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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alabama, Amish Country, Antelope, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Bike Trails, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Canada, Colorado, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, National Monuments, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Street People, Television Shows, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Virginia, Washington, Waterfalls, Wildflowers, Wyoming
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.   Aliens on a Coke Machine - Roswell, New Mexico [caption id="attachment_3278" align="alignnone" width="525"] Have a Coke and a Smile?? Coke machine in Roswell...[/caption] Airstream Factory - Jackson Center, Ohio [caption id="attachment_15485" align="alignnone" width="430"] Sumoflam hanging at the Airstream Visitor's Center in Jackson Center, OH[/caption] Alder Lake Tree Stumps - Elbe, Washington [caption id="attachment_14405" align="alignnone" width="266"] Alder Lake stumps near Elbe, WA[/caption] Adair Smiley Water Tower - Adair,…
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2018 April Blogging From A to Z Challenge: Theme Reveal

A to Z Challenge, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Texas, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art
Friends out there in interweb...its that time of year again!  April is the "Blogging from A to Z Challenge" and for the third year in a row I will be participating and posting daily for the month of April, each day featuring the letter of the day. Today I have chosen to reveal my theme for the 2018 version of the challenge and hopefully it will be fun! During a good part of April I will be traveling across the United States and so my posting time will be limited.  Therefore, this year 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…
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Planning on a Blue Moon to Release my new book!

Adventure, Antsy McClain, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Books, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Enchanted Highway, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Horse Art, Junk Art, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Muffler Man, Murals, Museums, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, Vintage Neon, Wanderlust, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_19139" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Books 1 & 2[/caption] Hey all. Just a reminder that I am working on my new book -- Book 2 (Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions) -- and hope to have it available for purchase on Amazon by March 31... yes, it'll take a Blue Moon for me to get this done. Also, if you don't have Book 1 yet, please go grab a copy online! Some crazy author in Central Kentucky will be grateful (he told me so!) You can get Book 1 (Unique Town Names) on my Amazon Page. http://amzn.to/2ks6fQZ Book Two will have over 200 pages chock full of fun places to visit on the back roads of America and ALL COLOR PHOTOS this time.  I'll even have a chapter about the amazing Roadside…
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Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland – Calvert City, KY

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Junk Art, Kentucky, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, Offbeat Places, People Shots, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Toy Collections, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 68, Wanderlust, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_19043" align="alignleft" width="300"] Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden[/caption] Down in southwestern Kentucky, Calvert City (near Paducah) there’s a little back road (actually US Highway 68) that takes you to a place called Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland. It is not necessarily what you would think of as a “garden,” but it is certainly hillbilly fun. And the toyland is amazing! I visited there in early February 2018 and had a real good time with the proprietor Keith Holt who, ironically, looks like a hillbilly! [caption id="attachment_19041" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Hanging with the fascinating Keith Holt[/caption] [caption id="attachment_18990" align="alignright" width="225"] Signs at Hillbilly Garden[/caption] I will tell you upfront, this place is not for everyone. Some people may look at it is a big junkyard. Others, like myself, look at it…
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SPOILER!: Cover Art for Book 2 – Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions

Adventure, Antsy McClain, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Enchanted Highway, Giant Things, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Texas, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wanderlust
[caption id="attachment_18667" align="alignleft" width="225"] Big Cabin, OK[/caption] My second book - Less Beaten Paths of America: Offbeat and Quirky Roadside Attractions is currently being worked on.  My hope is to have it published by June 30. Like the first book, this will also be available for Kindle.  Unlike the first book, Volume Two will be chock full of COLOR photos from all over the U.S. and Canada and will include my fun stories about the dozens of quirky attractions I feature in the book.  It will definitely be a fun read!! GET BOOK ONE HERE IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT   The cover for the new book has just been completed.  Once again, this was nicely done by my good friend Antsy McClain.  The original photography is mine with some cute…
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Get an Amazon Gift Card for Christmas? Try Out My New Book!

Adventure, Alabama, Alberta, Amish Country, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Books, California, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Staycations, Television Shows, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Virginia, Wanderlust, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Looking for something fun to use that Amazon gift card on? How about a fun travel book? Read some of my first hand experiences visiting America’s Unique Named Towns!  Visit places like Tightwad, Uncertain, Boring, Oddville, Cool, Earth, Prosperity and many more! See more at http://amzn.to/2ks6fQZ
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My new book – Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names now available in Print

Alberta, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Less Beaten Paths Books
I am so excited today!  My first book is now available in print and for sale on Amazon.  I decided to run an EARLY BIRD Special for $9.99 through December 15,  just in time for Christmas.  If you ware with Amazon Prime the shipping is free and you also get a Free Kindle download if you want it. You can get the book on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Less-Beaten-Paths-America-Unique/dp/1975917960/
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Back at the Blogging – Lots of Catching Up to Do

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Caves and Caverns, City Skylines, Eateries, Family Travel, Giant Things, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, National Parks, New York, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Waterfalls, West Virginia
[caption id="attachment_18651" align="alignleft" width="169"] Big Mike's Mystery House in Cave City, KY[/caption] It has been a while since I’ve written in the blog. The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity beginning in July with a family reunion and continuing on with the new job at comicbook.com. In the midst of all of that I have spent the last couple of months using most of my “writing time“ to complete my first book which was referred to in my previous post a couple of days ago. Now that that book is published and on Amazon.com. I’m going to try to knock out a few of the blog posts that have been piling up on me. Over the next couple of weeks you’ll see blog posts about the new murals…
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Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names now available for Kindle!

Antsy McClain, Books, Family Travel, Less Beaten Paths Books, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Post Offices, Selfies, Town Names, Unique Places
The book is finally completed and I am offering a preorder of the Kindle version for only $3.99 through December 15.  The PRINT version should be available on December 15 and the Kindle version will come free with that. CHECK IT OUT HERE [caption id="attachment_18642" align="aligncenter" width="525"] The Full Cover of the Print Edition - designed by Antsy McClain[/caption]
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New Book Update! Sample Chapter Included

Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Family Travel, Mississippi, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Town Names, Unique Places
New Book Update!!! For those of you interested in my forthcoming book “Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names,” here are some updates! The chapters are all done - 22 of them. I am making some final edits, doing the acknowledgements, and a few other things. It has more than 100 pages and covers more than 35 unique places. I am attaching a sample Chapter on Alligator, MS so you can see the format. Please make sure to send me an email at [email protected] to get on the mailing list for more updates.
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