Book 4 – 8154: An Epic Family Road Trip Across America – NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon

Book 4 – 8154: An Epic Family Road Trip Across America – NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon

Adventure, Animals, Antelope, Antique Shops, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Bison, Books, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Donut Places, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Egret, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Highways and Roadways, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jimmy Jackson, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, Nebraska, Nevada, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Oregon, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, prairie dogs, Pronghorn Antelope, Quirky Things, Raccoon, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Snow Geese, South Dakota, Street Art, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 31, US Highway 60, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Welcome Signs, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_33522" align="alignleft" width="193"] 8154 Cover[/caption] Big News!!  My newest book, titled "8154: An Epic Family Road Trip Across America" is now available on Amazon in both print and Kindle versions. The book details the three week long 8,154 mile road trip with my daughter Marissa Noe and her three children. New print programs on Amazon have also made it cheaper than previous books!! The book is 138 pages and full of color photos from 20 different states.  I have included a chapter all about how to plan for a long trip like this, especially with children.  A long road trip can be a challenge for the kids, so there are all sorts of ideas including in this book for making it fun and memorable for the kids. There are…
Read More
8154: What’s a Trip Without Faces?

8154: What’s a Trip Without Faces?

Adventure, Animals, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bison, Blue Heron, Books, Buffalo, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Eagles, Egret, Elk, Family Travel, Geese, Horse Art, Idaho, Illinois, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Oregon, People Shots, prairie dogs, Quirky Things, Raccoon, Roadside Attractions, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Texas, Tourist Traps, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Washington, Wyoming
In early 2020 I traveled across the country over the course of three weeks with my daughter and three grandchildren.    During this trip we traveled 8154 miles across 20 states and visited over 100 destinations, saw all sorts of animals, all sorts of geography, 10 National Parks and Monuments, various state parks, oceans, deserts, mountains, beaches, grasslands, canyons and more. This is the fifth of a few posts about some of the fun from this EPIC Road Trip.  In this post I am sharing FACES. What is a trip without faces?  And over 8000 miles of travel opens up the opportunity to see all kinds of faces -- family, friends, strange people, aliens, wild animals, birds, art, statues and who knows what else?  Here are 125 of them. Enjoy…
Read More
8154: Visiting National and State Parks and the Junior Ranger Programs

8154: Visiting National and State Parks and the Junior Ranger Programs

Adventure, Antelope, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Books, Buffalo, California, Cormorants, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dream Highways, Eagles, Egret, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, prairie dogs, Pronghorn Antelope, Raccoon, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_24469" align="alignleft" width="300"] George Washington on Mt. Rushmore in SD[/caption] In early 2020 I traveled across the country over the course of three weeks.    During this trip we traveled 8154 miles across 20 states and visited over 100 destinations, saw all sorts of animals, all sorts of geography, 10 National Parks and Monuments, various state parks, oceans, deserts, mountains, beaches, grasslands, canyons and more. This is the second of a few posts about some of the fun from the EPIC Road Trip with my daughter and three grandchildren.  Enjoy the Read! Enjoy the Ride! (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz and, when noted, Marissa Noe) [caption id="attachment_24584" align="alignnone" width="525"] Departing for the Epic Road trip in late January[/caption] Taking a road trip with kids is always a fun…
Read More

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Books, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Egret, Elk, Family Travel, Illinois, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, Vintage Neon, Washington, Water Towers, 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 E Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Egyptian Theatre - Coos Bay, Oregon I love classic theatres and wish I had more time and opportunity to visit them on the insides and see…
Read More

A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The E Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Bucket List Trips, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Eagles, Eclipse, Egret, Elk, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Florida, Fukui, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Japanese Shrines, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Montana, National Parks, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Washington, Wisconsin
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.   Elk Bar and Good Food - Chinook, Montana I love old neon signs!! [caption id="attachment_6791" align="alignnone" width="266"] Elk Bar and Good Food - Chinook, Montana[/caption] End of Trail Motel - Broken Bow, OK More good old neon [caption id="attachment_12201" align="alignnone" width="266"] End of Trail Motel Neon sign in Broken Bow, OK[/caption] End of The Trail - Dawkins Rail Trail - Hager Hill, KY [caption id="attachment_17138" align="alignnone" width="400"]…
Read More

Blogging A to Z Challenge – The Complete List for 2017 – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alabama, Alaska, Alberta, Alligators, Amish Country, Animals, Antelope, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Big Cities, Bike Trails, Birds, Bison, Blue Heron, Bobby Cochran, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, Burger Joints, California, Canada, Car Art, Cebu, City Skylines, Colorado, Connecticut, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Delaware, Dinosaurs, Dragons, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Edgar Cruz, Egret, Elk, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Florida, Found Metal Sculptures, Fox, Fuji City, Geese, Geologic Formations, Georgia, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Graffiti Walls, Hawaii, Himeji, Hiroshima, Horse Art, Horses, Idaho, Illinois, Indian Ruins, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Japanese Castles, Japanese Shrines, Kansas, Kentucky, Kyoto, Landscapes, Large Statues, Lewis and Clark Sites, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Maine, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico, Michael Kelsey, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Muffler Man, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, Nagasaki, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ogaki, Ohio, Oita, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Patti Hall, Pauly Zarb, Pelicans, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Philippines, Place Names, Post Offices, prairie dogs, Pronghorn Antelope, Quirky Things, Random Thoughts, Rhode Island, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Sandhill Cranes, Saskatchewan, Seagulls, Selfies, Sendai, South Carolina, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Street Art, Street People, Swamps, Television Shows, Tennessee, Texas, Tommy Emmanuel, Town Names, Train Bridges, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Tulum, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, Utah, Vermont, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Volcanic Sites, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Washington DC, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art
During the month of April I participated with nearly 2000 other bloggers worldwide in the "Blogging from A to Z Challenge" which is now in its 7th year. This was my second year to participate and this year's theme for my series was "Wanderlust."  As a "Travelographer," my posts tend to be photo heavy.  I travel and take loads of photos. This is my way of sharing the wonders of the back roads of America. [caption id="attachment_17824" align="aligncenter" width="523"] Corner of This Way and That Way in Lake Jackson, TX[/caption] Following are links to the complete A to Z set.  Just click on the banner for each and letter and enjoy the posts and the photos.  I hope all readers will Enjoy the Ride as much as I have enjoyed…
Read More

W is for Wildlife – #atozchallenge

Adventure, Alligators, Animals, Antelope, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Blue Heron, Buffalo, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Delaware, Eagles, Egret, Elk, Fox, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Oregon, Pelicans, Pennsylvania, prairie dogs, Pronghorn Antelope, Rocky Mountains, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Squirrels, Swamps, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Virginia, Wanderlust, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
There are not many better things on a back road trip than running into unexpected wildlife. There is an abundance of birds and animals to be discovered on the road.  For me, my camera is always at the ready for the chance meeting of some interesting animal or bird. [caption id="attachment_17754" align="aligncenter" width="584"] Sandhill Cranes fly over high plains near Dell, MT[/caption] One such incident happened on a gravel road near Dell, Montana.  I was on the lookout for bison as I drive along Ted Turner's massive bison ranch.  While stopped to look I heard a strange bird call that I had never heard and shortly thereafter a pair of large birds came zipping by.  I got some shots, but wasn't sure what I had until I got to the…
Read More
Uncertain Revisited: A Tour of Caddo Lake

Uncertain Revisited: A Tour of Caddo Lake

Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Blue Heron, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Egret, Family Travel, Louisiana, Mythical Creatures, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Swamps, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places
It was a few years ago when I first visited Uncertain, TX (You can see my March 2012 Post here.).  As a matter fact, it was on a cold day in February 2012 when I stopped by to see it for my first time. The real draw for me initially, was the name of the town, but the bigger draw ended up being the beautiful swamp-like setting of Caddo Lake. This past weekend (Feb. 10, 2017) I had an opportunity again to visit this beautiful setting, this time with my daughter and her three children. Unlike my visit to Uncertain before, we had bigger sights set on seeing Caddo Lake and some of the swamp. [caption id="attachment_17361" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Our guide, Aaron Applebaum with Mystique Tours[/caption] [caption id="attachment_17358" align="alignleft" width="300"]…
Read More