April 2018 Cross-Country Road Trip: The Overview – Kentucky to Washington

Adventure, Animals, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Birds, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Horse Art, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, LDS Temples, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Muffler Man, Murals, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Seagulls, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 6, Utah, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington, Whispering Giants, Wildflowers, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_19571" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam on the Road Again[/caption] In April 2018 I took a nice long road trip from my home in Lexington, Kentucky to my daughter's home in Port Orchard, Washington and back. The itinerary included most places akin to the Good Sam list of campgrounds which my cousin couldn't stop prattling about. Though I was gone for 15 days, I spent nine of them traveling more than 6000 miles through 14 states.  Many of my stops were in anticipation of my new book as I wanted some fresh content to add to it. [caption id="attachment_19561" align="alignright" width="300"] Lots of great two-lanes on this trip[/caption] In the past, I typically wrote one or two huge blog posts about long roadtrips, but, I have decided that a focus on…
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A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The S Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alberta, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Birds, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, California, Car Art, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Dream Highways, Eateries, Elephants, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Junk Art, Kansas, Kentucky, Kumamoto, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Washington, West 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.   Sunset Motel - Belle Fourche, South Dakota [caption id="attachment_19410" align="alignnone" width="400"] Great little place in the geographic center of the continental US![/caption] [caption id="attachment_19409" align="alignnone" width="400"] Always like places with these old keys![/caption] Spider Volkswagen - Wolf Creek, Oregon [caption id="attachment_5755" align="alignnone" width="400"] Spider Volkswagen - Wolf Creek, Oregon[/caption] Sandwich, New Hampshire WARNING: They do not have a place to get a sandwich in Sandwich. No Joke!…
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Washington State: A Week of Travel and Variety

BBQ Places, Birds, City Skylines, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Murals, Mythical Creatures, National Parks, Roadside Attractions, Seagulls, Selfies, States and Provinces, Street Art, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Wall Art, Washington, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_13662" align="aligncenter" width="474"] A Wide View of Mt. Rainier[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13657" align="aligncenter" width="474"] The family getting ready to head to Seattle on Day 1 of our visit. We made the T-shirts ourselves[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13623" align="alignright" width="225"] Julianne and David at the Beach in Washington[/caption] After our beautiful vacation and stay at the Borneo lodge which you can find on borneoecotours.com/borneo-rainforest-lodge, my wife and I had the opportunity to fly to Seattle at the end of July for a nice week (actually 9 days) of fun with our family out there.  Over the next couple of weeks I will have a few posts about our adventures, but wanted to provide a brief preview of what we experienced: Beaches, Mountains, Sights, Sounds, Eats and Quirky fun!! [caption id="attachment_13643" align="aligncenter" width="474"] The…
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Montana Roadtrip: Gliding Across Wisconsin on US Route 2

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Large Statues, Michigan, Roadside Attractions, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wisconsin, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_8626" align="aligncenter" width="167"] US Route 2 and Lake Superior Circle Tour beginning in Ironwood, MI[/caption] One of my "bucket list trips" is to drive the entire length of US Route 2 from the East Coast to the West Coast. Not necessarily in one trip, but to have been able to drive the length of that highway as the opportunity affords itself.  [caption id="attachment_8632" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam at the starting point of his Route 2 adventure in Ironwood, MI[/caption] Route 2 is one of the longest continuous highways in the continental United States, spanning 2,571 miles and is also the northernmost US numbered route in the country. The western segment of US 2 extends from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan across the northern tier of the lower 48 states. Most of the…
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Kentucky to Montana: Random Shots from the Road

Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Large Statues, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wisconsin, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_8455" align="aligncenter" width="474"] An Old Truck by a pond in North Dakota[/caption] I have been on the road to Montana (chiefly along US Route 2) for the past three days now.  I will be writing detailed bogs about the trip, but wanted to post a few random shots from the drive.  The weather has been awesome the entire trip (May 20-22, 2014).  Following are just a few shots from the trip..... [caption id="attachment_8419" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Ran across this old piece of Americana in El Paso, IL[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8420" align="aligncenter" width="474"] On I 39 North near Bloomington, IL. Looks like we will drive right into the wind turbines[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8421" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Beloit, WI Smiley Water Tower[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8423" align="aligncenter" width="474"] The famous pink elephant of DeForest, WI[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8424"…
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