02Jul 2015 by David Kravetz

Ten Really Obscure Quirky Places You May Have Never Heard Of

#TBT, Alberta, Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Michigan, Murals, Mythical Creatures, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Tennessee, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_5742" align="alignleft" width="300"] Cadillac Ranch - Amarillo, Texas[/caption] Over the years I have traveled tens of thousands of miles of back roads across the United States (only missing Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont...they will be hit soon!).  Through all of these travels I have seen the many "famous" unique and quirky tourist spots like Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX (the one with all the Cadillacs in the ground), the giant Paul Bunyan and Blue Ox in Bemidji, MN, the Enchanted Highway in ND or the competing Eiffel Towers in Paris, TX and Paris, TN. [caption id="attachment_8772" align="alignright" width="300"] Paul Bunyan and Babe in Bemidji, MN[/caption] Among the 100s of places I have been, there are a few that really stand out to me and I would consider as future…
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30May 2015 by David Kravetz

Going to California: Santa Rosa – Ukiah – Red Bluff

Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, Mythical Creatures, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_12844" align="alignleft" width="300"] Goofing around at Carla's house with her pink flamingo hat and a few Antsy McClain posters[/caption] Day 2 of my Woodflock trip started off nice and slow.  No hurry so I was able to sleep in over at Carla's doublewide in Santa Rosa.  Woke up to a beautiful morning in the trailer park. Soon, Carla and I were on the road heading north.  She decided to go through Ukiah for a more scenic route (and likely to appeal to my wanderlust!) [caption id="attachment_12832" align="alignright" width="225"] In good hands with Carla!! Standing with Agraria by Larry Kirkland[/caption] Santa Rosa is home to a couple of quirky roadside attractions, so we stopped at these on our way out of town.  The first of them was a big hand…
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20Jan 2015 by David Kravetz

Top Ten Travel Photos for 2014

Alligators, Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Kentucky, Large Statues, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, National Monuments, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 89, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art
Throughout my travels I drove over 10,000 miles and took over 3000 photos in 2014. I have numerous shots from the road of quirky places, offbeat sites and some nice looking places.  If you missed my "nature photos", some of which are from my travels, please check them out on my Sumoflam's Singlewide Site.  Following are my ten favorite travel shots from 2014 and the stories behind them (and a number of honorable mentions). NUMBER 1 - OLD PRAIRIE SCHOOL HOUSE [caption id="attachment_9237" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Old Prairie School House on Smith-Frisno Road west of Havre, Montana. I wanted this one in black and white...more authentic feel[/caption] I once saw a photo of this old school house and knew that I had to get to this relic of the past.  So,…
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31Dec 2014 by David Kravetz

2014: The Highlights and Top 10 Sites Visited

Alligators, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Murals, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, North Dakota, Roadside Attractions, States and Provinces, Street Art, Texas, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 61, Wall Art, Wyoming, Yard Art
The year 2014 brought me some wonderful opportunities to travel and even fulfill some travel dreams. In the past year I traveled nearly 10,000 miles on road trips and traversed through 19 states (including my home state of Kentucky).  With all of this travel I was able to hit a few "bucket list" stops and also drive a good part of some "bucket list" highways as well. Overall, the year was splendid. The Big Highlights 9,700 Miles Driven Traveled through 19 states Drove about 1,200 miles of US Route 2, one of my Bucket List Highways.  Drove from Ironwood, MI to Browning, MT Drove the Blues Highway in Mississippi Drove the Beartooth Highway in Wyoming (which Charles Kuralt noted as "the most beautiful drive in America" and I concur My…
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18Dec 2014 by David Kravetz

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Galveston-Houston

Alligators, Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wildflowers, Yard Art
After a great three days in Galveston, it was time to get back on the road.  I would head north to Houston, then on to Austin and eventually into Fort Worth. Texas is a BIG state and there is lots of ground to cover.  My first day would cover some backroads from Galveston and meander my way into Houston where I would stay overnight with my uncle. [caption id="attachment_11544" align="aligncenter" width="693"] Heart of Texas Route Day 1 - Galveston to Houston the long way[/caption] There were things I had planned to see along the way and found a few things along the way as well.  I figured that I may not get this way again (south of Houston) for a while, so I took advantage of a full day of…
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29Nov 2014 by David Kravetz

Wall Art in Lexington 2014: PRHBTN & more

Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Horse Art, Horses, Kentucky, Murals, Roadside Attractions, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Water Towers
[caption id="attachment_11659" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Sumoflam with the newly designed PRHBTN truck[/caption] Lexington again has new art covering some of its formerly barren walls around town as the Street Art promoting organization PRHBTN brought in four new world renown street artists to enhance the growing collection of unique murals that dot the town. The contributing artists this year included How and Nosm (twin brothers Raoul & Davide Perre  originally from Spain), ROA (from Ghent, Belgium), Andrew Hem (a Cambodian immigrant currently from Los Angeles) and MTO (a French born graffiti artist currently from Berlin). Each of these four artists have very unique styles and techniques as can be seen from their photos in this post. [caption id="attachment_11634" align="aligncenter" width="960"] The enormous "I Am MO" mural in the Lexington Distillery District[/caption] Perhaps…
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20Nov 2014 by David Kravetz

Ten Giant Reasons to Visit North Dakota

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, National Parks, North Dakota, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, Water Towers, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_11604" align="aligncenter" width="699"] MapLoco States I Have Visited[/caption] In the last few days there has been a viral survey on Facebook (seems like there is one every week!!).  Simply put, "How Many States Have You Visited" is fun for all because it is simple and adds color and is really a "go viral" piece.  MapLoco.com has apparently used it to draw attention to their site.  I did it and my results are above - yes, I only have three states to go.  Many of my friends have done it as well and one common theme I found among many of them....they had not yet been to North Dakota.  In fact, a couple of my friends even indicated that they may never find a reason to go to North Dakota.…
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20Oct 2014 by David Kravetz

Highway 61 Visited – Day 2: Vicksburg, MS to Galveston, TX

Alligators, Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Ghost Signs, Louisiana, Mississippi, Murals, National Parks, People Shots, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 61, Wall Art, Water Towers, Wildflowers, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_10738" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Sumoflam at US 61 south just south of Tunica, MS[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10820" align="aligncenter" width="657"] Map of travels from Vicksburg, MS down US 61 to Natchez, MS and then thru Louisiana and on to Galveston, TX via the Bolivar Peninsula.[/caption] Highway 61 in Mississippi may be called the Blues Highway, but there is much more to it than the Blues.  After my first long drive from Kentucky to Vicksburg, I woke up early the next day to visit the Vicksburg National Military Park before heading south on Highway 61. [caption id="attachment_10651" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Cannon line the grounds of Vicksburg National Military park in many places[/caption] The park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from May 18 to July 4, 1863 and…
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19Oct 2014 by David Kravetz

Hunting for “Swamp People”in Louisiana

Alligators, Birds, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Louisiana, Unique Places
Back in August 2010 a new TV Series began on the History Channel that got me hooked, literally. Called "Swamp People," the series focuses on various teams of alligator hunters. Some episodes also feature other aspects of the social and sporting life of the swamp, including fishing and hunting for other animals. I was thoroughly engaged. In fact, I distinctly recall while watching one of the early broadcasts in 2010, telling my wife "One day I am going to Louisiana on a road trip and meet Troy Landry in Pierre Part." It was one of my "bucket list" dream trips, though I figured the reality would never materialize. [caption id="attachment_10864" align="aligncenter" width="474"] On the Swamp in Pierre Part, Louisiana[/caption] Then, in late June 2014 the opportunity presented itself. My Kravetz…
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09Aug 2014 by David Kravetz

From Cody to Carhenge with a Jackalope in-between

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, National Monuments, Nebraska, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 20, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wyoming, Yard Art
After a marvelous time in the mountains of Wyoming and Montana, it was time to head east through the high deserts of Wyoming and across Nebraska and eventually back home to Kentucky. [caption id="attachment_10276" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Map of trip from Cody to Grand Island, Nebraska[/caption] After a restful evening at the Moose Creek Lodge in Cody, Wyoming, I was ready to hit the road running early the next morning. I had visited Cody in 2013 and so I didn't spend a lot of time, but I did want to get back over to the Buffalo Bill Center and take some pictures of some of the numerous statues there. [caption id="attachment_10012" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Buffalo Bill Cody statue in Cody, Wyoming[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10013" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Plaque under Buffalo Bill statue[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10278"…
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