Still working hard on my new book, titled Less Beaten Paths of America: Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions.
Writing a book is always a challenge. It takes time to do it correctly and, unfortunately, I have had numerous other things tugging at my time over the past few months, which has put my release date later and later.
Well, I want you all to know that I am working diligently on the book and have a number of chapters completed. When finished, this book will be well over 200 pages and chock full of color photos of some of America’s offbeat roadside attractions.
Do you have Book 1 yet? – Click on the photo above to order (if you don’t have one yet)
Some of what you’ll see in Book 2
Here is a brief overview of many of the chapters (and even a few photos) to whet your whistles.
Paul Bunyans
Chapter 1: Paul Bunyan Across America – including the story of how my wanderlust started as a youth
Quirky Car Art
Chapter 2: Quirky Car Art – A tour to some of the wonderful “car art” places in America
Scrap Metal Art
Chapter 3: Amazing Scrap Metal Art – America’s artists are ingenious in their use of scrap metal to make things
America’s Giant Statues
Chapter 4: America’s Giants – Some of America’s tallest statues
Muffler Men, Uniroyal Gals and Big John
Chapter 5: Muffler Men, Uniroyal Gals and Big John
Big Native American Things
Chapter 6: Big Indians (Statues of Native Americans)
Big Cows, Bison and Pink Elephants
Chapter 7: Giant Cows and Pink Elephants
Big Fish and Big Birds
Chapter 8: Big Fish and Big Birds
Dinos and Dragons
Chapter 9: Dinosaurs and Dragons
Smiley Water Towers
Chapter 10: Smiley Water Towers
All Sorts of Quirky Things
Chapter 11: The Really Offbeat Things – Giant Twineballs, Giant Pistachios, Giant Pinto Bean Guys
Roadside America
Chapter 12: The History of the Website – Roadside America.com and how to use the site to find your own quirky and offbeat attractions.
Selfie at Rugby, ND
Check out my Amazon Author Page for more details. Bookmark it for future reference. I plan on a series of 12 books about my travels on the backroads of America.
Book 3: The Highways – A look at some of America’s most amazing highways
Book 4: The National Parks and National Monuments
Book 5: Scrap Metal Giants and Other Road Art
Book 6: Tourist Traps, Unique Museums, Offbeat Eateries and more
Book 7: Mural Towns, Graffiti Walls and Wall Art Across America and Canada
Book 8: Geologic Wonders
Book 9: Beyond Description – The Really Strange, Fun and Unique
Book10: Buildings, Bridges and Other Structures
Book 11: Other Stories from the Road
Book 12: From Sea to Shining Sea – Scenes of America – A Photo Book
A view of downtown Cincinnati from atop the Carew Tower
Had a wonderful (but hot) Father’s Day 2018. My wife asked me what I wanted to do, and I said I wanted to take a trip to Cincinnati and visit the downtown area for fun. Cincinnati is one of those cities that has a great skyline to photograph.
So, before we went, I looked for places that we could get good views of Cincinnati. In the past, I have taken shots from across the river in Newport, KY and a couple of other spots, but I wanted something more unique.
Cincinnati skyline as seen from Devou Park in Covington, KY. Carew Tower is tall brown building on the leftMore expansive view of the Cincinnati Skyline from Devou
Our first stop was in Devou Park, east of Cincinnati and across the Ohio River in Covington, KY. Devou Park sits up on a big hill and offers some wonderful views of the city.
Another view of Cincinnati from Devou ParkCincinnati as seen from Devou Park
After Devou Park we headed downtown for another chance to see the city.
A Panorama View of Cincinnati from the top of Carew Tower.The 49 story tall Carew Tower in Downtown CincinnatiGreat American Tower as seen from the top of Carew Tower.
Enter the Carew Tower. The Carew Tower is a 49-story, 574-foot Art Deco building completed in 1930 in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, overlooking the Ohio River waterfront.the city. It overlooks the Cincinnati waterfront and offers a panoramic view of the city. It is the second tallest building in the city, but was the tallest until 2010 when the Great American Tower was completed. It is 86 ft higher than Carew Tower, but Carew Tower is actually still the highest elevated building in the city so viewers from the observation deck can look down on the Great American.
Welcome to Carew Tower Sign in Carew Tower ElevatorsArt Deco Window on the 2nd floor of the Carew BuildingGrand Hall in the Hilton section of the Carew TowerArt Deco design in the elevators
Historically, the Carew Tower was built in 1929/1930 in an Art Deco style with the idea to have a hotel, a shopping area, etc. Basically, a city within a city. It was named after Joseph T. Carew, who founded the Mabley & Carew Department Store Chain. We didn’t have the opportunity to look inside the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel, but probably should have as there are a number of massive murals inside the building as well as some immaculately ornate rooms. This deserves a next trip!!
That said, the highlight was the view from the top. Enter the hotel from the parking lot on the second floor and take the elevator, an express zoom up to the 45th floor. Once off that elevator, its a short walk around a corner to a much smaller (and older) elevator which takes you to the 48th floor and then a few steps up to the 49th. Pay your $4 fee and step out to a spectacular view, one that lets you look over the river to Kentucky and way west into Indiana. Following are a few of the shots I got from the top:
The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge as seen from Carew Tower. When opened on December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at 1,057 feet main span.The 4th and Vine Tower is 31 stories (495 feet) tall. It was formerly known as the Union Central Tower and Central Trust Bank Building. When completed in 1913, this was the fifth tallest building in the world.The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge is 2099.5 feet long. The bridge was built in 1976. Also called the Big Mac bridge because of the “Golden Arches” reminiscent of McDonald’s.Wife Julianne takes in the viewDowntown buildings of Cincinnati as seen from Carew Tower.The top of the Great American Tower at Queen City Square. The tallest building in Cincinnati at 41 stories and 665 feet tall It was completed in January 2011.A view of the Union Terminal in Cincinnati as seen from Carew Tower. Built in 1933, it is another great example of Art Deco architecture. It is now home to the Cincinnati Museum Center.The Clay Wade Bailey Bridge over the Ohio River. Built in October 1974, the bridge is 2208 Feet long. The bridge in the background is the Brent Spence Bridge which handles I-71/I-75. Built in 1960, it is 1736 feet long.Mother of God Roman Catholic Church across the Ohio River in Covington, KY. Built in 1869The Queen City sign as seen from the top of Carew TowerHappy at the Top (despite the 100 degree day)
ENJOY THE RIDE! CHOOSE HAPPY!
If you like what you see, you may want to check out my book: Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names, available on Amazon. My second book, Less Beaten Paths of America: Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions, is currently being worked on and I hope to make it available in late June or mid -July 2018. Click on the photo below for more details or to get a copy of the book.
In April 2018 I took a nice long road trip from my home in Lexington, Kentucky to my daughter’s home in Port Orchard, Washington and back. Though I was gone for 15 days, I spent nine of them traveling more than 6000 miles through 14 states. Many of my stops were in anticipation of my new book as I wanted some fresh content to add to it.
Lots of great two-lanes on this trip
In the past, I typically wrote one or two huge blog posts about long roadtrips, but, I have decided that a focus on some of the sites would be more apropos, so I am providing a general overview of my trip herein with maps and a few photos. Following there will be a number of posts about many of the places I visited along the way.
Lexington to Storm Lake, Iowa – about 900 miles on Day 1 and 2
DAY 1/2 – Lexington to Storm Lake, Iowa
Stopped to see Peter Toth’s Whispering Giants
My first two days were quite eventful as I drove nearly 900 miles with an overnight stay in Bloomington, IL and then proceeded northwest to Storm Lake, Iowa for night two. The weather was rainy and yucky most of the way and by the afternoon of Day 2, had turned into snow and, in some cases, blizzard-like conditions. Not fun!
I had very few stops along the way, with the only planned stops being at four locations to see four of Peter Toth’s amazing Whispering Giants. My next post will be all about the Whispering Giants I visited on this trip and also in past trips.
Stopped at Starved Rock State Park near Utica, Illinois and was pleasantly surprisedIf driving through northeast Iowa, a stop at the home of American Pickers is always fun.Storm Lake, Iowa to Belle Fourche, South Dakota – about 680 miles
Day 3 – Storm Lake, Iowa to Belle Fourche, South Dakota
Dignity is a stainless steel, 50-foot-tall statue was specifically designed by sculptor Dale Lamphere to honor the cultures of the Lakota and Dakota people.
Day 3 was really one of my typical road trip days with plenty of stops along the way, but it was slowed down considerably due to the snow and icy conditions. Despite that, I visited places such as the Corn Palace (a required stop on a route like this as it changes each year), Wall Drug and a few in between. The highlight of this day was seeing the amazing (and fairly new) fifty foot tall Dignity statue at a rest area overlooking Chamberlain and Oacoma, South Dakota. The work was meticulous and lovely.
The Sunset Motel in Belle Fourche, SD
I decided to stay at a non-chain older Motel on this night and ended up at the cozy little Sunset Motel. In fact, I got there about sunset and was even able to grab a photo of the sunset with the Sunset Motel sign. This is the kind of motel that still has a real key on an old plastic diamond key holder.
Can’t skip the Corn Palace – a major roadside attraction. Changes every year.Can’t skip the 80 foot tall Wall Drug Dino!!Day 4 – Belle Fourche, SD to Wallace, Idaho
Day 4 – Belle Fourche, South Dakota to Wallace, Idaho
Snowy morning in Belle Fourche
I woke up to a cold, snowy morning in Belle Fourche on April 5. It was a concern as I knew I would need to be driving through a mountain range across southern Montana on US 212. Fortunately, the roads weren’t bad until I got up on the pass and then they cleared up with occasional snow showers through Billings, Bozeman and Butte. I was slowed down somewhat, so I ended up stopping in the small mountain town of Wallace, Idaho for the night.
Snow in Broadus, MontanaStardust Motel in Wallace, Idaho
Once again, I stayed at a cool little motel called the Stardust Motel, ironically in the same room number I had the night before. In both cases, I did not request the room numbers.
Wallace is a really unique, touristy town nestled in the Idaho mountains. I’ll have a blog post about this town over the next couple of weeks.
I did get to see some beautiful scenery on the trip and even visited my old high school in Bozeman, Montana as I made my way north towards Idaho.
Snow covered Teepees in Crow Agency, MontanaThe interstate near Livingston, MontanaMen’s restroom door in Northern Cheyenne country – Ashland, MontanaRoad Trip Day 5 – Wallace, Idaho to Port Orchard, Washington
Day 5 – Wallace, Idaho to Port Orchard, Washington
Sumoflam and Roger Vollmer, former boss from Nava-Hopi tours.
One of the highlights of my trip was visiting an old friend and former boss from my days as a tour guide for Nava-Hopi Tours in Flagstaff, AZ in the 1980s. Roger Vollmer, who later purchased and then sold the company, now resides in upper Idaho and I was able to drop by Cracker Barrel in Coeur d’Alene and have a nice breakfast and a couple of hours of reminiscing. Honestly, Roger really helped me lay the foundation in my work ethic and I had a blast working with him. It was good to see him.
The US 2 Sign at Stevens Pass in Washington
Another great part of this portion of my road trip was hitting US Route 2 from Coeur d’Alene and traveling it all the way to the end in Everett, Washington. I have now traveled that highway from Ironwood, Michigan all the way to Washington. I still have a small portion from Eastern Michigan to Ironwood and about 450 miles from Maine to New York to be able to say have driven the entire length. I have driven all of US 66 and all of US 89 at one time or another.
US 2 from Spokane west goes through Washington’s high desert and then eventually into the Cascades and up over Steven’s Pass, which still had snow on both sides of the highway, almost six feet deep in places. It was spectacular!
A snowy stop sign at Steven’s Pass in WashingtonThe view of the Cascades as seen from the Skykomish / Gold Bar area of Washington, east of Everett.
Upon arrival in Port Orchard, I spent a week with my daughter and her family. We took the ferry into Seattle, I traveled with grandchildren to see the rocky beaches and watch seagulls. Following are just a couple of pics from the visit.
With some of the karvings at Kountry Krazy Kreatures in Kingston, WASeattle as seen from Manchester, WAGranddaughter Livvy poses in the rocksA seagull gathers clams in Sinclair Inlet near Port OrchardAlso saw this bald eagle flyover me at Sinclair InletSome of the buildings of downtown SeattleA beach scene in Manchester, WA
Finally, early on Saturday, April 14, I was back on the road, heading south towards Portland and eventually east, to spend the night in Bend, Oregon.
Port Orchard, WA to Bend, Oregon
Travel Day 6 – Port Orchard, Washington to Bend, Oregon
As with some of my other travel days, I had to deal with rain and fog for the first part of the trip. I had hoped for a fun drive down part of US 101 and, despite the weather, I really had a great drive, even if I only drive about 450 miles. Unlike some of the other drives, I enjoyed forests, mountains, snow, ocean scenes and eventually high desert scenes. I also made a stop in Olympia, Washington’s state capital, and visited some friends for breakfast. I’ll have separate posts about Olympia and its awesome wall art/murals. I’ll also have a nice post about the town of Raymond, Washington.
One of many murals in Olympia, WARaymond, WA has an entire community of lifesize metal peopleZigzag, OregonUS 101 near Allyn, WARan into Bigfoot in Allyn, WA. At least he was smilingDrove over Mt. Hood highway heading southeast out of PortlandThe high deserts of central Oregon are lovely.
Travel Day 7 – Bend, Oregon to Murray, Utah
Day 7: Driving from Bend to Murray, UT thru Nevada
Day 7 of my driving days was a long day through nearly 750 miles of high desert through Oregon and Nevada. My destination was my old hometown of Murray, Utah. The drive from Bend, OR to Denio, NV is pretty much through high desert. I took the Frenchglen Highway, which was a beautiful drive on a beautiful day. really not many places to stop along the way. I’ll have a separate post about the Frenchglen Highway (including Brothers, Frenchglen and Fields). It had also been over 40 years since I had set foot in Nevada, so it was fun to get travel blog photos. I spent the night at the home of one of my best friends and had dinner with some of my high school friends and their wives. Great times!
Standing in the middle of the road…no cars..on the Frenchglen Highway in central OregonAnother scene from SE OregonFinally back in Nevada…at Denio, NVDowntown Winnemucca, NVThe Bonneville Salt Flats in UtahHanging with Friends
Travel Day 8 – Murray, Utah to Manitou Springs, Colorado
Travel Day 8 – Murray, UT to Manitou Springs, COHitting the Colorado border
Day 8 of travel was another long day as I drove nearly 600 miles from Murray, Utah to Manitou Springs, Colorado. This day once again took me through deserts, high deserts, mountain passes and into some beautiful country. I hit the town of Helper, UT which is nestled in a canyon and was a railroad and mining town. Also passed through Price. When working for a record and tape rack jobber back in 1974-75, I made weekly trips to Helper and Price. Things have changed considerably. Crescent Junction had a unique place, Papa Joe’s, which I’ll write about separately.
Papa Joe’s in Crescent Junction – fun “tourist trap”Soldier Summit, UT between Spanish Fork, UT and Price, UT on US Rt. 6. Elevation 7,477Another Whispering Giant by Peter Toth, in Murray, UT
The drive from Grand Junction through Delta, Montrose, Gunnison and Buena Vista was absolutely beautiful (US Hwy 50), especially going over Monarch Pass at 11,312 feet in altitude. On the way down the hill towards Poncha Springs I even go to see a couple of mountain goats crossing the roads.
Once again, I stayed in a local motel. Always interesting.
Monarch Pass – the Continental Divide at 11,312 feet in ColoradoJust barely was able to whip out the camera to catch this mountain goatOld Hotel Neon in Helper, UtahA scene from US 50 in Colorado near CimarronMule deer taken near Poncha Springs, COUS 50 East of Gunnison near Monarch, COStayed at the Silver Saddle Motel in Manitou Springs
Travel Day 9 – Manitou Springs, Colorado to Kansas City, Missouri
Day 9 drive from Manitou Springs, CO to Kansas City, MOEntering Kansas on US 40 near Weskan, Kansas
Talk about a long, straight drive. Made the trip from Manitou Springs, after a visit to Garden of the Gods, (which I’ll write about in a separate post), and went through the deserts of eastern Colorado and Western Kansas on a super windy and dusty day. Did catch a pretty amazing sunset as a result of the dust storms. I decided to really go back roads on this leg of the trip by taking the straight as an arrow drive on Colorado Hwy 94 through Yoder, Rush and Punkin Center. The highway eventually met US Hwy 287 near Wild Horse, CO. Basically, the highway was 85.5 miles long running almost perfectly west to east the entire length.
Garden of the Gods near Manitou SpringsColorado Hwy 94 – 85 miles of straight highway in the middle of nowherePunkin Center, Colorado
I finally got to stop at a place to eat in Kit Carson, Colorado and then continued east on US 40 in Kansas through Cheyenne Wells, Sharon Springs and Oakley, where I got on to Interstate 70 to finish up the ride into Kansas City. I was fortunate to stay with my good friend Brad Sweeten in KC.
Lunch at Kit Carson Trading PostKansas Sunset near Abilene, Kansas
Travel Day 10 – Kansas City, Missouri to home in Lexington, Kentucky
Travel Day 10 – the last leg. Kansas City, Missouri to Lexington, KentuckyDriving with the windows open and the wind blowing through my hair
On the last day it was pretty much straight through driving. I enjoyed another beautiful sunrise east of Kansas City and then just made my way home with a couple of restroom and gas stops along the way. What a long, wonderful trip it was!
Over 6000 miles, 14 states, 5 motels, lots of friends and time with family. I traveled through blizzards, rainstorms, snow covered mountain passes, high desert, long lonely highways. Enjoyed sunsets, sunrises, good meals at local places. Saw eagles, mountain goats, mule deer, hawks and assortment of water fowl. And, of course, a variety of roadside attractions along the way.
Back in KentuckyThe Shelbyville Horse at the Kentucky Welcome Center near Shelbyville
ENJOY THE RIDE! CHOOSE HAPPY!
If you like what you see, you may want to check out my book: Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names, available on Amazon. My second book, Less Beaten Paths of America: Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions, is currently being worked on and I hope to make it available in late May or early June 2018. Click on the photo below for more details or to get a copy of the book.
