Tag: Florida

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Tampa International Airport

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. At the end of last week’s edition I teased that I was heading somewhere – outside of Florida – that I haven’t been to in exactly 10 years, and that I would write about it for the next 3 weeks. Well – it’ll actually be a 6-part (possibly 7-part) blog series starting with this edition and continuing through this month and next month. This vacation was so much fun that I plan to reenact it in words until I run out of material to write about.

So – if you’re ready to go traveling together (virtually) – then let’s get started on this new adventure.

The fun started 3 weeks and 1 day ago when I departed my home with my very durable and somewhat attractive American Tourister Moonlight Carry-On Stardust – along with a personal item bag that fits underneath the seat in front of me. Can you tell that I’m getting ready to fly somewhere ?

It’s on to the Tampa International Airport (#TPA) area on a Wednesday afternoon during the rush hour – oh – and also during a driving downpour. There wasn’t much lightning and thunder, but there was an abundance of ominous dark clouds overhead and a plethora of rain falling from them. As I drove further west the brighter skies to the west filled-in with the darker and rain-soaked clouds from the east. (I was driving in the same direction – westward – as the squall line of downpours.)

2 hours and 38 minutes and 82½ miles later – I had arrived at my destination for the night – a hotel near #TPA. They have a plan where you spend the night, and you can leave your car parked in their parking lot for up to 7 days as you fly away somewhere. Their shuttle will take you to the airport, and it will also pick you up from the airport upon your return. That’s what I did. I essentially paid less than $3 extra per day to leave my car parked there – well – sort of. When we get to Part 6 (or 7) you’ll see why it was actually a bit more expensive than that – due to more bad weather.

The hotel was nice. It was an older hotel – built in 1988. I believe that it was the very first one in the area for my favorite hotel brand – the brand that I’ve stayed at far more than any other. The hotel was much newer when I actually lived and worked a few miles down the road in Tampa for about 7 months in 1993 into 1994. I probably drove right by it a few times back then.

The next morning I took the hotel shuttle to the airport. I was the only rider for the 8 AM run. I got to sightsee along the way to the departures drop-off zone 2½ miles away.

So #TPA. I think I’ve flown in and out of it at least once – possibly twice – back in 1993. But then again – I could be wrong. I just don’t remember my mid-20s all that much. It was a crazy and hectic time of my life.

I thought that #TPA was a very strange airport to experience as a first-timer (possibly) – at least for the first time in over 30 years. From the Main Terminal you scan your boarding pass in order to enter the secure area and board the SkyConnect train to your respective airside concourse. (All of the concourses are detached from the Main Terminal.) Once you arrive at your concourse you immediately begin the TSA security process by checking-in with your REAL ID driver’s license or passport. You then walk through security before heading towards your gate. I probably didn’t explain the process as good as I could, but it was very different for me. I’ve never experienced any other airport like it. Also – most of the concourse gates shared one huge area that sort of resembled an aircraft hangar. Small walk-up restaurants were in the middle of it all.

#TPA just seems so much more modern and efficient than any other airport I’ve been to. Perhaps it’s the airport of the future ?

My American Airlines flight departed for its destination on time (even a few minutes early), and next #TravelThursday I’ll reveal that location. Let’s keep traveling together.

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

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Homestead: The Finale

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. 5 weeks ago I wrote about my Flag Day / Father’s Day Weekend road-trip to and from my old homestead – Homestead Florida. It was my 36TH trip to Homestead since I bought my new home near Sebring Florida in February 2023. This week I’m writing about my 37TH and final trip to Homestead. That took place at the end of June – on Sunday June 29TH.

I departed home at 6:35 AM (right at sunrise), and I arrived at my former home church near downtown Homestead at 9:58 AM. As always it was a great church service led by our Worship Pastor Ben and our Lead Pastor Bob. Living Waters Full Gospel Church was my home church for 8+ years, and I served as an Assistant Pastor there. I received my ministerial credentials there. I preached over 60 sermons, and I led 79 Communions. I’ve been a guest there over these past 2½ years, and I’ll continue to be a guest there in the future whenever the Pastor wants me to fill-in for him.

A small group of us went out to lunch at Texas Roadhouse post church service. After that I checked-in to my hotel for the night.

The next morning – Monday June 30TH – I head northward – actually northeastward up U.S. 1 over to Dadeland to a Real Estate Attorney’s office. That’s where I signed all of the paperwork to officially close on the sale of my longtime home in Homestead – a home that I rented for 6 years (1995-2001) and owned for 24 years (2001-2025). I lived in it for 28 years (1995-2023), and over these past 2½ years I had been moving my most treasured personal belongings one trip at a time from my old home to my new home. I moved into that old home on June 13TH 1995, and my final walk-through was on June 14TH 2025 – a timespan of 30 years and 1 day.

So – for the first time since 1987 – I am neither a resident nor a property owner near or in Homestead Florida – from age 20 to 58 – 65½% of my entire life.

Like most cities Homestead has evolved and “grown-up” over time. It went from a sleepy farming community with a large military (active and retired) population before 1992 – to total devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew – to a small town struggling to recover for 10 years after that – to one of the fastest-growing cities (of its size) in the nation – to a thriving and bustling big suburban city with big suburban city amenities and problems.

Personally – Homestead was a place that I rarely visited in my early-20s, as I lived on an Active-Duty Air Force Base several miles outside of town. And then it became my home in my late-20s, and I embraced it and loved it into my 30s and 40s. As I entered my 50s and I began thinking about retirement I realized that I couldn’t afford to live there as a retiree. It had become too expensive, too noisy, and too crowded. I had outgrown it. I looked elsewhere, and I eventually found Sebring Florida 3½ hours up the road.

Facebook is littered on multiple local group pages with mostly disgusting and racist and hateful comments and diatribes about how Homestead is today compared with the way it was 40 or 50 years ago. Most of these comments are from people who moved away 40 or 50 years ago and visited once or twice recently and didn’t recognize the small town that they once called home. They don’t realize that they themselves are probably being discussed negatively where they live today by many longtime residents who don’t appreciate having them around. Change is inevitable, and it’s painful for a lot of people.

YES – even here in still small-town Sebring – some longtime residents don’t appreciate all of the new people (like myself) that have migrated here from South Florida, and Tampa, and Orlando, and pretty much everywhere else. We’ve ruined the Sebring of the 1970s and 1980s !

I enjoyed a good life from my early-20s to my late-50s in Homestead. I made good money in my Air Force career – 36 out of 39 years in Homestead. I wish Homestead the best. I pray for safety and security and comfort and peace for all of my friends, neighbors, and fellow residents that I left behind. I leave with mostly good memories, and although my future visits to Homestead will be less frequent now – they will still occur. I will always appreciate Homestead for what she was, what she is, and what she will be. Thank You for being my hometown for 36 years.

Next #TravelThursday I’m heading somewhere – outside of Florida – that I haven’t been to in exactly 10 years, and I’ll write about it for the next 3 weeks. Let’s keep traveling together.

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

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Blogging Driving Food Geography Nature Photography Travel Weather

Nokomis Beach Florida

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I wrote about my Wednesday morning and afternoon in June along narrow and winding Casey Key Road, and then onto Siesta Key. I wrote about my ride on the Breeze Siesta Islander (Route 77) trolley from Siesta Key to and from downtown Sarasota. I wrote about Bayfront Park and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens – my first visit to both in nearly 11½ years. And the trek continues.

From the underwhelming Siesta Beach I drove back to my hotel, and then shortly after I went for a late-lunch / early-dinner (I call it #LuDinner) at a popular and highly-rated restaurant dockside called Pelican Alley. When by the sea I must enjoy seafood, and so I did. I enjoyed the deep-fried Grouper Tempura with fries and slaw while enjoying beautiful scenery out the window. It was all good !

Due to the threat of thunderstorms late in the day and into the night I decided to check out Nokomis Beach for the first time. It’s actually Sarasota County’s oldest public beach. At 3:30 PM the beach was busy, but not unbearably packed. I hear sunsets can bring out the crowds, and they occasionally do some organized ceremonies just before sunset there at the “Drum Circle”. That’s something that I need to experience in the future, and in hindsight I should have experienced it on this Wednesday evening.

I really liked my short time walking on Nokomis Beach. It was a good family crowd. I definitely want to return sooner than later. I can imagine checking out a pre-6 PM sunset against a cloudless deep-blue winter sky in November, December, or January. I didn’t get to view the sunset on either night because of weather.

After an early hot breakfast the next morning at the hotel I checked-out and got on the road again – up U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) and onto Florida State Road 681 – which served as the final 4 miles of I-75 from 1980 to 1986 before construction was finished extending the Interstate southward to Naples (and across the Everglades to Broward County).

I thought about taking Florida State Road 681 to I-75, and then 5½ miles of I-75 to Florida State Road 72, but at the last minute I decided that I didn’t need the 5½ miles of anxiety that would come with that. (I rarely drive on Interstates, Expressways, Turnpikes, etc. due to a disorder I have called “being terrified”.) Instead – I made a left onto Honore Avenue (signaled intersection on the pseudo-freeway), and that runs parallel to I-75 on the west side.

Last week I mentioned Sarasota County Road 72 – which is the far-western extension of Florida State Road 72 that continues on to Siesta Key (from U.S. 41). Eastward it continues on for 41½ miles to just west of downtown Arcadia (which I wrote about in Part 1 of this blog series). I didn’t stop this time in downtown Arcadia. I continued on – northward on U.S. 17, eastward on Florida State Road 64, and southward on U.S. 27 to my neighborhood.

This (almost exactly) 48-hour road-trip to and from the Gulf Beaches was a lot of fun, and definitely worth it. I got to revisit places that I hadn’t seen in nearly 11½ years, as well as places that I had never seen before. I discovered a new favorite beach named Nokomis, and I rediscovered an old favorite named Venice. I visited a couple of nice museums and a few nice parks. I enjoyed two great dinners where locals love to eat. I drove 229 miles on that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. (I also walked 6 miles on that Wednesday.) It was a lot of fun looking back at this trip and then converting those great memories into words via these last 4 weeks of #TravelThursday blog posts. That’s what this is all about. I’m truly embracing my life as a travel blogger. I love to travel and tell !

Next #TravelThursday I’ll write about my 37TH and final trip to Homestead Florida a little over a month ago to close on the sale of my longtime home, and to close that chapter in my life. Let’s keep traveling together.

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

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Blogging Driving Geography Military Nature Photography Travel Weather

Casey Key, Siesta Key, Sarasota Florida

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I wrote about my Tuesday afternoon and evening in June in Venice and Laurel / Nokomis Florida. And the trek continues the next morning.

I started my Wednesday morning by driving the final mile westward to the Gulf Beaches along Albee Road. I made a right onto Casey Key Road – which Google Maps did not want me to do (based on my eventual destination). Was Casey Key Road a private road ? Was it damaged and impassible somewhere along the way ? I would soon find out on this exploration trek.

I drove for a little over 4 miles along narrow and winding Casey Key Road. It’s essentially a sandy neighborhood road past quite expensive multi-million-dollar houses surfside. Many of the houses suffered damage from last year’s hurricanes (Helene and Milton), and they were being repaired or rebuilt.

After that slow (15 to 25 MPH) neighborhood drive-thru I headed inland (eastward) along Blackburn Point Road to U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail).

Heading northward on U.S. 41 – I made a left (westward) onto Sarasota County Road 72 – which is the far-western extension of Florida State Road 72. (I’ll write more about the State Road next week.)

At the end of the road – I made a right onto Midnight Pass Road (unique name with a unique history – see next paragraph) – and I was officially on Siesta Key for the first time ever. I continued onto Beach Road, and I parked my car at the main parking lot at Siesta Beach.

Fun Fact: Casey Key (to the south) and Siesta Key (to the north) are actually connected to each other, but you can’t drive between the two keys (barrier islands). You can walk though. Where the two keys meet is a very narrow strip of land that disappears sometimes due to hurricanes and tropical storms that move through the region. When the sea overtakes the land – it creates a new inlet called Midnight Pass – and sometimes that inlet is in a different place than previously. (It migrates back-and-forth.) From my understanding – developers want it closed (no pass). Locals want it open (pass). Ultimately – Mother Nature decides when and where Midnight Pass appears.

I walked across the street, and I waited at the trolley stop for a few minutes for the free trolley to arrive. This was a carefully and extensively researched and studied initiative for several weeks beforehand to take the Breeze Siesta Islander (Route 77) trolley from Siesta Key to and from downtown Sarasota. The trolley is extremely popular with visitors during the peak Fall, Winter, and Spring tourist seasons. In the summertime – the locals mostly use it. The trolley ride to downtown Sarasota was uneventful. It wasn’t narrated, as it’s not a sightseeing trolley. It’s Sarasota County (Government) transportation.

I took the trolley to Bayfront Park. It was my 2ND visit ever. (My first was in February 2014.) I did a lot of walking and photographing there. It’s very picturesque in every direction.

I then walked down the street (Bayfront Drive) to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. I was last there the same day in February 2014 that I last visited Bayfront Park. Again – lots of great pictures were captured during my approximate 90-minute visit amidst nature’s beauty.

I picked-up the free trolley right in front of the Botanical Gardens, and I took it back to my car in front of Siesta Beach. I then walked over to the beach to check it out. I was unimpressed by all of the hype that I’ve heard over the years regarding Siesta Beach. The beach was packed like sardines with thousands of (I’m guessing) locals under umbrellas, tents, and other coverings. You couldn’t even see the Gulf due to the sheer number of people and obstructions from end to end. So I essentially turned around and went away – away to a nicer less crowded beach.

Next #TravelThursday I’ll write about that beach, as well as my final dinner on this trip. I’ll also write about my trip back home. Let’s keep traveling together.

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