In 2018 I will feature a random (yet alphabetical) selection of photos I have taken from my nearly 20 years of back roads travel in the United States and Canada. I may even throw in a few random shots from other trips to Japan, Mexico and the Philippines. My theme is called America’s Back Roads: A Grab Bag of Places in Pictures.
Feely, Montana
Feely, Montana
Fiberglass Snowman – Lewisburg, West Virginia
Huge snowman in Lewisburg, WV
Fireplace of States – Bemidji, Minnesota
Fireplace of States in Bemidji, MN
Fat Smitty’s – Port Townsend, Washington
Fat Smitty’s, a burger joint near Port Townsend, WA.Fat Smitty’s ceiling covered with money.
Futuro Flying Saucer House – Covington, Kentucky
The Futuro House in Covington, KY
Four Corners – Teec Nos Pos, Arizona
Four Corners – July 15, 1993
Frank L. White Grave Marker (The Cream of Wheat Guy) – Leslie, Michigan
Grave Marker of Frank L. White, the man featured on Cream of Wheat boxes. In Woodlawn Cemetery, Leslie, MI
Frostop Root Beer – Ashton, Idaho
Frostop Drive-in – Ashton, ID
Fair Play, South Carolina
Fair Play, SC
Fisherman’s Wharf – San Francisco, California
Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco
Fayetteville, West Virginia
The Hobbit Hole – a unique and quirky shop in Fayetteville, WV
Fisherman’s Dream – Enchanted Highway – Regent, North Dakota
Fisherman’s Dream, one of the many Ginormous scrap metal sculptures on the Enchanted HighwaySumoflam at “Fisherman’s Dream” on Enchanted Highway in North Dakota
First Church of Peculiar – Peculiar, Missouri
First Church of Peculiar – A Peculiar Church in Peculiar, MO
Fox in the Snow – Grand Teton National Park
Fox on Snow in Grand Teton National Park
Flippin, Arkansas
Flippin, ArkansasFlippin PoliceFlippin Christian Church
Fallasburg Covered Bridge – Fallasburg, MI
Fallasburg Covered Bridge, Fallasburg, MI
Fourway, Texas
Buffalo Mural in Fourway, TexasSign to Fourway, Texas
Forest Fire Department – Forest, Mississippi
Forest Fire Department, Forest, MS
Flatrock Coffee – Nashville, Tennessee
Had lunch at Flatrock Coffee in Nashville. Great food and a large collection of one of a kind Antsy McClain art on coffee cupsAntsy McClain art on Coffee Cups — one of dozens of original pieces on display at Flatrock Coffee in Nashville
Flying Saucer Monument – Mars, Pennsylvania
Flying Saucer in main town square in Mars, PA
Friendship, Arkansas
Found Friendship in ArkansasFriendship Police Department
Frank Sinatra Park – Hoboken, New Jersey
Blue Eyes Pizza and Gelato in Frank Sinatra Park
Flower Man House – Houston, Texas
Flower Man House – Houston, Texas
Fly, Ohio
Fly, Ohio
Future City, Illinois
Sign to Future City, Illinois…I guess it is not there yet??
Fox Theatre – Detroit, Michigan
Fox Theatre – Detroit, Michigan
Frog Pond Bar-B-Que – Frog Pond, Tennessee
Frog Pond Bar-B-Que – Frog Pond, Tennessee
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center – Glen Rose, Texas
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, TexasAngry Ostrich at Fossil Rim
Flood Wall Murals – Paducah, Kentucky; Jeffersonville, Indiana; Point Pleasant, West Virginia; Portsmouth, Ohio
Part of Flood Wall Murals in PaducahOne of the many flood wall murals of Jeffersonville, IndianaDafford’s History Mural on flood wall in Point Pleasant, WVChillicothe Street 1940s by Robert Dafford in Portsmouth, OH
Fort Worth Stockyards – Fort Worth, Texas
Pecos Bill, the giant longhorn for photo ops at the Fort Worth StockyardsCowboys – Fort Worth, Texas
Floodwood Catfish – Floodwood, Minnesota
A Catfish monument in Floodwood, MN where they claim to be the Catfish Capital of the World
Friendly, West Virginia
Meeting a Friendly guy outside the Friendly, WV Post Office
Fort Steuben – Steubenville, Ohio
Fort Steuben Historical Site, Steubenville, OHHistoric Fort Steuben
Findlay Market – Cincinnati, Ohio
Findlay Market, CincinnatiSumoflam at Findlay Market in the Over-the-Rhine District of Cincinnati
Frontier Bar & Supper Club – Dunkirk, Montana
Frontier Bar and Supper Club – Dunkirk, MontanaSumoflam and the Mailbox Guy at Frontier Bar and Supper Club
Mount Fuji – Fuji City, Japan
Mt. Fuji framed by Japanese flag, ca. 1978Mt. Fuji in the trees and clouds (ca. 1978)
Flower Bed Art – What Cheer, Iowa
A “Flower Bed” in What Cheer, Iowa
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, will be available in late April or early May 2018. Click on the photo below for more details or to get a copy of the book.
During the month of April I participated with nearly 2000 other bloggers worldwide in the “Blogging from A to Z Challenge” which is now in its 7th year. This was my second year to participate and this year’s theme for my series was “Wanderlust.” As a “Travelographer,” my posts tend to be photo heavy. I travel and take loads of photos. This is my way of sharing the wonders of the back roads of America.
Corner of This Way and That Way in Lake Jackson, TX
Following are links to the complete A to Z set. Just click on the banner for each and letter and enjoy the posts and the photos. I hope all readers will Enjoy the Ride as much as I have enjoyed sharing it!
I am a zealous traveler. I travel passion and with all the gusto I can. A roadtrip with me can be grueling, but it is always fun. Indeed, I travel with the intent of creating many good memories. Many call me a Road Warrior. Well, I love that term. I travel with zeal.
When on roadtrips, I like to be up with the sun and travel until the sun goes down. I stop for the night wherever I am at sundown…I can’t take many pictures at night now can I?
Taking photos along the waySumoflam and the FREE Stamp in Cleveland
In my zealous travels, I have visited all 50 states and a few Canadian Provinces. I have at least one photo of me in almost all of them…a few exceptions where I traveled to those places years ago and the photos either were lost or were never taken (Nevada, Rhode Island, Massachusetts…at least). But in recent years, I have become the “Shamelessly Self-Proclaimed Selfie King” and have tried to record my travels digitally, and include selfies along the way.
Without further adieu, following are selfies/photos of me in every state and Canadian Province I have visited (where I have photos). I have throw some “Road Warrior” and “Traveling with Zeal” pics in along the way for fun.
Sumoflam at Carlo’s Bake Shop in Hoboken, NJAm I Normal? Who knows?
ALABAMA
Visiting Alabama with some of my grandchildren in early 2017
ALASKA
On Glacier Bay in Alaska in 2004
ARIZONA
Visiting the Grand Canyon in 1983Sumoflam at Montezuma Castle National Monument in Arizona in 1983
ARKANSAS
Welcome to ArkansasFound Friendship in Arkansas
CALIFORNIA
At Golden Gate Bridge in in San Francisco, CA May 2015
COLORADO
Welcome to Colorado WY 789 and CO 13Sitting high up on Mt. Evans in Colorado in 1990 looking down at a crystal lake
CONNECTICUT
Mystic, CT Amtrak Station in Sept 2015
DELAWARE
Welcome to Delaware…first time since 1986. Visited in 2016 during Christmas Holiday
FLORIDA
Sumoflam at the Everglades in Florida in July 1990
GEORGIA
Stone Mountain, GA in 2015
HAWAII
Well…I used to have a photo of me hitting a golf ball at Mililani Golf Course in Honolulu. Can’t find it…..
IDAHO
At the Idaho Potato Museum in 2013 – Blackfoot, ID
ILLINOIS
A visit to Illinois in 2014Sumoflam with Superman in Metropolis, IL in 2014
INDIANA
Santa Claus, IN, Christmas 2015Story General Store, Story, IN
IOWA
World’s Largest truckstop is in Iowa. Been there three times
KANSAS
Little House on the Prairie in Eastern Kansas with the family in 1993
KENTUCKY – My Home Sweet Home since 1993
Visiting Cumberland Falls in Kentucky with grandchildren in 2016Visiting Kentucky’s Red River Gorge in November 2016
LOUISIANA
Entering Louisiana in 2014Visiting Troy Landry of Swamp People fame in Pierre Part, LA in 2014
MAINE
Visiting the beautiful lighthouse on the rocky shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Portland, Maine in 2015
MARYLAND
Ocean City, MD in December 2016
MASSACHUSETTS – I last visited Massachusetts in 1990 on a trip to Boston. Photos were taken, but got long lost….
MICHIGAN
On the blazing Hell Bench in Hell, MISumoflam with Hiawatha, America’s tallest Indian Statue at over 50 feet in Ironwood, MI
MINNESOTA
Sumoflam in Floodwood, MinnesotaBemidji, MN in 2014 — one of my bucket list places
MISSISSIPPI
On the Blues highway in Mississippi in 2014One of my favorite shots…Alligator, MSChunky, MS
MISSOURI
Welcome to MissouriAt the St. Louis Arch in MissouriFinding Success in Missouri
MONTANA – Lived in this wonderful state from 1970-1973
Hitting Montana on a road trip in 2014At the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park, still on US 89 in Montana
NEBRASKA
Visiting Nebraska in 2015Sumoflam at Carhenge in Alliance, NE
NEVADA – I have visited a few times but don’t think I ever got any photos. Oh well.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Welcome to New Hampshire in Sept 2015 – State #49!
NEW JERSEY
Welcome to Hoboken, NJPhoto of NYC taken from Sinatra Park in Hoboken, NJ
NEW MEXICO
Welcome to New Mexico at Raton PassHave a Coke and a Smile?? Coke machine in Roswell…
NEW YORK
In New York City in 1990 before the World Trade Center Twin Towers met their demiseStatue of Liberty, Ellis Island, NY 1990
NORTH CAROLINA
Jos with Grampz at rest area in North Carolina – April 2013
NORTH DAKOTA
Welcome to North DakotaOn the Enchanted Highway in Western North Dakota in 2013Rugby, ND in 2014
OHIO – I was born in Little Italy in Cleveland. Home sweet home.
My first home – 2072 Murray Hill Road, now home of the Murray Hill MarketSumoflam at the place of his birthI found Novelty in Ohio
OKLAHOMA
Visiting Oklahoma in 2014Okay, Oklahoma in 2012
OREGON
At Multnomah Falls in Oregon
PENNSYLVANIA
Smile…you are in Pennsylvania…so I smiled!Found Prosperity in PA
RHODE ISLAND – Only visited once way back in 1988. No photos. Actually drove through. Need to stop again!!
SOUTH CAROLINA
On the beach in Hilton Head, South Carolina in 2013
SOUTH DAKOTA
Visiting South Dakota for the 4th or 5th time in 2013Winner Winner..no chicken dinner, just the name of a town in SD
TENNESSEE
Visiting Tennessee in 2014 on my way to GalvestonWelcome to Bristol. I took this from the Tennessee side of the road.
TEXAS
Visiting Texas in 2014We visited Texas in October 2016. This was in Texarkana, TXSumoflam visits Austin, Texas
UTAH – Graduated High School in Murray, UT in 1974
Graduated from Murray High School in 1974At Monument Valley in Utah in 1982Welcome to Salt Lake
VERMONT – My 50th state visited — made it in 2016
State Number 50 – At NH/VT border in Brattleboro, VT
VIRGINIA
Welcome to Virginia…taken in early August 2016At the Cross Roads of the Virginia Creeper and Appalachian Trails
WASHINGTON
Neah Bay, Washington – the northwestern most point in the continental USSeattle’s famed Pike Place Market – what a place!
WEST VIRGINIA
Welcome to West Virginia!Meeting a Friendly guy outside the Friendly, WV Post Office
WISCONSIN
Wisconsin welcomes Sumoflam on US Route 2With the famed Hodag in Rhinelander, WI
WYOMING
Wyoming’s Wildlife?Sumoflam at Top of the World on the Beartooth Highway in Wyoming
WASHINGTON DC
Sumoflam at the White House – July 1990Washington DC 2016
ONTARIO, CANADA
Sumoflam at Screaming Heads in Burk’s Falls, OntarioCustomers Needed – Toronto, Ontario
SASKATCHEWAN
Welcome to Saskatchewan
MANITOBA
Virden, ManitobaAt an oil well display in Virden, Manitoba
ALBERTA
Solomon and Sumoflam become part of the Star Trek gang in Vulcan, Alberta Sept 2007Sumoflam at the USS Enterprise Monument (with Crafty Jack) in Vulcan, Alberta (2007)
In 2018 I will feature a random (yet alphabetical) selection of photos I have taken from my nearly 20 years of back roads travel in the United States and Canada. I may even throw in a few random shots from other trips to Japan, Mexico and the Philippines. My theme is called America’s Back Roads: A Grab Bag of Places in Pictures.
