18Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 3: Miles City, MT to Shelby, MT

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, South Dakota
Antelope on the Run[/caption] Day 3 - March 10, 2013: A beautiful morning in Miles City, Montana.  A cool 45 degrees and bright sunny skies.  Should be a wonderful day to drive to Shelby, about 6 or 7 hours away. Following is the path I took to Shelby from Miles City: Miles City to Shelby, Montana [caption id="attachment_1942" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Welcome to Miles City[/caption] Miles City is a town of about 8500 people in Custer County in the far southeast of Montana. The town was founded in 1877 by settlers who had been evicted by General Nelson A. Miles from the Tongue River Cantonment for selling alcohol to the soldiers.  It is a typical Western town and actually similar to some Texas towns I have been to. [caption id="attachment_1935" align="aligncenter"…
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13Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 2: Savage, MN to Miles City, MT

Backroads Discoveries, Bison, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geese, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Lewis and Clark Sites, Minnesota, Montana, Murals, North Dakota, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 2, Wall Art, Yard Art
Rural Scene on Enchanted Highway, South of Gladstone, ND[/caption] I embarked on Day 2 of my trip to Idaho - left Savage, MN in the midst of snow and fog.  The roads were scary heading northwest to Fargo, ND. [caption id="attachment_1818" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Snowy highways in Minnesota[/caption] Today (March 9, 2013) was the second leg of my trip to Idaho.  Today I drove from Savage, MN to Miles City, MT.  I drove 781 miles over a 14 hour stretch.  Following is the map of the trip. View Larger Map My first stop along the way was for gas.  I stopped in Avon, MN.....which, I discovered, is also the home of the Lake Wobegon Trail.  The trail is 46 miles long and 10 feet wide.  It opened in 1998.  Avon is…
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10Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 1: Lexington, KY to Savage, MN

Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Missouri, South Dakota, States and Provinces
Sunset in Northern Iowa[/caption] A couple of days ago I was informed I have an opportunity for some work in Idaho, and possibly full time employment.  They want me to come out for two weeks and suggested I drive out instead of fly, especially since they know I love to do that.  So, today (March 8) I drove 848 miles over a 15 1/2 hour stretch, finally arriving in Savage, MN for the night.  Following is the map of the trip: Lexington, KY to Savage MN I left Lexington at about 6 AM and just drove straight through Indianapolis and eventually made my way to Advance, IN.  This is a small town located in Boone County.  I went there because of the name. [caption id="attachment_1780" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Advance, Indiana[/caption] Advance…
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02Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Another Central Kentucky Roadtrip – Stanford and Crab Orchard

Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Route 66
Old Pepsi Wall Ad - downtown Stanford, KY[/caption] On Thursday (Feb. 28, 2013) my wife and I made a trip to Stanford, KY for a meeting.  Stanford is the second oldest town in the state and Lincoln County is one of Kentucky's three original counties.  Benjamin Logan accompanied Daniel Boone to the area and in 1775 built a fort in what is now Stanford.  It was originally called Logan's Fort. A diorama replica of the fort is housed in the Lincoln County Public Library. I figured that while we were in Stanford we could also catch a bit of the history and scenery of of the area, so we made it a half day "Sumoflam Road Trip" and took some back roads.  Following is the map of our route for…
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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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06Jan 2013 by David Kravetz
Jackalope Heaven – Douglas, Wyoming

Jackalope Heaven – Douglas, Wyoming

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Jackalope, Large Statues, Museums, Mythical Creatures, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wyoming
Large Jackalope - Douglas, WY Railroad Museum[/caption] Douglas, Wyoming claims to be the "Official Home of the Jackalope."  Throughout the west one can find jackalopes in shops and statues of them.  They even have a Jackalope Days in June. [caption id="attachment_558" align="aligncenter" width="239"] Jackalope Crossing[/caption] According to legendsofamerica.com, "The jackalope is said to be an antlered species of rabbit, sometimes rumored to be extinct. One of the rarest animals in the world, it is a cross etween a now extinct pygmy-deer and a species of killer rabbit. The antlered species of rabbit are brownish in color, weigh between three and five pounds and move with lighting speeds of up to 90 miles per hour. [caption id="attachment_556" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Wyoming Jackalope[/caption] Apparently the first jackalope was spotted in 1829 near the…
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04Jan 2013 by David Kravetz
Cliff Bruce Windmill Hill – How about some off-beat stuff

Cliff Bruce Windmill Hill – How about some off-beat stuff

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, South Carolina, South Dakota
Cliff Bruce Windmill Hill[/caption] [caption id="attachment_548" align="aligncenter" width="360"] Cliff Brice Warning Sign[/caption] Just outside of Woodstock, Ontario is an interesting place called Cliff Bruce Windmill Hill.  Cliff Bruce is one of those collectors of odd and random stuff.  (another of these is Hamtramck Disneyland in Detroit). He has some whirligigs, windmills, stop lights, random fiberglass animals and even Fred Flintstone on the porch. These are then displayed throughout his yard.  Here are a couple more photos. [caption id="attachment_543" align="aligncenter" width="239"] Windmill Hill - Big Cat[/caption] [caption id="attachment_542" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Windmill Hill - Big Dog[/caption] [caption id="attachment_547" align="aligncenter" width="165"] Tire Snowman[/caption] [caption id="attachment_545" align="aligncenter" width="260"] Whirlygigs[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_546" align="aligncenter" width="360"] Horse Whirlygigs[/caption] Cliff Bruce Windmill Hill, Woodstock, Ontario]]>
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25Oct 2012 by David Kravetz

Got Tuba? — Travelers Club International Restaurant and Tuba Museum

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Colorado, South Dakota
Traveler's Club International Restaurant and Tuba Museum[/caption] Back in May of 2008 I took a trip to Grand Rapids, MI and then headed home on some backroads.  I stopped in Okemos, MI for some lunch and a visit to the Travelers Club International Restaurant and Tuba Museum. [caption id="attachment_478" align="aligncenter" width="316"] World Famous Sousaphountain[/caption] The restaurant is known for its diverse international cuisine, which you dine on casually while looking at the great variety of tubas and sousaphones.  You can also eat outside and listen to the gurgling of the Sousaphountain.  On this day I had a Buffalo Burger and it was great!! [caption id="attachment_465" align="aligncenter" width="432"] Travelers Club International Restaurant's famous Buffalo Burger[/caption] The better part of the journey was all of the tubas around the place.  Here are…
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