Travel Blogging – Less Beaten Paths of America

18Nov 2024 by David Kravetz

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 4 – North Central Tennessee – August 2023

Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Car Art, Eateries, Family Travel, Ice Cream Places, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Offbeat Places, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Sasquatch Art, Selfies, Tennessee, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unique Places, US Highway 127, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Welcome Signs, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_38779" align="alignnone" width="640"] Cookeville, Tennessee[/caption] In August 2023 we made another kayak/hiking trip to North Central Tennessee. While my wife kayaked, I visited an old high school friend in Cookeville, Tennessee. It also happened to be the weekend of the famed US 127 "World's Longest Yard Sale" which covers 690 miles through six states. I took advantage of grabbing a few shots. Sadly, my favorite motel, The Jordan Motel in Jamestown was both booked solid for that weekend and was also consumed by dozens of folks selling their wares in the yard sale. Cookeville is a fun little town. A few murals, some cool railroad stuff and a few other things that make it a cool place. [caption id="attachment_38780" align="alignnone" width="474"] Cookeville Proud Mural[/caption] [caption id="attachment_38773" align="alignnone" width="471"] Another Cookeville,…

15Nov 2024 by David Kravetz

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 3 – June and July

Adventure, Antique Shops, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, Cross Country Road Trips, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Tennessee, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 31, US Highway 70, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs

The month of June 2023 kicked off a very busy couple of months of travel including some big road trips and a long-awaited and long overdue trip to Florida and the Gulf Coast (see post here). The month started off with a visit to Grayson Lake State Park in Kentucky and the area around it including Carter Caves State Park. We had visited both of these places in the past, so I am not posting much from that first week. However, in mid-June Julianne and a friend went kayaking near Magnolia, Kentucky While they did, I made my to Hodgenville, Kentucky and the Lincoln Heritage areas nearby. Hodgenville has a couple of nice Lincoln statues in the town square. And they have a fairly well known hole in the wall…

05Apr 2024 by David Kravetz

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 1

Adventure, American Kestrel, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Belted Kingfisher, Camel, Distilleries, Eagles, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Museums, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 31

The year 2023 was a roller coaster ride!! Some wonderful travel opportunities happened, but there were accidents and operations that seemed to throw hurdles in the way. Following is a highlight post for the year. [caption id="attachment_37711" align="alignnone" width="640"] Welcome to Hocking Hills, Ohio[/caption] We actually started off 2023 on the road with a trip up to Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio. My wife met her sister and they camped out in the cold with our daughter in a nice big tent. I spent the night in a nearby motel in Logan, Ohio. It was January. It was cold. While they slept, I visited Lake Logan State Park to check it out. Much of the lake was nearly frozen over. Logan, Ohio is a nice little town. Saw a…

05Aug 2023 by David Kravetz

2023 Gulf Coast Road Trip: The Overview

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Beaches, Big Cities, Big John, Birds, Books, Bridges, Brown Pelican, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Cities and Towns, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Florida, Found Metal Sculptures, Georgia, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Highways and Roadways, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Muffler Man, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, Nature and Scenery, Offbeat Places, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, US Highway 98, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Whispering Giants, Whispering Giants, Wood Stork, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_37550" align="alignnone" width="640"] On our way for a fun road trip! Autumn in the front with me and Chelsea and Jorge in the back.[/caption] I was thrilled to finally get in a good road trip in July 2023. My last multi-day road trip took place back in October 2022 when I traveled Route 66 in Illinois to celebrate by 66th birthday. The July 2023 was taken south to the Gulf Coast, then along the coastal highways and eventually into New Orleans. From there were went on to Houston, Keller and Uncertain, all in Texas, before heading back to Kentucky. All in all, we traveled 3001 miles over an eight day period and traveled through ten different states. I say we as on this trip I was accompanied by my…

24Jun 2023 by David Kravetz

Planning a Road Trip Sumoflam Style: 2023

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside America Books, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Unique Shops

If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there. - George Harrison As summer approaches we all get excited about travel of some sort. For me, it is a long road trip on back roads that I look forward to. There is so much to see in this great country of ours. And, despite my having been to all 50 states, there is so much I have yet to see and experience. I am going to share my travel planning secrets and methodologies in this post. Have traveled well over 2 million road miles in my 66 years -- including a few years as a tour guide and charter bus driver. In all of those miles I have learned a few things. And, of course, I…

24Jun 2023 by David Kravetz

Using the Roadside America App (for iPhone or iPad): A Primer

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Muffler Man, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside America Books, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, States and Provinces, Travel Blogging, Uniroyal Gal, Whispering Giants

Over the years of my blogging, I have often mentioned Roadside America, both the website and the iPhone/iPad app, as excellent tools to assist in both your road trip planning and actual road trip guidance while on the road. In this post I am going to explain the app and why one should use it on a road trip. This is not a sponsored post, but rather a detailed post based on my own personal experiences with the app for the past 13 years. I will note upfront, however, that I highly recommend this app to all who may plan on traveling. WHAT IS ROADSIDE AMERICA? [caption id="attachment_37483" align="alignnone" width="316" alt="" height="475"] Cover of the original Roadside America book from 1986[/caption] I have been a fan and user…

27Nov 2022 by David Kravetz

Route 66 in Illinois – Celebrating 66th Birthday

Adventure, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Big Cities, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, Cities and Towns, City Skylines, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Highways and Roadways, Hot Dog Places, Illinois, Interstate 55, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Muffler Man, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, Nature and Scenery, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Restrooms, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Street Art, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Unique Shops, US Highway 30, US Highway 40, US Highway 60, US Highways, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_35900" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam on Route 66 in Illinois[/caption] Everyone knows that Route 66 is considered to be America's most iconic highway. Known as the Mother Road, there have been songs written about it, TV shows that feature it and hundreds of groups that travel it. To me, US Route 66 is really just another US Highway, but, due to its pop culture status, it is a fun highway to travel. As 2022 kicked in, it was my hope that I could use my 66th birthday on October 4 as an excuse to travel the entire length from Chicago to Santa Monica. As is typically the case, things don't always go as planned and/or hoped for, and such was the case for my 2022 Route 66 plan. Nevertheless, I…

16Nov 2022 by David Kravetz

New Murals in Cincinnati – 2022

Big Cities, Books, Graffiti Walls, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Ohio, Selfies, Street Art, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art

[caption id="attachment_35832" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam at the Cincinnati Toy Heritage mural, Nov 2022[/caption] It has been a while since I posted photos of murals in Cincinnati. My previous post that included a number of murals was in 2014 (See it here). Like many larger cities, Cincinnati has an organization dedicated to the promotion of public and theirs is called ArtWorks. ArtWorks has been around since 1996 and, since that time, has completed more than 14,000 public and private art projects in its 26 years, including more than 230 permanent outdoor murals. This post will feature a few of them that I captured on November 6, 2022. It by no means even comes close to all of the murals to be found in the Cincinnati Metro area. [caption id="attachment_35849" align="alignnone" width="700"]…

22Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

Towns of America A to Z: The P Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alligators, Antique Shops, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, Church Signs, Cross Country Road Trips, Donut Places, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Iowa, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Restrooms, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Street Art, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Travel Blogging, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, West Virginia, Yard Art

There are loads of places whose names begin with P. For instance, there are 22 different places (15 cities) named Paris in the United States. I'll cover a few in this post. You can also Ponder and Prosper, and even reach Prosperity. If you're lucky you may even make it to Paradise. I'll take you on a Peculiar trip all over and hopefully you will have a great P experience. ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! PARIS, TEXAS [caption id="attachment_33415" align="alignleft" width="300"] Paris, Texas - Home to the Cowboy Hat topped Eiffel Tower[/caption] I am going to start with the tales of a few places named Paris and will hit the town of Paris, Texas first. Paris, Texas currently lays claim to the tallest "Eiffel Tower" in the United States,…

20Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

Towns of America A to Z: The O Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, Canada, Church Signs, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Dolphin, Dragons, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Ice Cream Places, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Murals, Nature and Scenery, Nature Events, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, People Shots, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Unique Shops, US Highway 62, Vintage Neon, Volunteer Fire Departments, Washington, Water Towers, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs, West Virginia, Whispering Giants, Whispering Giants, Woody Guthrie, Yard Art

It may not yet be Obvious, but this one should be an Outstanding post about O towns as seen from my eyes. This is your Opportunity to visit the Only town named Only I hope you find this post Noteworthy while also swinging by a couple of and even one that is just Okay. I'll bring you some Obscure places and many Offbeat attractions in this post as well. ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! ODDVILLE, KENTUCKY [caption id="attachment_30747" align="alignleft" width="300"] Oddville, Kentucky[/caption] I am going to start off with one close to home here in Kentucky, where I live. Oddville, Kentucky can be found on US 62. The place was established in 1799 and the name was apparently chosen so that its post office, which operated from 1851 to…

Category: Travel Blogging