Quirky Things – Page 40 – Less Beaten Paths of America

06Apr 2013 by David Kravetz

In and Around Rexburg, ID

Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Buffalo, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Elk, Farmland, Idaho, LDS Temples, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National Parks, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Yard Art

Rexburg, ID[/caption] I spent two weeks in Rexburg from March 11 thru March 25, 2013 working on a job possibility. During my free time I spent a good deal of time in town and also looking around town and some of the surrounding areas. [caption id="attachment_2176" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Rexburg LDS Temple at sunrise[/caption] Perhaps Rexburg is best known for its LDS (Mormon) population, BYU-Idaho and the Rexburg Temple of the church (shown above). But Rexburg is also famous as the town that was practically destroyed by the Teton Dam Flood in June of 1976 (see story here). The town has been totally rebuilt since that time. [caption id="attachment_2179" align="aligncenter" width="448"] More murals from downtown Rexburg[/caption] Rexburg is kind of in a bowl, with mountain ranges all around it. To the…

23Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

A Visit to Heaven: Jackson, Wyoming and the Grand Tetons

Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Fox, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Landscapes, Mountains, Murals, National Parks, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 89, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wyoming, Yard Art

Grand Tetons[/caption] March 13, 2013: Today was heavenly...WOW!! I spent the day with my niece and her husband and we traveled east from Rexburg over Teton Pass to Jackson, Wyoming and then north to Grand Teton National Park. Jackson, WY and Grand Tetons [caption id="attachment_2123" align="aligncenter" width="199"] "Mountain Man" by Steve Horn - Horn Mountain Gallery in Tetonia, ID[/caption] Our first stop on the road to Jackson was in Tetonia, ID. We made a stop outside of Horn Mountain Living to get the shot of the "Mountain Man" sculpture above, which was done by Steve Horn. Steve moved to Teton Valley over 30 years ago and lived as a mountain man prior to that. He is completely self-taught and gives his Creator full credit for his abilities. He has since…

13Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 2: Savage, MN to Miles City, MT

Backroads Discoveries, Bison, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geese, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Lewis and Clark Sites, Minnesota, Montana, Murals, North Dakota, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 2, Wall Art, Yard Art

Rural Scene on Enchanted Highway, South of Gladstone, ND[/caption] I embarked on Day 2 of my trip to Idaho - left Savage, MN in the midst of snow and fog. The roads were scary heading northwest to Fargo, ND. [caption id="attachment_1818" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Snowy highways in Minnesota[/caption] Today (March 9, 2013) was the second leg of my trip to Idaho. Today I drove from Savage, MN to Miles City, MT. I drove 781 miles over a 14 hour stretch. Following is the map of the trip. View Larger Map My first stop along the way was for gas. I stopped in Avon, MN.....which, I discovered, is also the home of the Lake Wobegon Trail. The trail is 46 miles long and 10 feet wide. It opened in 1998. Avon is…

16Feb 2013 by David Kravetz

A dream day – Kentucky Back Roads driving and then Tommyfest in E-town

Amish Country, Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Eateries, Edgar Cruz, Family Travel, Farmland, Kentucky, Landscapes, Michael Kelsey, Musicians, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Tommy Emmanuel, Town Names, Trinity Music Productions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places

Tommy Emmanuel, c.g.p. and Michael Kelsey courtesy of Marc Manning[/caption] Today (Feb. 15, 2013) was one of those delightful days when I got to enjoy most of my passions...mainly travel, photography and music. Ultimately, the main reason for the trip was to go to Elizabethtown to see Tommy Emmanuel and Michael Kelsey. But, I took the long way to do it. Following is a map with the stops I made. View Gravel Switch to E-Town in a larger map [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Perryville Mural[/caption] I drove from Lexington thru Danville and then into Perryville. I made a quick drive through the old Merchant's Row area of Perryville. [caption id="attachment_1614" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Merchant's Row Plaque[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1616" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Severed Head Trading Post[/caption] After Perryville it…

13Feb 2013 by David Kravetz

I've Been Everywhere – Part IV: Just a few more fun signs

Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Colorado, Horses, Missouri, Place Names, Route 66, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Trinity Music Productions, Yard Art

Welcome to Mars[/caption] Perhaps Mars, Pennsylvania is the most famous of our planet named towns in the US. No one is sure how the name "Mars" came into being. Some say it was Samuel Park's wife, who enjoyed astronomy, and others aver that it might be shortened from Samuel Marshall's name. In any case, on March 6, 1895, Mars was incorporated as a borough. Residents of Mars are often called "Martians", or "Planets" because of the high school team name, The Fighting Planets. There are a number of other places in the U.S. named after planets. SenseList.com has a nice list of the many town names and place names. Of all of those on that list, perhaps the most well known would include Jupiter, FL, and Blue Earth, MN, which…

06Jan 2013 by David Kravetz

Jackalope Heaven – Douglas, Wyoming

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Jackalope, Large Statues, Museums, Mythical Creatures, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wyoming

Large Jackalope - Douglas, WY Railroad Museum[/caption] Douglas, Wyoming claims to be the "Official Home of the Jackalope." Throughout the west one can find jackalopes in shops and statues of them. They even have a Jackalope Days in June. [caption id="attachment_558" align="aligncenter" width="239"] Jackalope Crossing[/caption] According to legendsofamerica.com, "The jackalope is said to be an antlered species of rabbit, sometimes rumored to be extinct. One of the rarest animals in the world, it is a cross etween a now extinct pygmy-deer and a species of killer rabbit. The antlered species of rabbit are brownish in color, weigh between three and five pounds and move with lighting speeds of up to 90 miles per hour. [caption id="attachment_556" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Wyoming Jackalope[/caption] Apparently the first jackalope was spotted in 1829 near the…

27Nov 2012 by David Kravetz

Some REAL Giants – Glen Goode's Big People, Gainesville, TX

Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Family Travel, Giant Things, Large Statues, Muffler Man, Texas, Uniroyal Gal

On a recent trip home from Texas in November 2012, we made our way through Gainesville. While there, we decided to take a small diversion to go see Glen Goode's Big People, some large fiberglass statues on the side of the road. [caption id="attachment_494" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Glen Goode's from the Road[/caption] [caption id="attachment_495" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Glen Goode's Big People[/caption] [caption id="attachment_497" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Glen Goode's Big People[/caption] [caption id="attachment_493" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Glen Goode's Big People Glen Goode's Big People[/caption] Glen Goode's Big People, near Gainesville, TX]]>

23Sep 2012 by David Kravetz

Screaming Heads and Midlothian Castle – Ontario

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Family Travel, Farmland, Giant Things, Large Statues, Mythical Creatures, Ontario, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Yard Art

Just about 4 years ago I took a drive through Algonquin National Park in Ontario. On the trip we also headed west into Burk's Falls to visit the famed "Screaming Heads" and Midlothian Castle. This was a fascinating trip. This entire project was begun by school teacher and artist Peter Camani. He is a Secondary School teacher, but has also spent over 25 years constructing Monolith-like sculptures in the shape of giant heads, which are scattered throughout the property. A two-headed dragon sits atop the chimney of his Midlothian Castle and he has a version of the See/Say/Hear No Evils greet visitors. There are more than a hundred “screaming head” sculptures, each one at least 20 feet in height. According to Wikipedia, Camani says he "built his otherworldly creations as…

21Jun 2012 by David Kravetz

Lost Springs, Wyoming: Population 1

Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Landscapes, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 20, Wyoming

Lost Springs, WY Population 1[/caption] In September 2007 Solomon and I made our way to Lost Springs, Wyoming. We made our way south on I-25 until we got to Exit 126, where we would then head east on US 18/20. Along the way we came to the sprawling metropolis of Lost Springs, WY. According to a Wikipedia article, Lost Springs is one of only five towns in the United States that are officially registered in the census to have only one (1) person. The others are Hibbert's Gore, ME, Erving's Location, NH, New Amsterdam, IN and Monowi, NE. Apparently, in 2009 the population had increased to 4. [caption id="attachment_291" align="aligncenter" width="438"] Welcome to Lost Springs[/caption] The photo above shows the sign one sees as they enter town. What is not…

05Jun 2012 by David Kravetz

Now for Something Completely Different: Taxidermy and Cheese Store

Backroads Discoveries, Canada, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Ontario, Roadside Attractions, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places

Mapleton Taxidermy and Cheese Store[/caption] I was stunned to see the above sign, so much so that I had to stop and take a look see. While there, I entered the store and tried my best to get a shot of the nexus of taxidermy and cheese, as shown below: [caption id="attachment_282" align="aligncenter" width="432"] Taxidermy and Cheese[/caption] Upon exiting I ran into Dave...he is the husband and runs the taxidermy side. His wife runs the cheese store. Dave was out tanning some bear hides. He told me some interesting stories. [caption id="attachment_281" align="aligncenter" width="327"] David Snook, the Taxidermist[/caption] If you are ever in southern Ontario and making your way to Sparta (which is really a cool and unique little town in and of itself -- see my Trip Journal), make…

Category: Quirky Things