Category: Travel

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Blogging Driving Food Geography History Travel

Iowa

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Back in September 2021 I posted a map of our 50 United States. All of the states that I’ve visited were colored green. That includes states that I’ve lived in, spent quality time in, visited, or simply drove through. It did not include states where I’ve stayed inside an airport on a layover and never ventured outside. (I see you California.)

The map (an updated one) is still the same today. There remain 21 states that I have not yet visited – or 42% of them. One of my goals (now that I’m retired) is to visit the rest of them. But that probably won’t happen.

An interesting note about Kansas (which I wrote about in 2021) is the fact that I came within about a tenth of a mile of the Kansas state line while driving on I-44 from Oklahoma into Missouri. That’s right – I-44 misses the southeastern corner of Kansas by about 550 feet !

But this post is about Iowa (as the title suggests). I’ve never been to Iowa, and that’s the point of this post. I’d like to visit “The Hawkeye State”. It intrigues me. I want to check out the historical museums and tourist areas in and around Des Moines – Iowa’s capital and largest city. About 210,000 residents call Des Moines home (including a longtime friend of mine), and almost 750,000 residents live in its metropolitan area. Des Moines is located in Polk County – named after President James Knox Polk – who served from 1845 to 1849.

Fun Facts: There are 12 Polk Counties across the U.S.A., and 10 of them are named after President Polk. One (in Missouri) is named after his grandfather. One (in North Carolina) is named after a cousin. I live about 8 miles from Polk County Florida.

The Salisbury House & Gardens looks especially inviting in Des Moines, as does the State Historical Museum Of Iowa. I see lots of photo opportunities at both places, and I think that my Flickr site needs an Iowa album.

Des Moines is about a 1,400-mile drive from home, so I’d fly to Des Moines International Airport (#DSM), stay at a local hotel, and rent a car (or take Uber everywhere). I must try one of those deep-fried pork tenderloin sandwiches !

Next #TravelThursday – It’s your Travel & Weather Together – LIVE from Sebring Florida. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
1970s Blogging Driving Geography Home Travel

From Bowie To Lanham

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This is a change-of-pace edition. I’m reminiscing about what me and parents were doing exactly 50 years ago – back in January of 1975. I was in the 2ND grade at the time in Catholic School in Seabrook Maryland (adjacent to Lanham). My dad worked in downtown Washington D.C. at a life insurance company at 2020 M Street NW. (I can’t believe that I still remember that.)

Early in 1972 we moved from Greenbelt Maryland (adjacent to Lanham) to Bowie. Our brand-new house in Bowie was located about 15 miles away from our apartment in Greenbelt. After 3 years in Bowie – my dad got tired of the long rush-hour drives to and from downtown Washington via John Hanson Highway (U.S. 50). I remember some of those rush-hour traffic back-ups. My dad would take me with him to his office sometimes.

My dad had enough of it. By the end of 1974 he realized that perhaps he made a mistake by moving us out to Bowie. He looked at a brand-new neighborhood being built in Lanham directly behind the apartment complex that we lived in for 3 years before 1972. It even had an elementary school right in the middle of it. He and my mom found the perfect house under construction on the street behind that school. I think it cost $59,900 at the time. He bought it. We moved in 50 years ago next month. I attended 3RD, 4TH, 5TH, and 6TH grades at that school. I think it was the only time that I actually enjoyed going to school. I have lots of vivid memories of my friends, my teachers, and my classrooms from that era.

My dad’s parents – my grandparents – lived just a mile up the road from both our apartment before 1972, and our house starting in 1975. By the time I was 12 and 13 – I was riding my bike on my own to and from my grandparents’ house – just to visit them.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll write about a U.S. state that I’ve never been to before. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Animals Blogging Bugs Driving Geography Holidays Home Nature Travel

Archbold Biological Station

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. There’s a large tract of land directly to the north of my neighborhood that’s unspoiled raw Florida scrub. I have a great view of it out my second-floor side and front windows. I bet it looks exactly the same now as it did 25 – even 50 years ago – probably even more than that. It’s what my neighborhood probably looked like before 1985 – when the land was cleared, and construction began. I love living on the other side of our perimeter fence from that scrub. I often stare at it for minutes – watching the nature and the wildlife that prospers there. It’s like living right next door to a nature preserve. I hope it stays like that for the rest of my life.

A couple of Wednesdays ago on New Year’s Day Morning I had the opportunity to finally visit the Archbold Biological Station 30 miles away down in the southern end of my home county – Highlands. It’s about a mile-and-a-half west of U.S. 27, so I’ve driven by it dozens of times. It was my first time there. For several years I thought that it was closed to the general public, but then I realized that they actually have a small Learning Center there along with public nature trails nearby.

They hosted a “First Day Hike” along some of the private (unmarked) nature trails (for research use only). I figured I’d be 1 of 5 visitors to participate early on the first morning of 2025, but surprisingly there were at least 25 of us (several families with children) along for the hike through the protected Florida scrub. Our tour guide pointed out various insects, birds, animal tracks, and vegetation along the sandy trails. We walked through prescribed burn areas, as well as non-burn areas.

Our part of South-Central Florida is the oldest land south of the Florida Panhandle. A long time ago – back when sea levels were as much as 150 feet higher than they are now – only this area – the narrow high spine of Florida – was above water – as a series of islands – resembling today’s Florida Keys. Everything to the south, east, and west was the sea. The sand that dominates our landscape – visible from space – is ancient sand leftover from that era. Some of our vegetation can be found nowhere else in Florida. I guess I don’t need to explain how Highlands County got its name.

It was a fun “First Day Hike” through the scrub. We walked about a mile-and-a-half total during the informative 2-hour tour. It was a great way to start the new year in an educational and physical way.

Next #TravelThursday – It’s a change-of-pace. I’ll do a little bit of reminiscing. I’ll write about me and my family getting ready to make a move 50 years ago. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Blogging Driving Geography Home Travel

Driving In 2024

Welcome back to #TravelThursday, and the first edition of 2025, and my first blog post of 2025. I posted on 173 days in 2024. That’s every Thursday, Sunday, and Monday in 2024 as well as 16 special posts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. I’ll do it again in 2025 – starting with this one.

Less travel is my theme (and goal) for 2025. That’s less road-trips to and from Homestead Florida. That’s no retirement road-trip like last year. Just a low-key year, as I enter my 3RD year here in my dream home in my dream neighborhood in my dream part of Florida – and 2ND year of retirement. The priority this year is neighborhood, museum, and church, and my duties, responsibilities, and relationships at each.

I drove 11,954 miles in 2024. That’s up from 11,721 miles in 2023. That’s the most number of miles driven since 2004. I exceeded 1,000 miles in a month just twice, but one of those months was April – when I drove 3,290 miles. That included 2,807 miles to and from North Texas during the first 18 days of April. From May to December my monthly average was 784 miles.

I’ll likely have no 1,000-mile months in 2025, and I’m projecting about 9,000 miles total for the year. I do plan a few road-trips to and from South Florida and Southwest Florida, but I’d like to explore more of the Heartland of Florida. That’s the name given to the rural inland region in and around my dream part of Florida.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll write about my first such local exploration. It’s a fun New Year’s Day morning and hike through the ancient scrub out at Archbold Biological Station in southern Highlands County Florida. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp