Three Days in Galveston

28Oct 2014 by David Kravetz

Three Days in Galveston – Pelican Fascination

Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Large Statues, Murals, Museums, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers, Wildflowers

After a long two days of driving from Lexington thru Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, I got to spend three days with family relaxing on the beaches of Galveston Island and visiting many of the interesting sites on the island. And, for me, I got to spend some time watching the amazing brown pelicans as they flew in formation, glided over the Gulf of Mexico and took amazing dives for fish. It was a wonderously amazing visit. Galveston is not only a city in southern Texas but is also an island. The city actually sits on Galveston Island and Pelican Island. The town was named for Gálvez-town or Gálveztown in honor of Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez by Spanish explorer José de Evia during his charting of the…

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

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. The park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from May 18 to July 4, 1863 and also commemorates the greater Vicksburg Campaign, which preceded the battle. The expansive park includes 1,340 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles of historic trenches and earthworks, a 16-mile tour road, 144 emplaced cannons, a restored gunboat (the USS Cairo which sunk on December 12, 1862, on the Yazoo River, recovered successfully in 1964), and more. The Illinois State Memorial…

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. Then, in late June 2014 the opportunity presented itself. My Kravetz family relatives arranged for a big family reunion in Galveston (many…

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. 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. After about 30 minutes in Cody, I was soon heading southeast on Wyoming Highway 120 towards Thermopolis. This is a scenic drive through rolling hills of sage brush. I drove through the town of Meeteetse…

29Jul 2014 by David Kravetz

Dream Highway: US Highway 212 and the Beartooth Highway

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dream Highways, Elk, Geologic Formations, Horses, Landscapes, Montana, National Parks, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 212, US Highway 89, Vintage Neon, Wyoming, Yard Art

Like so many other people, I have a bucket list of places I want to visit in my lifetime. On my trip in May 2014 I was able to scratch off TWO of them! The first was a trip across US Route 2 from Michigan to Montana, with a stop in Bemidji, MN to see the giant Paul Bunyan and Ox statues (so it was kind of a three for the price of two really). You can read about that portion of the trip HERE. The second, and perhaps more thrilling and fulfilling to me, was being able to travel US Highway 212 across Yellowstone and then over the Beartooth Highway, one of America's greatest Scenic Byways. This 68 mile trip makes its way through Yellowstone and then from the…

24Jul 2014 by David Kravetz

Montana Trip: US Highway 89 thru Montana – South 89

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Horses, Landscapes, Large Statues, Montana, Murals, National Monuments, National Parks, Place Names, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 89, Vintage Neon, Wall Art

After spending a nice day with my children and grandchildren along US Highway 89 north of Great Falls, it was time to begin the long trip back to Kentucky the next day. I would begin the return trip with a quick jaunt south on I-15 to Great Falls and then south on US 87/89 towards Kings Hill Pass on the Kings Hill Scenic Byway, which runs along US 89 from the US 87 junction to the US 12 junction just north of White Sulphur Springs, Montana. Before moving on, I should mention that on the previous day we made a quick stop in Conrad, Montana to see if there is anything interesting there. Conrad is south of Shelby and just off of I-15, so it is easy off and easy…

23Jul 2014 by David Kravetz

Montana Trip: US Highway 89 thru Montana – North 89

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Horses, Landscapes, Large Statues, Montana, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Place Names, prairie dogs, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, States and Provinces, Train Bridges, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 287, US Highway 89, US Highways, Vintage Neon

As I continued my trip in Montana, I spent some time with my daughter and her children in Shelby. From there I proceeded to head back to Kentucky the "back roads" way over a number of US Highways and State Highways. My goal was to travel the majority of Montana's US 89 during this trip. I did not hit the portion north of Browning to Alberta on this trip, though I have traveled it in the past. In fact, over the years I have traveled US 89 from the Canadian border all the way to Mexico (back when US 89 went that far). This post will cover the section of US 89 north of Great Falls and I will follow with a second post covering the portion of US 89…

04Jul 2014 by David Kravetz

Montana Road Trip: Zipping across North Dakota on US Highway 2

Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Horse Art, Large Statues, Montana, North Dakota, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, States and Provinces, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon

I continue my series on my Montana road trip and my drive along US Route two across the northern border from Michigan to Montana. As one progresses further west after leaving Minnesota, you soon discover that the land is flatter, full of prairies and grasslands and not as many lakes and streams as one would see in Minnesota. I spent the night in Grand Forks, North Dakota and then proceeded to head west early in the morning. The first thing I did was look for the famed Smiley Water Tower in Grand Forks. Unlike others with a similar smiley on them, this one has a smiley face on the one side and a winking smiley face on the other. It is always wonderful to start the day off with a…

12Jun 2014 by David Kravetz

Montana Road Trip: US Route 2 across Minnesota – Offbeat Paradise

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Large Statues, Minnesota, Muffler Man, Mythical Creatures, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, States and Provinces, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Yard Art

Traveling US Route 2 across Wisconsin was beautiful and had its share of offbeat and quirky places, but Minnesota's section of US Route 2 is one to be reckoned with when it comes to quirky and fun destinations on the same road. Entering from Superior, Wisconsin, Route 2 starts south of Duluth and proceeds through Proctor, MN. From there the road heads northwest into the beautiful lake and birch country that gives Minnesota its name "Land of 10,000 Lakes." Before I go any further, I do need to give a SHOUT OUT to fellow travel blogger Seth Hardmeyer, who does the Highway Highlights blog (also see @HHighlights on Twitter and highway_highlights on Instagram). He provided me loads of information on spots to visit along US Route 2 in Minnesota (though…

02Jun 2014 by David Kravetz

Montana Roadtrip: Gliding Across Wisconsin on US Route 2

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Large Statues, Michigan, Roadside Attractions, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wisconsin, Yard Art

One of my "bucket list trips" is to drive the entire length of US Route 2 from the East Coast to the West Coast. Not necessarily in one trip, but to have been able to drive the length of that highway as the opportunity affords itself. Route 2 is one of the longest continuous highways in the continental United States, spanning 2,571 miles and is also the northernmost US numbered route in the country. The western segment of US 2 extends from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan across the northern tier of the lower 48 states. Most of the western route was built roughly paralleling the Great Northern Railway. US 2 adopted the railway's route nickname "The Hi-Line" as the most northern crossing in the U.S. On this trip to Montana, I chose…

Category: Birds