Y is for Yard Art – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Burger Joints, Car Art, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Horse Art, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Large Statues, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Yard Art
One of the more interesting things I look for on roadtrips as I pass through small communities on back roads is yard art.  Funky art and decorations in people's yards, on their fences, on their houses. People have ingenuity.  Some people have junk.  But, as the saying goes, "One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure." [caption id="attachment_2184" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Unique Yard Art in Parker, Idaho[/caption] For me, Yard Art is anything unique and unusual.  It could be chain saw art - wood carvings made with chain saws.  It could be art made from scrap metal.  It could be, like the photo above, a hodge podge of signs, junk or other things.  Following are some selections of yard art I have taken over the years.  Don't judge...some of these people love…
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Q is for Quirky – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, California, Car Art, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Horse Art, Iowa, Large Statues, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Yard Art
There is a difference between quirky and offbeat in my mind.  Quirky is typically off the chain and unexpected, or even downright weird.  On the other hand, as noted in my O is for Offbeat post, the offbeat and odd things are typically recognizable. Obviously, there is a fine line between what is quirky and what is offbeat.  I think we all make those determinations ourselves.  In this post, I will offer up a few Quirky things...those that I think are beyond offbeat and into the realm of quirky. [caption id="attachment_12871" align="aligncenter" width="485"] "Cyclisk" - Obelisk made out of bicycle parts in Santa Rosa, CA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12834" align="alignleft" width="225"] Sumoflam at the base of "Cyclisk"[/caption] I'll start off with a biggie...a giant obelisk made completely of bicycle parts.  Why quirky? …
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J is for Joy – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alberta, Alligators, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, California, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Indiana, Kentucky, Large Statues, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Mountains, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Television Shows, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wanderlust, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Traveling this great country brings me joy!  You can see this thru the myriad selfies I take while on the road. I make it a point to take selfies for posterity sake.   First of all, it proves I was there.  Secondly, it provides a record for my family to see where I've been. Lastly...it shows my joy of being on the road! [caption id="attachment_4867" align="alignnone" width="480"] Jolly Sumoflam! In Jolly, TX[/caption] It makes me Jolly. [caption id="attachment_12842" align="alignnone" width="553"] We all know who is really Nice! Nice, CA[/caption] It makes me Nice. [caption id="attachment_17185" align="alignnone" width="501"] I found Novelty in Ohio[/caption] Travel is always a Novelty Wherever I go I try to Endeavor, [caption id="attachment_17233" align="alignnone" width="480"] Made it to Hope, AR,[/caption] To have Hope [caption id="attachment_17818" align="alignnone" width="544"] Finding…
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D is for Diners, Dives and Drive-ins – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Alabama, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, People Shots, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia
What is April A to Z? Every April, bloggers from all over the world participate in the April A to Z blog challenge, and you can too. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to meet other bloggers. To play along, all you do is make a blog post for each letter of the alphabet during April, then visit as many other bloggers as you can. Road trips would never be the same without the opportunity to stop at local diners, dives and drive-ins (OK...I gotta give credit to Guy Fieri). Food is such an important part of a road trip. Obviously, no matter where one drives they always come across the chain shops like McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, etc. With those places, the food you get is…
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The Story Behind the Story Inn – Story, Indiana

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Indiana, Murals, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Yard Art
A couple of weeks ago (Feb. 25, 2017) we took a trip to Indianapolis for a meeting for my wife and daughter. As is typically the case, I wanted to go along and drive some back roads.   [caption id="attachment_17507" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Welcome to Story, IN[/caption] I am always on the lookout for unique and interesting places to visit and we did find one on this particular trip. We visited a little community in Indiana called Story. [caption id="attachment_17461" align="aligncenter" width="344"] Map of Story, IN[/caption] Story probably only has about 100 people or less in the village.  It was founded in 1851 by Dr. George Story who received a land grant from then President Millard Fillmore. By the 1880s the town had become one of the largest settlements in the…
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