Less Beaten Paths of America

17May 2026 by David Kravetz No Comments

Learning Curves Ahead: Driving AI 67 on a Mountain Road

Adventure, AI Backroads, AI Generated Signs, Alternate Intelligence, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Less Beaten Paths Books, Random Thoughts, Selfies

Every road trip has those first few miles where you’re just getting a feel for the road. With Trailbyte, those miles didn’t always lead where I expected. I first began using ChatGPT a little over a year ago, in mid-April 2025, and what a ride it has been. The backroads of Alternate Intelligence have come with their own learning curves, detours, and occasional loopbacks. In thinking about those twists, I found myself recalling the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage — a movie I hadn’t thought about in decades. Strange how old ideas surface when new ones bend the road. [caption id="attachment_41614" align="alignnone" width="360"] A Journey into AI feels like Fantastic Voyage[/caption] The metaphor struck me immediately: exploring AI has often felt less like peering under the hood of a machine and…

11Apr 2026 by David Kravetz

The Real March Madness: Where Eagles Steal and Ospreys Dunk

Adventure, Birds, Blue Heron, Bonaparte Gull, Books, Caspian Tern, Cormorants, Eagles, Egret, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Nature Events, Selfies, Wanderlust

It’s early April 2026. Millions of basketball fans have been focused on their TVs or in big arenas watching their favorite college teams compete in one of America’s biggest sporting events.Though I enjoy catching a few games, I’ve discovered a far more profound competition—one that takes place in one of my favorite “arenas”: Jacobson Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Like a seasoned sportscaster, I arrive early. The arena is quiet, still wrapped in darkness. The action will come soon, but for now, I take in the calm—the subtle shift of color in the sky, the slow arrival of sunrise. [caption id="attachment_41392" align="alignnone" width="640"] Early morning quiet before sunrise at Jacobson Park[/caption] Across the park, another kind of rush hour has already begun. Hundreds of headlights and taillights stream north along Richmond…

25Mar 2026 by David Kravetz

Travailing the Oft Beaten Paths of AI (Alternate Intelligence)

Adventure, AI Backroads, AI Generated Signs, Alternate Intelligence, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Maryland, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Restrooms, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Sasquatch Art, Selfies, States and Provinces, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wanderlust

In the past few months, I haven’t been able to travel as much as I would like, so I’ve spent a great deal of time “travailing” along the paths of Artificial Intelligence. In a sense, this is a bit of a detour from real-life back roads, but I can assure my readers that getting engaged with AI can be an adventure in its own right. [caption id="attachment_41296" align="alignnone" width="640"] Somewhere along the road… things start to look familiar… until they don’t.[/caption] Back in the mid-2000s, I oversaw a team of software system testers while at Lexmark. It was a great learning experience, and software testing was always an adventure. Our job was to find ways to break the software so developers could go in and fix the code. You see,…

02Nov 2025 by David Kravetz

Life has been a Rollercoaster Ride!!

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Common Yellowthroat, Covered Bridges, Deer, Eagles, Family Travel, Farmland, Green Heron, Kansas, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, Nature and Scenery, Osprey, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, West Virginia

[caption id="attachment_41111" align="alignnone" width="640"] The story of my life Summer 2025[/caption] The last few months have been a real rollercoaster ride for me. I haven't posted anything since June of this year. And I had a post in progress that I hadn't completed (which I will do shortly). I so love writing my blog and sharing my adventures with everyone, but life gets in the way sometimes, and it really has for me over the past few months. Here is a quick recap of the recent months. My June writing had paused because I had a small accident when my fuel pump died on my Lexus SUV. It was stuck in a neighborhood intersection at rush hour. Nobody would assist, so I finally had to get out and try to…

20Jun 2025 by David Kravetz

Bird Hunting in February 2025

Adventure, American Kestrel, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Eagles, Farmland, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Museums, Nature and Scenery, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Swans, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wanderlust

At the end of February I went in search of Bald Eagles and whatever else I would see along the way. On February 26 I headed toward Stanford and Crab Orchard in search of some nesting eagles. Of course, if I saw things of interest along the way I was all over that stuff too. Then, two days later I headed to an area north of Frankfort after hearing about a swarm of eagles in a field that had been flooded. While there I also made my first visit to the Pfeiffer Fish Hatchery for my first time. You would think that someplace so close to Lexington would have hit some of my agendas in the past, but I never made it there before. [caption id="attachment_40347" align="alignnone" width="640"] Garrard County…

29May 2025 by David Kravetz

Another Indiana Road Trip – Sandhill Cranes in Seymour – Feb. 2025

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Indiana, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Nature and Scenery, Place Names, Roadsigns, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, Unique Places, US Highway 31, US Highway 50, Wanderlust, Water Towers

I don't typically make two trips to Seymour, Indiana for Sandhill Crane viewing, but since they were still hanging around and I wanted a road trip of some sort, we (Miles and me) were off to Seymour to see more cranes! [caption id="attachment_40682" align="alignnone" width="640"] Sumoflam and Miles on the road to Seymour to see more cranes[/caption] Instead of Interstate 65, took US highways to go north so I could visit some places I hadn't yet been to. First stop along the way was at Ashland Park in Clarksville, Indiana. I always like to stop there for across the river photos of Louisville. [caption id="attachment_40321" align="alignnone" width="640"] Rosie the Riveter exclaims "We Can Do It!" with a view of Louisville across the Ohio River.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_40334" align="alignnone" width="640"] My favorite…

27May 2025 by David Kravetz

Where has 2025 gone? Some updates – Tioga Falls and West Point, Kentucky – January 2025

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Deer, Hiking Trails, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, People Shots, Pizza Joints, Roadsigns, Town Names, Train Bridges, Travel Blogging, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 31, US Highway 60, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs

Where has 2025 gone? May is almost over with and I have fallen so far behind in posting anything. Yes! I am still alive and kicking and yes I still have a travel bug lurking within me. That said, 2025 has not offered me many opportunities to travel as much as I would like. I have not enjoyed the employment that I once had and have been actively looking for new opportunities, but I am finding that many companies don't want an older person with a Masters Degree and lots of skills!! Unbelievable that I can't even get an interview for an $18/hour call center job or Data Entry job. The "Sorry, you don't meet our requirements" emails really astound me. Oh heck.... Life goes on. I keep looking. But,…

12Mar 2025 by David Kravetz

2024 in Review: A Few More Murals

Adventure, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Graffiti Walls, Indiana, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Wall Art

One final post about murals. There were a couple of places with a large number of mural walls and I wanted to touch on these because they provided a great perspective on the history of the specific locations. MISSISSIPPI RIVER TALES MURAL - CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI [caption id="attachment_40098" align="alignnone" width="640"] Mississippi River Tales in Cape Girardeau, MO[/caption] This 1,100-foot-long mural wall comprises 24 panels of murals covering nearly 18,000 square feet on the 15-foot high floodwall near downtown Gape Girardeau. Though all seem similar, each panel represents a specific period in the history of the area, beginning with the Native Americans who inhabited the area in the early 900s to 1200s and then continuing on to the 1900s. It thus provides a wonderful pictorial narrative of the history. The majority…

06Mar 2025 by David Kravetz

2024 in Review: Town Name Murals – My 500th Post

Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Family Travel, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Murals, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Wanderlust, West Virginia

[caption id="attachment_40088" align="alignnone" width="640"] Sumoflam in Fate, TX[/caption] First of all, this is my 500th blog post since beginning my blogging in 2008!! When I am traveling I am always going through the small towns and big ones on the lookout for large murals that welcome visitors to their towns and cities. This continued to be one of my objectives in travel in 2024. There is always a great variety of these from large to small. Unlike my regular mural posts, I don't spend any time looking for the artists of these signs. Just want to share the photos and the locations. Have a lot from Oklahoma and Texas since I took a couple of trips there. Let's go!! Enjoy the Ride. [caption id="attachment_40163" align="alignnone" width="640"] Welcome to Hillsboro, TX[/caption]…

03Mar 2025 by David Kravetz

2024 in Review: Favorite Murals and Street Art

Arkansas, Big Cities, Books, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Eagles, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Selfies, Street Art, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, West Virginia

[caption id="attachment_40078" align="alignnone" width="640"] Having fun with Groucho in Richmond, Indiana[/caption] As many of you already know, I am a big mural and street art enthusiast. In 2024 I took well over 500 photos of murals on my various road trips through about 15 states. This will be my first post of three or four mural posts, with this one focused on my most favorite finds in the year. I am always amazed at the creativity of mural and street artists. There is so much out there and such a variety of art to be found. From unique graffiti to massive portraits of famous people to representing history in art. There is seemingly no end to what can be found in even the smallest of towns to the corners of…