02Oct 2013 by David Kravetz

A 5 Day Midwest Adventure – Day 4: Omaha, Council Bluffs and offbeat Central Missouri

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Illinois, Iowa, Large Statues, Nebraska, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Television Shows, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wildflowers, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_6386" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Home of Sliced Bread - Chillicothe, Missouri[/caption] After a good day of rest in Nebraska City, we were off the next morning.  My daughter was to meet her friends at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha (which by many reports is one of the Top Ten Zoos in America) and I was going to visit some places in Council Bluffs while they were all at the zoo.  I actually visited the Henry Doorly Zoo in 2012 during the U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials though I didn't write any blog posts about the visit.  So, I will include some of my photos from my visit as well as a couple of my daughter's photos.  After my visit to Council Bluffs we were then to make our way east …
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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
[caption id="attachment_6180" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Old Car - Nebraska City, Nebraska[/caption] 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. [caption id="attachment_6254" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Arbor Day Farm Tree House - 50 feet tall (from arbordayfarm.org)[/caption] I didn't attend the Arbor…
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25Apr 2013 by David Kravetz

Sumoflam is Everywhere – A Photo Gallery

Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Colorado, Horses, Missouri, North Dakota, Place Names, Route 66, South Carolina, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Trinity Music Productions, Wildflowers, Yard Art
Sumoflam and Thunderbirds in Bismarck, ND[/caption] Over the years I have taken nearly 30,000 photos of my travels and in most cases I have not been in the photos.  Over the coming months I will add new galleries that are thematic. this is the first one.  Enjoy!! [nggallery id=2] ]]>
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13Feb 2013 by David Kravetz

I've Been Everywhere – Part IV: Just a few more fun signs

Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Colorado, Horses, Missouri, Place Names, Route 66, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Trinity Music Productions, Yard Art
Welcome to Mars[/caption] Perhaps Mars, Pennsylvania is the most famous of our planet named towns in the US. No one is sure how the name "Mars" came into being. Some say it was Samuel Park's wife,  who enjoyed astronomy, and others aver that it might be shortened from Samuel Marshall's name.  In any case, on March 6, 1895, Mars was incorporated as a borough.  Residents of Mars are often called "Martians", or "Planets" because of the high school team name, The Fighting Planets. There are a number of other places in the U.S. named after planets.  SenseList.com has a nice list of the many town names and place names.  Of all of those on that list, perhaps the most well known would include Jupiter, FL, and Blue Earth, MN, which…
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06Feb 2013 by David Kravetz

I've Been Everywhere – Part III: More Unique Town Signs

Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Horses, Missouri, North Dakota, Place Names, Route 66, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Trinity Music Productions, Wildflowers
Rabbit Hash, KY[/caption] There are literally hundreds of fun town names around the U.S. and I have barely scratched the surface with them.  In my last post, I noted many names that are common adjectives or descriptive.  This post will have some signs from some of the more unusual place names and hopefully, a little about how the names came to be. [caption id="attachment_802" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Rabbit Hash, KY sign[/caption] Rabbit Hash, KY - This small town of about 40 people is right on the Ohio River in Boone County.  Besides its name, it is also famous for its string of mayors...all dogs. Nobody really knows for sure when the original name of Rabbit Hash came to be.  According to a Wikipedia article, " The hamlet was originally known as…
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02Feb 2013 by David Kravetz

I've Been Everywhere – Part II: Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Colorado, Horses, Missouri, Place Names, Route 66, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Trinity Music Productions, Wildflowers
Sumoflam's Signs[/caption] One of the norms of driving the back roads of America are the town signs.  Anyone that drives any roads typically sees hundreds of them.  Of course, some are pretty typical town names, but, there are many that aren't typical.   Here are a few "descriptive" town name signs that I have picked up along the less beaten paths of America.  I have written about some of these places, but now we can "compare." I would like to say I have made it to all of the strange and wacky town places, but indeed I have not.  Here is one non-definitive list from infoplease.com.  Here are a couple more links to the topic - Top 10 Worst Named Cities, Bad Names for Towns, Interesting Town Names. As my photo…
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