Category: Travel

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The Hoosier State

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This post is all about the great state of Indiana. I have lots of neighbors and friends who are either from Indiana, or still live there during the Spring, Summer, and Autumn months as “snowbirds” who return to Sebring each winter season.

My first visit to Indiana was a drive-through way back at the end of October of 1985 as an 18-year-old. I had just graduated from Tech School at Chanute Air Force Base adjacent to Rantoul Illinois, and I was driving back to my teenage home in Fairfax County Virginia to visit my parents, brother, and cat. I entered Indiana via I-74, and I took that to the south leg of I-465. I picked-up I-70 on the east leg of the Indianapolis Beltway, and I took I-70 all the way into Maryland to I-270, I-495, and then home across the Potomac River.

When my brother and his family lived in the Cincinnati area from 2013 to 2019 – we drove through Indiana often whenever I visited. A 3-mile portion of I-275 around Cincinnati is in southeastern Indiana. Whenever my brother picked me up or took me to the airport in Northern Kentucky we went around the west side of I-275 – to include that 3-mile portion of Indiana.

But we also visited Indianapolis in consecutive Novembers. In 2014 me and my brother went to Lucas Oil Stadium to see our Washington Redskins (at the time) take on the Indianapolis Colts. The following year we went to Bankers Life Fieldhouse (now known as Gainbridge Fieldhouse) to see a Tuesday night taping of WWE Smackdown (broadcast on Thursday nights back then).

My last day in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky was the day after Thanksgiving of 2018 when my brother took me to the airport for my flight back home to Miami. (My brother and his family moved back to the Dallas Texas area in 2019.)

Soon I’ll be visiting Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky again as part of my Ohio River cruise. On the second day of the cruise we’ll be docking in Madison Indiana – a historic Ohio River town that was founded in 1809. I’ll be part of a small group taking a guided walking tour of the Madison Historic Landmark District.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll look back at past visits to “The Buckeye State” – Ohio. Let’s keep traveling together.

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

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Blogging Driving Food Geography Nature Shopping Travel

The Bluegrass State

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This post is all about the great state of Kentucky. My first visit to Kentucky occurred a few days before the 4TH Of July in 2005. My brother was living in Dublin Ohio (just outside of Columbus). I flew to Columbus, and then we embarked on a fun road-trip together that took us up to Windsor Ontario Canada (via Detroit). We then took I-75 all the way southward through Cincinnati and into Northern Kentucky. We spent the night at a hotel right next to the Ohio River off (and below) the Interstate. We drove around Covington and Newport and discovered the Newport On The Levee shopping, dining, and entertainment complex overlooking the Ohio River and the Cincinnati skyline. That was a fun first visit into Kentucky – 21 years ago.

My brother had no idea whatsoever that he would eventually live in the Cincinnati area, but that’s exactly what happened 8 years later in 2013. He moved from the Dallas Texas area to West Chester Township – a northern suburb of Cincinnati. My first trip to his new house was actually part of a 15-day / 13-state / 3,666-mile road-trip from November 16TH to 30TH of 2013. On the 6TH day I drove from the Wichita Falls Texas area to the Saint Louis Missouri area. The next day I drove I-270, I-255, I-55, I-70, I-465, I-74, I-275, and I-75 to my brother’s house. On the day after Thanksgiving (returning southward) I drove through the heart of Kentucky along I-75.

Fun Fact: My Saturn Ion 3 Sedan (my longest-running car ever) had a little over 100,000 miles on it when I started the road-trip. At the end of the road trip – a little over 104,000 miles.

I did one more road-trip to and from Southwestern Ohio through Kentucky while my brother lived there. That was in November 2017, and on my return trip southward I got to explore the Creation Museum along I-275, and Sanders Cafe & Museum – where Kentucky Fried Chicken started in Corbin.

Most of my trips to and from the Cincinnati area were through Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport (#CVG). I loved that airport.

My brother and his family moved back to the Dallas Texas area in 2019, and I must say that I miss visiting Ohio and Kentucky. I was actually planning my next road-trip to and from the Cincinnati area where I would explore more of Kentucky either on the way up or on the way down. I really wanted to check out Mammoth Cave National Park off I-65. I’m not ruling out a future trip to Kentucky to explore it as well as other areas in the state.

Soon I’ll be flying in to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (#SDF) for my Ohio River cruise. I’ll get to see a small portion of Louisville – the 7 miles from the airport to the hotel to the ship on the banks of the Ohio River. And then I’ll get to see Northern Kentucky for the first 4 days of the cruise on the starboard side of the ship.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll look back at past visits to “The Hoosier State” – Indiana. Let’s keep traveling together.

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

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Astronomy Blogging Geography Home Travel Weather

Sebring Florida’s Cold Winter Of 2025-2026

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. We are just a few days away from the Summer Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere. It occurs at precisely 4:24 AM EDT this Sunday June 21ST 2026 when the sun reaches its northernmost extent above the Tropic Of Cancer (currently 23.43586° north latitude).

It’s a perfect time to look-back at this past winter season here in Sebring Florida.

Our coldest months here in the Highlands of South-Central Florida are December, January, and February. Our average afternoon high temperatures are in the low-70s, and our average morning low temperatures are in the mid-50s. A “cold” day is when we don’t reach 70°F / 21°C. A “cold” night is a night in the 40s / below 10°C. We are generally warmer during the day and colder during the night than our neighbors at both coasts some 80 miles away.

This past winter season we had 20 cold days when we did not reach 70°F. 2 occurred in November, 2 in December, 7 in January, 7 in February, and 2 in March. From January 31ST to February 02ND we never got to 60°F, and on February 01ST we never got out of the 40s !

We also had 44 cold nights when we were into the 40s, 30s, and even the mid-20s. 6 occurred in November, 7 in December, 16 in January, 14 in February, and 1 in March. From January 26TH to February 10TH we had 16 nights in a row below 50°F. 3 of those mornings from February 01ST to February 03RD were subfreezing, and they were perhaps the coldest mornings I’ve ever experienced in my 38 years of living here in Florida. Wind chills were actually in the mid-teens on February 01ST, and it destroyed a lot of citrus and vegetation.

It was my 3RD full winter season here in Sebring Florida. (I moved here at the end of the 2022-2023 season.) I previously lived in Homestead Florida for 36 winter seasons. Down there we averaged less than 20 cold days and nights combined per season (compared with 60 to 70 combined days and nights here). This past winter season there were a total of 31 cold days and nights combined in Homestead – the most I’ve ever recorded.

Statistically – I believe that it was our coldest winter season since 2010-2011.

We’re in our 4-month rainy season now. That’s when about 70% of our annual rainfall occurs. We’re also in our 6-month hurricane season. That started on June 01ST and continues until November 30TH with peak season being September and October. Hopefully the rain will fall, as we’re recovering from an extreme drought – our worst in at least 25 years. Hopefully the hurricanes will stay out at sea.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll look back at past visits to “The Bluegrass State” – Kentucky. Let’s keep traveling together.

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

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Animals Blogging Geography History Home Nature Travel

The End Of The Innocence

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. For this edition I’m not traveling anywhere. I’m standing in my own kitchen and living room. I’m looking out both of my windows here that face the northwest. Over to the right is the northern fenceline of my dream forever neighborhood of the past 3 years and 3 months. On the other side of that fence is what is now recently-annexed land for the City of Avon Park.

That land – as it looks right now – is raw undeveloped Florida scrub. It sits here on the eastern slope of the Lake Wales Ridge at about 140 feet above sea level (same as my adjacent neighborhood), and it’s probably looked like that for thousands of years. It sits on ancient land here on the Ridge. When sea levels were over 100 feet higher than they are now – this land existed as a series of islands – surrounded by sea – much like today’s Florida Keys.

The remnants of these ancient islands are present here with lots of sand – 80 miles away from the sea on each side of it. Low trees and bushes grow in the scrub due mostly to the poor and arid ground conditions. (Rainwater drains quickly into the sand.)

Here in fast-growing Central Florida these undeveloped scrublands are critically endangered. And the one right next to my neighborhood will also soon be gone – changed forever after thousands of years.

The City Of Avon Park has approved developers to begin bulldozing it all very soon to prepare the land for a big multi-phase / multi-year residential neighborhood with 300+ new homes (single-family houses and duplex villas). The densest portion of the new neighborhood would be closest to my neighborhood – with backyards right up against our fenceline. (Earlier reports had suggested up to 800 new homes, but I think the development has been scaled down since.)

Nevertheless – it’s “The End Of The Innocence”. Once destruction and construction begins – manmade noise will be endless. It will never be as peaceful and serene as it has been since my neighborhood was built 40 years ago. All of the birds, rabbits, squirrels, and other wildlife that live over there will have to find a new home. My view will be changed forever.

My neighborhood replaced scrubland 40 years ago, and maybe that angered the residents in the already-established neighborhoods behind the destruction and construction. I’m grateful for my neighborhood, and I’m also hopeful that we can protect surrounding area scrublands to keep – at least this part of Florida along the Lake Wales Ridge – as natural as can be.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll stay home and look back at our weather from this past Winter season. Let’s keep traveling together.

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