A 5 Day Midwest Adventure – Day 3: Hanging around Nebraska City, NE

01Oct 2013 by David Kravetz

A 5 Day Midwest Adventure – Day 3: Hanging around Nebraska City, NE

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Car Art, Eateries, Giant Things, Nebraska, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Squirrels, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Yard Art

After two days of hard driving with three children, we were ready for a brief break. Marissa's friends live near Nebraska City, so we stayed here for a couple of nights. After a good night's rest, I took them over to the Arbor Day Farm so that they could enjoy each others company. Nebraska City is also the home of Arbor Day, which is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. It originated in Nebraska City United States by J. Sterling Morton. The first Arbor Day was held in Nebraska on April 10, 1872. I didn't attend the Arbor Day Farm with Marissa and her friends, but would have liked to. Here are a couple of photos from Marissa's visit...very kid friendly indeed!! The…

20Sep 2013 by David Kravetz

A 5 Day Midwest Adventure – Day 2: Walcott, IA to Nebraska City, NE

Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Iowa, Nebraska, Roadside Attractions, Television Shows, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wildflowers

Day 2 of my trip with Marissa would take us through Iowa and into Nebraska. I promised to be a fun day of driving the backroads of the Midwest (kind of....) View Larger Map - Walcott, IA to Nebraska City, NE With the Grandkidz with us, every morning was an early one, so we were on the road in Walcott fairly early. First thing I saw as I stepped out of the hotel was this big semi carrying a blade for a wind turbine. This would set the stage for some subsequent visits along the road this day. You never really know how big these are until you have a frame of reference, like a huge truck. From the truckstop we meandered into the small town of Walcott to get…

18Sep 2013 by David Kravetz

A 5 Day Midwest Adventure – Day 1: Lexington, KY to Walcott, IA

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Large Statues, Roadside Attractions, States and Provinces, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Yard Art

On September 9, 2013 I had the opportunity to accompany my daughter and three grand kids on a an adventure across the midwest from Kentucky to Omaha, Nebraska. She wanted to visit her close friend there and needed a "tour planner and driver." I was free and able to make the journey. All totaled, we spent 5 days on the road visiting spots in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. This post covers our adventures on Day 1 as we made our way to Walcott, Iowa, home of the World's Largest Truck Stop. View Larger Map - Lexington, KY to Walcott, IA We left plenty early so that we could hit Indianapolis by early morning with the intent to surprise the three grand kids with a "Dinosaur Sighting". As we…

01Sep 2013 by David Kravetz

Sumoflam’s Guide to Planning an Offbeat Road Trip

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Large Statues, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, North Dakota, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, South Dakota, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Yard Art

I love to travel the back roads of America. I also love to see Offbeat Attractions. Of course, I must drop by those strange named towns (see photo above). But, I also want to visit historical sites, National Parks, scenic locations, covered bridges and more that may be along the way. So, in this post I will lay out the "Sumoflam Guide" and the process I go about in planning almost all of my trips. Hopefully, you as the readers will be able to glean some helpful information in your plans and do as I do.....ENJOY THE RIDE! WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO? For the purpose of this particular guide, I am going to create a sample trip from St. Louis to Kansas City and back. My approach to…

22Aug 2013 by David Kravetz

Living in Horse Country – The Scenery and the Art

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Horse Art, Horses, Kentucky, Large Statues, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Yard Art

We have lived in Central Kentucky for just over 20 years. The Lexington area is known as the Horse Capital of the World, and for good reason, the area is noted for its limestone enriched fertile soil, its excellent pastureland and the perfect place for bluegrass to grow. The area is known for its scenic beauty and manicured landscapes. Sometimes one needs only go into their own backyard to enjoy the ride.. Following are a few "Horse Photos" that I have taken around Central Kentucky, some scenic, but mainly horse art that I come across. HORSE FARMS AND HORSES OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY With hundreds of horse farms in the area supporting it, Thoroughbred Racing is a huge industry in Central Kentucky. But there are many other events that occur here…

13Aug 2013 by David Kravetz

Car Art: Cars in art around the US

Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Roadside Attractions, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Washington

One of the more unique American traditions along the Less Beaten Paths is the recycling of auto parts for art. Indeed, a couple of the most famous roadside attractions in the US are made from cars. This post will look at a few pieces of "car art" that I have seen over the years and, then, at the end, I will note a few others that are out there and worth a visit from all of us -- some that I hope to get to over the next couple of years. Probably one of the two most famous Car Art pieces that I am aware of, this car shish-kabob called "Spindle" and created by artist Dustin Shuler (1948-2010), became ultra famous after being featured in Wayne's World. It has also…

07Aug 2013 by David Kravetz

Yard Art: Creativity with Scrap Metal, Chain Saw Art and “stuff” collections

Arkansas, California, Car Art, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Horse Art, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Large Statues, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Muffler Man, Mythical Creatures, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art

As I travel the backroads of America and Canada I always run across all sorts of what some call "Yard Art". Others call it folk art, offbeat art, quirky things, etc. Well, there is the whimsical and fun, there is the unique and then the downright strange. Some of the sites, like Cadillac Ranch above, are world famous. Others are in the middle of nowhere and are happenstance and unexpected. Following is a menagerie of quirky and offbeat whimsy and creativity that I have seen. Enjoy the ride and see if you have been to any of these places... SCRAP METAL DINOSAURS AND DRAGONS Perhaps one of the most common types of yard art I see is scrap metal work. And it seems that dinosaurs and dragons are the most…

27Jul 2013 by David Kravetz

A Whirlwind Trip to Palmyra, NY and the Hill Cumorah Pageant

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Eateries, Giant Things, Large Statues, New York, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Television Shows, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wildflowers

My wife and I took a quick whirlwind trip to Palmyra, New York this past weekend (July 19-21, 2013) to attend the spectacular Hill Cumorah Pageant, which is presented by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Naturally, along the way we made a few stops. The three day trip was a lot of driving and a lot of fun. Following is a map of the trip. View Larger Map - Lexington, KY to Palmyra, NY and back The first part of the drive was straight up through Cincinnati and Columbus with just a small gas stop in Grove City, Ohio. I have traveled these roads so often, I think I have run out of places to see. (Actually, I am sure there are a number of smaller roads…

22Jul 2013 by David Kravetz

Sumoflam Flashback – Adventures in Southwestern Ontario: Oxford County

Backroads Discoveries, Eateries, Large Statues, Ontario, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Walters Family Band, Wildflowers

Tobacco Barns in SW Ontario CanadaIn 2008 I spent about nine months working as a Japanese interpreter in Woodstock, Ontario at the new Toyota Plant that was being built there at the time. Over the course of that nine months I had many opportunities to visit dozens of places in rural Ontario and made my way to Toronto and some if the larger towns in the area around Toronto. I have posted a number of "Travel Journals" with extensive details about all of these visits on my Sumoflam Trip Journals site. Southwestern Ontario is centered on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. Other significant towns and…

15Jul 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip: Dallas to Lexington, KY via Branson, MO

Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Kentucky, Large Statues, Missouri, Oklahoma, Roadside Attractions, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places

After being gone for nearly a month in Idaho and then a few days in Dallas for work in mid June (2013), I took the final leg of this adventure and a two day trip to return home to Lexington via Branson, Missouri, where my wife was visiting with her sister. This would turn out to be another fun adventure as I traveled through Oklahoma and the Ozarks. Following is the route I took for the trip. I left in the afternoon and arrived about midnight in Branson. View Larger Map - Dallas, TX to Branson, MO I headed straight up US 75 to Denison and while there at least got a glimpse of the HUGE Eisenhower statue that can be seen off of the freeway. I took a photo…

Author: David Kravetz