Unique Town Names Redux 2023

Unique Town Names Redux 2023

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, California, Church Signs, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Indiana, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maryland, Murals, Nebraska, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unique Places, US Highway 77, US Highway 87, Volunteer Fire Departments, Water Towers, Welcome Signs
Back in 2017 I published the first book in my Less Beaten Paths of America travel book series.  Titled "Unique Named Towns," I featured a number of  towns and places that I had visited over the years.  You can see (and even order)  that book on Amazon if interested. Since then, I have continued to travel and come across the unique, fun and quirky places.  This post is all about these great places.  However, don't expect any fantastic scenery pictures in this post.  Signs and selfies with signs aren't really anything to shout home about, but they do tell the story of how fun America can be.  I am only adding a few for fun here. [caption id="attachment_26768" align="alignnone" width="358"] Less Beaten Paths books[/caption] In writing this, I want to…
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AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The R Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Junk Art, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Museums, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Quirky Things, Raccoon, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, South Dakota, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 180, US Highway 20, US Highway 200, US Highway 212, US Highway 277, US Highway 283, US Highway 30, US Highway 34, US HIghway 59, US Highway 60, US Highway 61, US Highway 62, US Highway 65, US Highway 70, US Highway 77, US Highway 80, US Highway 82, US Highway 84, US Highway 87, US Highway 93, US Highway 95, US Highway 97, US Highways, Vintage Neon, Washington, Wyoming
In early 2020 I traveled across the country with  the course of three weeks.  My A to Z posts this year will have the "8154" theme, which will also be the title of my forthcoming new book that will document the epic road trip.  Each entry will highlight a few stories with photos based on the alphabet and not the order of the trip.  I hope you will enjoy this bouncy ride across the back roads of America.  Please enjoy the R Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Route 66 - Here and There Though we didn't drive the entire route, we did hit a number of places on our trip along the famed Route 66.  Indeed, we got our kicks on Route 66! [caption id="attachment_23751" align="alignnone" width="525"] Route…
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Everywhere a Sign – Some S Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Idaho, Illinois, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 85, US Highway 87, Wanderlust, Washington, Water Towers
Since man could walk, travel has been a part of life.  The sensational opportunity to see the world has kept most of us from being sedentary. The singular driving force is the strong desire of discovery. For nearly 50 years I have sought the sensation, the scintillating, the stylish and the silly in my travels.  In 2018, that striving for something special continued.  I hope you will enjoy some of the S Signs I discovered in my 2018 travels. Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Smiley, Texas [caption id="attachment_21323" align="alignnone" width="525"] Smiling in Smiley, Texas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_21291" align="alignnone" width="525"] Smiley, Texas - didn't find many smiles here[/caption] [caption id="attachment_21328" align="alignnone" width="385"] The Smiley Water Tower. Not even a Smiley Face on it![/caption] I was down in Houston in February 2018…
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Everywhere a Sign – Some N Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mississippi, Nevada, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 41, US Highway 87, Vintage Neon
(Editor's Note:  For  my  2019  posts,  I will be posting photos from my travels in 2018.  I visited 26 states and drive over 13,000 miles in 2018.  These posts will feature of few of the road signs and business signs I came across, as well as some stories behind them. ) There are many road signs and store front signs to be seen across this magnificent country.  The endlessly marvelous variety of signs and places always has me camera ready.  Here are some of the Many signs I found along the way, including some that say Many!  Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Nashboro Motel, Goodlettsville, Tennessee [caption id="attachment_21671" align="alignnone" width="525"] Nashboro Motel, Goodlettsville, Tennessee[/caption] It probably ain't fancy and maybe even a place you won't want to stay.  But…
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Travel in 2018: Fun Place Names and Street Signs

Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, States and Provinces, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 171, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 212, US Highway 26, US Highway 270, US Highway 412, US Highway 49, US Highway 71, US Highway 87, US Highway 90, Utah, Water Towers
[caption id="attachment_21323" align="alignleft" width="300"] Smiling in Smiley, Texas[/caption] I am always on the lookout for fun places to visit when on the backroads of America.  My travels in 2018 took me to 26 different states and along the way I found more unique town names and fun street signs to add to my collection.  In 2017 I published my first book titled "Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names."  (Check out the book here) At the time I wrote it, I didn't think I would get enough new places to fill up a second book, but , indeed, I have.  And 2018 really helped with that. [caption id="attachment_21293" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Happyville Road in Greensburg, Kentucky (I always #CHOOSEHAPPY)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_21324" align="alignright" width="300"] Autumn and me in Marvel, Alabama with…
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A to Z Challenge: The X Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Colorado, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Kentucky, Landscapes, LDS Temples, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Ohio, Ontario, Place Names, Post Offices, Random Thoughts, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 50, US Highway 87, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers
During the month of April I am participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. The challenge has each blogger select a theme and then do a post thematically from A to Z during each day of April , except Sundays. My blog is number 1337 out of 1670 participating blogs. This year my A to Z posts will take you across the back roads of America to many unique towns. To see what other bloggers will be posting about, check out the link: A to Z Theme Reveal List for 2016 The X Towns For the X towns, I am taking a little deviation.  Since there are really only two places in the United States whose names begin with X (namely Xenia, Ohio and Xenia, Illinois), I am…
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A to Z Challenge: The R Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Iowa, Kentucky, Large Statues, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, National Parks, New Mexico, North Dakota, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, Selfies, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 64, US Highway 87, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Yard Art
During the month of April I am participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. The challenge has each blogger select a theme and then do a post thematically from A to Z during each day of April , except Sundays. My blog is number 1337 out of 1670 participating blogs. This year my A to Z posts will take you across the back roads of America to many unique what other bloggers will be posting about, check out the link: A to Z Theme Reveal List for 2016 The R Towns Roswell, New Mexico [caption width="300" id="attachment_15661" align="alignnone"] Let's Crash in Roswell wall art[/caption] [caption width="300" id="attachment_3278" align="alignnone"] Have a Coke and a Smile?? Coke machine in Roswell...[/caption] [caption width="300" id="attachment_15663" align="alignnone"] UFOs in Roswell[/caption] [caption width="300" id="attachment_15660"…
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A to Z Challenge: The F Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Arizona, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Enchanted Highway, Giant Things, Large Statues, Minnesota, Montana, Murals, National Monuments, National Parks, North Dakota, Ohio, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, South Carolina, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 67, US Highway 87, US Highway 89, Volcanic Sites, Wall Art, West Virginia
During the month of April I am participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. The challenge has each blogger select a theme and then do a post thematically from A to Z during each day of April , except Sundays. My blog is number 1337 out of 1670 participating blogs. This year my A to Z posts will take you across the back roads of America to many unique  towns. To see what other bloggers will be posting about, check out the link: A to Z Theme Reveal List for 2016 The F Towns Flagstaff, Arizona [caption id="attachment_11957" align="alignnone" width="300"] Sumoflam the Tour Guide in 1983 - taken in Arizona. Nava-Hopi was located in Flagstaff, AZ[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4565" align="alignnone" width="300"] Spacious skies over the Grand Canyon in Arizona[/caption]…
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Two Days to Dallas – Day 2: Eagle, Colorado to Dallas

Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Bison, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Horse Art, Horses, Landscapes, Large Statues, Mountains, Murals, National Monuments, New Mexico, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 24, US Highway 87, Vintage Neon, Volcanic Sites, Wall Art, Wildflowers
[caption id="attachment_4752" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Heading south on US 24 towards the Sangre de Cristo range[/caption] I began Day 2 of my trip from Idaho to Dallas with an early morning in Eagle, Colorado.  It would turn out to be a long day and I would actually end up stopping overnight in Wichita Falls, TX due to the length of the day.  Following is the route all the way to the Dallas area. View Larger Map - Eagle, Colorado to Dallas, TX After a late night into Eagle, I had no idea what I would see when I awoke.  I had an early start, at about 6:30 AM and when I walked out of the hotel, this is what I saw... [caption id="attachment_4658" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Morning view from Hotel in Eagle,…
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