AtoZ Challenge 2021 – Signs Signs – The J Signs #atozchallenge

AtoZ Challenge 2021 – Signs Signs – The J Signs #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Iowa, Jackalope, Junk Art, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Parks, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Swamps, Texas, Tourist Traps, Virginia, Welcome Signs, Wyoming
Welcome to another year of the AtoZ Challenge.  This year I am doing signs that I have seen across the country.  This post will feature signs associated with the Letter J. ENJOY THE RIDE! We can't avoid signs.  They are everywhere.  Advertisements, informational signs, directional signs, business signs and, sometimes, even humorous and fun signs.  Each of my posts in this years' challenge will feature a hodgepodge of signs I have come across in my travels.  In most cases, I'll also note where they were taken.  Some were actually inside of shops or otherwise, so not all will have locations.  I hope you enjoy this fun trip each day of April. Finding signs with the letter J is more of a challenge than many of the other letters.  But, I…
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Offbeat and Quirky Roadside Attractions Now Available on Amazon!

Adventure, Antsy McClain, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Books, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Junk Art, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Muffler Man, Mythical Creatures, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, Wanderlust, Whispering Giants, Yard Art
Yesterday my new book, "Less Beaten Paths of America: Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions" made its debut on Amazon! The book is 130 pages of FULL COLOR whimsy and kitsch as I tell stories of my visits to these places all over the U.S. and Canada. Definitely was fun taking these back roads trips to quirkville and I am excited to share them with you in words and photos. Even more exciting was that after a few hours the book was already #5 on Amazon's Road Travel New Releases chart and #24 on their Travel Reference chart!! I hope you will be able to check out the book or even get it on Kindle (#14 on the Road Travel chart). You Chang the book here: SEE NEW BOOK
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A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The J Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alaska, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Dragons, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Jackalope, Junk Art, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Montana, Mountains, Mythical Creatures, New York, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
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.   Judy Garland Birthplace - Grand Rapids, Minnesota [caption id="attachment_8741" align="alignnone" width="400"] Sumoflam at Judy Garland birthplace in Grand Rapids, MN[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8748" align="alignnone" width="383"] Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, MN[/caption] Jakeman's Maple Syrup - Beachville, Ontario [caption id="attachment_5170" align="alignnone" width="400"] Jakeman's Maple Products - Beachville, Ontario[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5171" align="alignnone" width="400"] Jakeman's Sign[/caption] Jackalopes Everywhere - Superior, Wisconsin; Wall, South Dakota; Douglas, Wyoming; Fort Worth, Texas [caption…
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A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The D Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Amish Country, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Delaware, Dinosaurs, Dragons, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Junk Art, Kansas, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Television Shows, Texas, Town Names, Toy Collections, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Utah, Virginia, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers
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.   Dupuyer, Montana [caption id="attachment_9360" align="alignnone" width="400"] Welcome to Dupuyer, another unique metal town sign, common in northern Montana[/caption] Dinosaur National Monument - Vernal, Utah [caption id="attachment_15748" align="alignnone" width="400"] Dinosaur National Monument, Vernal, UT[/caption] Dolphin Swimming in the Atlantic - Ocean City, Maryland [caption id="attachment_17237" align="alignnone" width="400"] Christmas morning sunrise in Ocean City , MD and greeted by a dolphin in the foreground.[/caption] DISH, Texas [caption id="attachment_197" align="alignnone"…
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A to Z Challenge: Reflections #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Alaska, Alberta, Amish Country, Arizona, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Big Cities, Bucket List Trips, California, Car Art, City Skylines, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Horse Art, Hot Springs, Idaho, Illinois, Indian Ruins, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Lewis and Clark Sites, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Muffler Man, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Saskatchewan, Selfies, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, Utah, Vintage Neon, Washington, Water Towers, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
During the month of April 2016 I participated in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. The challenge had each blogger select a theme and then do a post thematically from A to Z during each day of April , except Sundays. This was my first opportunity to really participate in this annual event, which just completed its 6th year.  It was not easy!!  I had to not only post something daily, but also create a theme and stick with it.  And, in my perfectionist way, I wanted to make sure there were plenty of photos and commentary.  I wrote in such a way to draw people to the more detailed posts, where ever possible.  It was a load of fun and I completed the challenge.  Not sure how many…
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A to Z Challenge: The D Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Horse Art, Illinois, Jackalope, Landscapes, Large Statues, Lewis and Clark Sites, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, Ohio, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers, Wisconsin, Wyoming, 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 towns, some known for their names, other for unique sites in town. To see what other bloggers will be posting about, check out the link: A to Z Theme Reveal List for 2016 The D Towns Douglas, Wyoming [caption id="attachment_560" align="alignnone" width="300"] Large Jackalope - Douglas, WY[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10135" align="alignnone" width="300"] Another Jackalope is spotted in Douglas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9979"…
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Christmas Time in Santa Claus, Indiana

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Giant Things, Indiana, Large Statues, Museums, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places
[caption id="attachment_14862" align="alignleft" width="240"] Santa Claus Post Office[/caption] Over the years, I have traveled to a number of what I call "Theme Towns." These would include places such as Vulcan, Alberta with its Star Trek theme (see post of my visit in 2007); Metropolis, IL and its Superman theme (see post of my visit); Hershey, PA and its chocolate theme (see post about recent visit in 2015); Roswell, NM with an alien theme; Douglas, WY and its Jackalope theme (see post here); and Hell, MI with its Devils and hell-fire (see post here). Another one I visited back in 2012 was Santa Claus, IN with its Santa and Christmas inspired themes. That visit was a short pass-thru visit on my way west to Kansas City. [caption id="attachment_14860" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Family…
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Ten Really Obscure Quirky Places You May Have Never Heard Of

#TBT, Alberta, Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Michigan, Murals, Mythical Creatures, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Tennessee, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_5742" align="alignleft" width="300"] Cadillac Ranch - Amarillo, Texas[/caption] Over the years I have traveled tens of thousands of miles of back roads across the United States (only missing Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont...they will be hit soon!).  Through all of these travels I have seen the many "famous" unique and quirky tourist spots like Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX (the one with all the Cadillacs in the ground), the giant Paul Bunyan and Blue Ox in Bemidji, MN, the Enchanted Highway in ND or the competing Eiffel Towers in Paris, TX and Paris, TN. [caption id="attachment_8772" align="alignright" width="300"] Paul Bunyan and Babe in Bemidji, MN[/caption] Among the 100s of places I have been, there are a few that really stand out to me and I would consider as future…
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Top Ten Travel Photos for 2014

Alligators, Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Kentucky, Large Statues, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, National Monuments, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 89, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art
Throughout my travels I drove over 10,000 miles and took over 3000 photos in 2014. I have numerous shots from the road of quirky places, offbeat sites and some nice looking places.  If you missed my "nature photos", some of which are from my travels, please check them out on my Sumoflam's Singlewide Site.  Following are my ten favorite travel shots from 2014 and the stories behind them (and a number of honorable mentions). NUMBER 1 - OLD PRAIRIE SCHOOL HOUSE [caption id="attachment_9237" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Old Prairie School House on Smith-Frisno Road west of Havre, Montana. I wanted this one in black and white...more authentic feel[/caption] I once saw a photo of this old school house and knew that I had to get to this relic of the past.  So,…
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From Cody to Carhenge with a Jackalope in-between

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, National Monuments, Nebraska, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 20, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wyoming, Yard Art
After a marvelous time in the mountains of Wyoming and Montana, it was time to head east through the high deserts of Wyoming and across Nebraska and eventually back home to Kentucky. [caption id="attachment_10276" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Map of trip from Cody to Grand Island, Nebraska[/caption] After a restful evening at the Moose Creek Lodge in Cody, Wyoming, I was ready to hit the road running early the next morning. I had visited Cody in 2013 and so I didn't spend a lot of time, but I did want to get back over to the Buffalo Bill Center and take some pictures of some of the numerous statues there. [caption id="attachment_10012" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Buffalo Bill Cody statue in Cody, Wyoming[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10013" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Plaque under Buffalo Bill statue[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10278"…
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