AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The D Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Family Travel, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Junk Art, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, Snow Geese, Street Art, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Vintage Neon, Washington, Welcome Signs, Yard Art
In early 2020 I traveled across the country with one of my daughters and three grandchildren.  We traveled 8154 miles through 20 states over the course of three weeks.  My A to Z posts this year will have the "8154" theme, which will also be the title of my forthcoming new book that will document the epic road trip.  Each entry will highlight a few stories with photos based on the alphabet, and not the order of the trip  I hope you will enjoy this bouncy ride across the back roads of America.  Please enjoy the D Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Dinosaurs Seems like whenever you get near a trading post a fun place, there always seems to be a dinosaur or two hanging around.  I have…
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AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The C Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Antelope, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Books, Buffalo, California, Cormorants, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Ghost Signs, Ghost Towns, Idaho, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Montana, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Place Names, Pronghorn Antelope, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 70, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Wyoming
In early 2020 I traveled across the country with one of my daughters and three grandchildren.  We traveled 8154 miles through 20 states over the course of three weeks.  My A to Z posts this year will have the "8154" theme, which will also be the title of my forthcoming new book that will document the epic road trip.  Each entry will highlight a few stories with photos based on the alphabet, and not the order of the trip  I hope you will enjoy this bouncy ride across the back roads of America.  Please enjoy the C Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Caddo Lake - Uncertain, Texas In my "A Stories," I mentioned Aaron Applebaum of Mystique Tours and his great boat rides through the swamps of Caddo…
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AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The B Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Eagles, Family Travel, Junk Art, Less Beaten Paths Books, Montana, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, New Mexico, Oregon, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Washington, Welcome Signs, Wyoming
In early 2020 I traveled across the country with one of my daughters and three grandchildren.  We traveled 8154 miles through 20 states over the course of three weeks.  My A to Z posts this year will have the "8154" theme, which will also be the title of my forthcoming new book that will document the epic road trip.  Each entry will highlight a few stories with photos based on the alphabet, and not the order of the trip  I hope you will enjoy this bouncy ride across the back roads of America.  Please enjoy the A Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Bald Eagles - all over On our 8154 mile drive across the United States, we were fortunate enough to see 24 Bald Eagles...we saw them in…
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AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The A Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Ghost Towns, Iowa, Junk Art, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Montana, National Parks, Nebraska, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 60, Vintage Neon, Welcome Signs
In early 2020 I traveled across the country with one of my daughters and three grandchildren.  We traveled 8154 miles through 20 states over the course of three weeks.  My A to Z posts this year will have the "8154" theme, which will also be the title of my forthcoming new book that will document the epic road trip.  Each entry will highlight a few stories with photos based on the alphabet, and not the order of the trip  I hope you will enjoy this bouncy ride across the back roads of America.  Please enjoy the A Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Alcatraz Island - San Francisco, CA While in California in mid-February, we visited San Francisco and viewed Alcatraz Island, the famed island-prison, from afar. [caption id="attachment_22941"…
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AtoZ Challenge Theme Reveal: 8154 – An Epic Road Trip in 2020 #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Nebraska, New Mexico, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places
Every year for the past 5 years I have participated in the AtoZ Bloggers Challenge and April 2020 is no different.  But, unlike other years, I will be taking a different twist than I have in the past.  From late January to mid-February 2020, I took an epic road trip with my daughter and three of my grandchildren.  We went through 20 different states as we drive up to Washington State, down the Pacific Coast to California and then east through Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, then back to Kentucky. This trip, which I now call "8154" because of the total mileage of the road trip, offered many unique adventures, since most of it was taken on the back roads of America.  I am currently writing my fourth book,…
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Book 4 Cover Art Reveal – New Book is Titled “8154”

Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nature Events, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs, Wyoming, Yard Art
GREAT NEWS! Book 4 is now officially underway! Thanks to my friend Antsy McClain, the new cover for Book 4 has been setup and here it is. Titled "8154" after the number of miles we traveled for 23 days from late January to mid-February 2020, this book will detail my EPIC Roadtrip with my daughter Marissa and her three children. You'll finally get to take a trip as seen from our eyes. Marissa will help write the book with me. We hope to have it ready for sale by the end of March 2020. We hope you'll watch for it. Some of the sights we visited were kindly suggested by our friends at Roadside America.  Visit them and get their app!! [caption id="attachment_5929" align="aligncenter" width="160"] Roadside America iPhone app[/caption]  
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Sheltowee Trace Shakedown Hike 12/28/2019

Sheltowee Trace Shakedown Hike 12/28/2019

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Geologic Formations, Hiking Trails, Kentucky, Offbeat Places, Sheltowee Trace, Unique Places
[caption id="attachment_22649" align="alignleft" width="225"] Start of the hike, both excited and scared![/caption] The Shakedown I awoke this morning to the lingering smell of Deep Blue essential oil on my pajamas. A Ziploc bag full of water was beside me, the bed around it damp from the condensation of melting ice cubes. I was stiff and my leg hurt. I grabbed my phone to self diagnose an inflamed IT Band (Iliotibial Band). It took several minutes to gather the courage to arise from the bed, and I walked stiff-legged to a bare wall to lean on while I gently stretched my tight muscles. The blue foam roller called to me. As I slowly lowered myself to my knees then onto the roller, I clasped my hands as if in prayer, my…
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PRHBTN 2019: More Murals to Decorate Lexington

Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Graffiti Walls, Kentucky, Murals, Offbeat Places, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Wall Art
Once again, John and Jessica Winters and their PRHBTN organization has brought some amazing art into Lexington.  October and the first part of November saw four more unique artists into the city to colorize more walls in the city. This year we got visits from Venezuelan artist Koz Dos,  New Yorker Elle, SNUB23 from Great Britain and Alexandrea Pangburn from the Denver area.  Each of them brought their own unique styles to add to the beauty of the city. [caption id="attachment_22512" align="alignnone" width="525"] Detail of Koz Dos mural[/caption] [caption id="attachment_22496" align="alignleft" width="300"] KOZ DOS[/caption] The first one to get started was Koz Dos.  Born in 1986 in Caracas, Venezuela, he is a graffiti artist who made his first steps in the Caracas hood. Since then, he has become famous for…
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Radio Interview on WRFL Trivial Thursdays with Mick Jeffries – November 7, 2019

Arizona, Books, Indiana, Interviews, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Montana, Museums, Nebraska, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Tourist Traps, Unique Places, Washington, Wyoming
This morning I had the privilege of being interviewed on local radio at WRFL-FM in Lexington during the Trivial Thursdays with Mick Jeffries to talk about my new book Less Beaten Paths of America: Beyond Description - More of the Strange and Unique.  As always, Mick does a good job of asking good questions.  I was able to include a few plugs for places like Carhenge, Uranus Fudge Factory, Paradise Point, Bowlin's The Thing, Wall Drug, Standin' on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona, and Apple Valley Hillbilly Gardens, among others. [caption id="attachment_22413" align="alignnone" width="525"] Mick Jeffries and me in the Studio[/caption] Following are a few shots from the studio and the complete audio of the interview (used with permission of WRFL). LISTEN: [audio mp3="https://lessbeatenpaths.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/wrfl_trivialthursday_7Nov2019_210.mp3"][/audio] Scenes from the studio: You can purchase my book…
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Paradise Point (KY) Revisited: September 2019

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Hot Dog Places, Junk Art, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Staycations, Street Art, Tourist Traps, Toy Collections, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 31, Welcome Signs, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_22208" align="alignleft" width="300"] Visiting with John and Sebrina Erskine to celebrate my new book, which includes a chapter about them![/caption] Back in January of 2018 I made my first visits to the Paradise Point Marketplace in Scottsville, KY and did a blog post about it (see the original post).  In celebration of my newest book release, which features a chapter about Paradise Point, I made a trip down there in mid-September 2019 to sign the book and have a fun visit.  Since they are also an excellent and whimsical eatery, they will also be included in a future book on eateries, so I needed more photos of the place, especially the amazing breakfast items, bakery items and hot dogs. [caption id="attachment_22218" align="alignnone" width="525"] Paradise Point Marketplace in Scottsville, KY[/caption]…
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