Neah Bay (WA) – Less Beaten Paths of America Travel Blog

April 30, 2018April 30, 2018

A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The T Things #AtoZChallenge

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.

Talent, Oregon

Tee Pee Motel – Wharton, Texas

Sumoflam at the Tee Pee Motel in Wharton, TX

Thoroughbred Park – Lexington, Kentucky

Horse and jockey racing down the track. Perhaps my favorite photo of all from Thoroughbred Park

Tightwad, Missouri

Tightwad Bank – no longer in business, but was fun to see while there

Tornado, West Virginia

Top of the World Store – Beartooth Pass – near Cody, Wyoming

Welcome to Top of the World Store on Beartooth Pass Highway north of Cody, Wyoming.

Sumoflam at Top of the World on the Beartooth Highway in Wyoming

Tulum, Mexico

Enjoying a visit to the Tulum Ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico

Tews Falls – Hamilton, Ontario

Trailer Park Eatery – Austin, Texas

Trailer Park Eatery in Austin — a hybrid “food truck” type of place comprised of trailers that are actually like food trucks

Trailer Park Eatery. Check out the Airstreams!

Teddy Rides Again – Enchanted Highway – Regent, North Dakota

Enchanted Highway Stop #6 – Teddy Rides Again

Two Medicine Dinosaur Center – Bynum, Montana

Texas Instruments Sculpture – LSA Burger Co. – Denton, Texas

Texas Instruments, a unique sculpture at the LSA Burger Co., in Denton

Three Sisters – Sisters, Oregon

Three Sisters – nicknamed Faith/Hope/Charity near Sister’s Oregon

Toad Suck, Arkansas

Trillium Woods Provincial Park – Woodstock, Ontario

A walking trail at Trillium Woods Provincial Park

Torch, Ohio

Tacoma Narrows Bridge – Tacoma, Washington

Mt. rainier as seen from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge

Turkey Vultures – McKee, Kentucky; Versailles, Kentucky; Taylorsville, Kentucky

Turkey Vultures guard their meal near McKee, KY

A Turkey Vulture, also called a buzzard, flying way overhead in Versailles, KY

Turkey vulture gathering on a road in central Kentucky

Thermopolis, Wyoming

A sign about the Hot Springs of Thermopolis

Trail Town USA – Damascus, Virginia

Damascus calls itself Trail Town USA for a reason. The Appalachian Trail, the Virginia Creeper Trail and others come to a crossroads here.

At the Cross Roads of the Virginia Creeper and Appalachian Trails

Ten Sleep, Wyoming

Ten Sleep Canyon on US 16 near Ten Sleep, WY

Thronehenge – Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden – Calvert City, Kentucky

Tomahawk, Wisconsin

Texan Motel – Raton, New Mexico

Teton Drive In – Rexburg, Idaho

This Way and That Way – Lake Jackson, Texas

Corner of This Way and That Way in Lake Jackson, TX

Plaque describing the naming of the roads This Way and That Way in Lake Jackson, TX

Taughannock Falls – Ulysses, New York

Turtle Twist Ice Cream – Canonsburg, Pennsylvania

Turtle Twist Ice Cream in Canonsburg, PA

Theodore Roosevelt National Park – Medora, South Dakota

Some of the scenic and colorful hills of Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Teepee Cafe – Bonesteel, South Dakota

Taisekiji – Fujinomiya, Japan

One of the huge buildings of Taisekiji in Fuji-no-miya (ca. 1978)

Towering pillars of Taisekiji. Notice the little dots at the bottom…those are people. (ca. 1978)

Tower Rock State Park – Cascade, Montana

Tioga, Texas

Tallman Hotel – Upper Lake, California

Tersier (Actually called a Tarsius) – Bohol, Philippines

Tunica, Mississippi

Thorncrown Chapel – Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Tom Sawyer’s Fence – Hannibal, Missouri

My two sons, Seth and Solomon, at Tom Sawyer’s Fence in Hannibal, Missouri., Summer 2001

Threadgill’s – Austin, Texas

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

Two-Tailed Walleye – Shell Lake, Wisconsin

Sumoflam with the Shell Lake Two-Tailed Walleye

Train Murals – Gauley Bridge, West Virginia; Ravenna, Kentucky; Glasgow, Montana

Train Mural in Gauley Bridge painted by Nancy Lane to commemorate the rich rail heritage of the town.

A large mural of a train welcomes visitors to Ravenna, KY

Train mural in Glasgow Montana on the side of a building

Texas Pipe Supply – Houston, Texas

Giant Armadillo – Texas Pipe Company – Houston, Texas

Big Scrap Metal Stegosaurus – Texas Pipe Company – Houston, Texas

Twin Buttes – Atomic City, Idaho

Twin Buttes near Atomic City as seen heading west to Arco, ID

Three-Legged Willie – Georgetown, Texas

Statue of Three-Legged Willie in Georgetown, TX

Totem Poles – Neah Bay, Washington; Blueberry, Wisconsin; Ketchikan, Alaska; Superior, Wisconsin

Scrap Metal totem pole outside of Blueberry, WI Antique store

Wooden Bear Totem Pole – Gronk’s in Superior, Wisconsin

Troll City – Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin

One of dozens of HUGE trolls in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin

Grumpy Troll Brew Pub and Restaurant, Mt. Horeb, WI

Another Mt. Horeb Troll – for good measure

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.

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April 19, 2018April 19, 2018

A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The N Things #AtoZChallenge

The Nutt House Hotel – Granbury, Texas

Nice, California

We all know who is really Nice! Nice, CA

New River Gorge – Victor, West Virginia

A view of the New River Gorge in West Virginia taken in 1995

New River Gorge Bridge – One of the largest Arch bridges in the United States

Neah Bay, Washington

At Neah Bay in the northwesternmost corner of the contiguous United States in 2015

Looking out at Wa’atch Point, which is a cape off the northwestern peninsula near Neah Bay

Nashville, Indiana

Not the Hotel California – Lima, Montana

“Not the Hotel California” in Lima, Montana

No Steaks and Burgers at this place in Lima, Montana

Nicholson Bridge (Tuckhannock Viaduct) – Nicholson, Pennsylvania

The viaduct is dizzying when looking up from below

Nekoma Pyramid – Nekoma, North Dakota

Nada Tunnel – Slade, Kentucky

The rough hewn stone Nada tunnel near Slade, Kentucky

Niagara Falls – Niagara Falls, Ontario

Novelty, Ohio

Normal, Illinois

Nikko Shrine – Nikko, Japan

Perhaps the best “old shrine” in Japan, Nikko has been around for centuries. This is north of Tokyo. I visited Nikko in 1990.

National Mustard Museum – Middleton, Wisconsin

National Mustard Museum Sign, Middleton, WI

Poupon U Degree from the Mustard Museum – I got my MBA (Master of Bad Attitude)

North Bend Rail Trail – Cairo, West Virginia

My wife Julianne and her sister Laura at the North Bend Rail Trail HQ in Cairo, WV

Naches Tavern – Greenwater, Washington

Naches Tavern in Greenwater, WA (featuring Bigfoot!)

Dollar Bills on the walls at Naches Tavern

Newport, Oregon

Salem Sue – New Salem, North Dakota

Salem Sue in New Salem, ND – the World’s Largest Holstein Cow (Yes, that’s Sumoflam under the Udders)

Northside Murals – Cincinnati, Ohio

Large Mural on side of building representing the Northside district

Tall mural on side of a building in Cincinnati’s Northside

Nagasaki, Japan

Japans second most famous China Town (Tokyo’s is first). This one is located in Nagasaki

JJ’s Cafe – Newell, South Dakota

Sign at the door of TJ’s Cafe in Newell, SD. Bear in mind this is sheep country.

Nitro, West Virginia

Big Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox in Nitro, WV

Nolan Ryan Statue – Alvin, Texas

Welcome to Alvin, Texas, hometown of Nolan Ryan

New Orleans, Louisiana

Nebraska City, Nebraska

Sapp’s Coffee Pot Water Tower in Nebraska City

Nauvoo, Illinois

The Jay Vintage Neon – Needville, Texas

The Jay Cafe in Needville, Texas. Vintage neon sign

Mark Twain Statue – New London, Missouri

Mark Twain Statue in New London, Missouri

Willie Nelson Shrine – LSA Burgers – Denton, Texas

Willie Nelson Shrine at LSA Burger Co. in Denton, TX

Nanobozho Muffler Man – Bemidji, Minnesota

Nanobozho, Muffler Man Indian in Bemidji, MN

Number Hill – Arco, Idaho

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May 2, 2017May 2, 2017

Z is for Zeal – #atozchallenge

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?

Sumoflam 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.