have stopped in Sebring to pick-up and drop-off passengers to and from the Florida Heartland. But the trains of the Silver Meteor and the Silver Star continue to do so to this day. Both routes run between Miami and New York. The Silver Meteor has been running since 1939. The Silver Star – 1947.

Headed southbound to Miami the two trains depart from Sebring at 1448 and 1514. They arrive in Miami about 3 hours and 45 minutes later. (They remain there overnight.)

Headed northbound to Washington D.C. the two trains depart from Sebring at 1123 and 1445. The 1123 train arrives in D.C. at 0725 the next morning. The 1445 train arrives in D.C. over 24 hours later at 1504. (It takes a slightly longer route.)

It’s a busy half-hour each afternoon from 1443 to 1514 at the Sebring Train Station with 2 southbound trains and 1 northbound train pulling-in for no more than 2 to 3 minutes each.

I may be wrong, but I don’t think that I have ever ridden on an AMTRAK train in my life. I’d like to change that and eventually take a trip sometime during my retirement years. I checked-out a trip from Sebring to Dallas Texas (where my family lives). It would take almost exactly 72 hours to get there with transfers in Washington D.C. and Chicago. Layovers would be 8 hours and 40 minutes and 5 hours and 10 minutes respectively. I’ll hold-off for now on checking the cost of that trip.

One of these days I’ll just go to the train station to take pictures of it.

Next #TravelThursday – I’m headed back to the Fort Myers campus of Florida SouthWestern State College. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2023 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Driving Food Geography Movies Music Sports Television Travel

Footloose

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last Saturday I went on my first day-trip with some of my friends at the Sebring Historical Society. We gathered on our chartered bus at around 9 AM, and 30 minutes later we left the parking lot of our downtown Sebring museum for Fort Myers – 2 hours away.

We arrived at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre just in time for the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet – or – as I like to pronounce it – boo/FAY. The salad bar, the main course bar, and the dessert bar – it was all wonderful. Lots of choices, and everything tasted great. Service was pretty good too. You get your own food, and the wait staff brings you your unlimited drinks (water, iced tea, soda, coffee, etc.).

As a large group of over 20 we had 4 tables assigned to us up near the front of the 400-seat dinner theatre. We all had an excellent view of the stage for the after-lunch show.

And that show was #Footloose. I saw the original movie with my family as a 16-year-old in Fairfax County Virginia. I also saw the late-2011 remake. Good story. Good music. The Broadway-style show held true to its origins. I forgot about the whole minister / church part of the plot. It was interesting watching that this past Saturday afternoon as a minister.

I actually want to see the original 1984 movie again. Next time I see it on my TV listings I’ll have to DVR it. (Oh wait a minute – I forgot – it’s 2023, and I mostly stream. I have MAX, and I can watch it anytime on there.)

Well our next trip with the Sebring Historical Society is next month to a Tampa Bay Rays / New York Yankees Major League Baseball game in St. Petersburg Florida. I won’t be blogging about that, as I won’t be going on that trip. I just don’t like baseball. But I’m sure that the trip will be popular with a lot of the guys in our organization.

I hear that our next trip after that is in December to a Christmas show at a theatre in Winter Haven – or is it Winter Garden ? I get those two cities mixed-up. (And then there’s nearby Winter Park and Winter Springs.)

Next #TravelThursday – ALL ABOARD ! Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2023 Christopher M. Day, CountUp