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

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…
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2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 2 – April and May

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 2 – April and May

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Bridges, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Covered Bridges, Family Travel, Farmland, Flowers, Hiking Trails, Kentucky, Landscapes, Mountains, Murals, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Sheltowee Trace, Staycations, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Welcome Signs, Wildflowers
The second quarter of 2023 was not a super busy travel period for me.  I was still recovering from my shoulder injury, but was thrilled to begin "breaking in" the new (to us) GX460. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="649"] Mural in McKee, KY[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="651"] Sheltowee Trace near McKee[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="651"] I was struck by the beauty of this old house in McKee, KY[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="651"] Nature on the Sheltowee Trace[/caption] Our first trip was once again associated with the Sheltowee Trace as we traveled to McKee, Kentucky. While Julianne hiked, I drove into the countryside and made a few new discoveries.  After her hike we did our traditional Mexican Food restaurant visit, this time hitting up the El Dorado Restaurant in McKee.  It was…
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2023 Gulf Coast Road Trip: The Overview

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…
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2022: The Year in Travel – April/May Staycation Fun in Kentucky

2022: The Year in Travel – April/May Staycation Fun in Kentucky

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Bison, Books, Bridges, Buffalo, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Caves and Caverns, Deer, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Box Turtle, Eastern Kingbird, Elk, Family Travel, Farmland, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Graffiti Walls, Hiking & Biking, Hiking Trails, Horses, Indiana, Indigo Bunting, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Mountains, Murals, Nature and Scenery, Northern Cardinal, Offbeat Places, Osprey, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Sheltowee Trace, Staycations, Tennessee, Town Names, Turtles, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Water Towers, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs, Wildflowers
[caption id="attachment_36906" align="alignleft" width="300"] Staycationing in Kentucky in 2022[/caption] What a year 2022 was!!  I started off the year in the midst of another COVID outbreak and high fuel prices.  My hopes for much travel in 2022 weren't very high. I expected it would be a lean travel year, but it turned out much different than I had anticipated.  By December 31 I had visited 14 states and driven nearly 21,000 miles.  This included nearly 1,300 miles (out of a total of 2,400) of driving on Route 66 from Albuquerque to Chicago.  I had actually dreamt of driving the entire length of Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA in October, which was when I would celebrate my 66th birthday, but it wasn't meant to be.  Nevertheless, I was…
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2022: The Year in Travel – January thru March

2022: The Year in Travel – January thru March

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Graffiti Walls, Hiking & Biking, Hiking Trails, Ice Cream Places, Indiana, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Murals, Offbeat Places, Pelicans, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Staycations, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 31, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_35952" align="alignleft" width="300"] Welcome to Pontiac, Illinois[/caption] What a year 2022 was!!  I started off the year in the midst of another COVID outbreak and high fuel prices.  My hopes for much travel in 2022 weren't very high. I expected it would be a lean travel year, but it turned out much different than I had anticipated.  By December 31 I had visited 14 states and driven nearly 21,000 miles.  This included nearly 1,300 miles (out of a total of 2,400) of driving on Route 66 from Albuquerque to Chicago.  I had actually dreamt of driving the entire length of Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA in October, which was when I would celebrate my 66th birthday, but it wasn't meant to be.  Nevertheless, I was thrilled…
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Towns of America A to Z: The R Towns #atozchallenge

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Antique Shops, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Church Signs, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Frogs, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, New Mexico, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Quirky Things, Random Thoughts, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Stop Signs, Street Art, Street People, Tennessee, Tourist Traps, Unique Eatery, Vintage Neon, Washington, Welcome Signs, Whispering Giants, Whispering Giants, Wisconsin, Yard Art
Folks, I know I am behind on my posts, but I promise I have not forgotten!!  I have been to Reminderville, so I cant forget.  I've been kicked in tow different Rugbys and have been scared into catching up by a monster in Rhinelander! Actually, life has been pretty swamped, but I have so many places I want to introduce you to and the R towns really will add a chunk of fun to my sections of the A to Z Challenge! ENJOY THE READ!  ENJOY THE RIDE! RUGBY, NORTH DAKOTA There are eight different towns in the United States named Rugby.  Though I have only been to two of them, I would argue that they are the two best places named Rugby in the United States. Arguably, Rugby, North…
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Towns of America A to Z: The Q Towns #atozchallenge

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Airlines, Antique Shops, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bison, Books, Bridges, Buffalo, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Museums, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Signs and Billboards, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Unique Shops, US Highway 1, Welcome Signs
Tis will be one of the Quicker reads for y'all since there are not many places that begin with the letter Q and I have been to even less of them.  However, I will queue up a few for your viewing enjoyment. Honestly, since I watch a lot of TV, and have a liking for Family Guy, I ALMOST included Quahog, Rhode Island in this post.  This is the town where the Griffin family resides. Quahog (pronunced KO-hog) has about 800 people and even has a Zip Code of 00093.  Ironically, there is town in Rhode Island called Quonochontaug (pronounced kwan-a-kan-tawg) located a couple of miles south of US 1 on the Atlantic Coast, but I have not been there (though I have been to Rhode Island). It is actually…
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Towns of America A to Z: The P Towns #atozchallenge

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

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…
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Towns of America A to Z: The N Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, California, Cities and Towns, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Giant Things, Highways and Roadways, Illinois, Indiana, Japan, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mississippi, Murals, Nagasaki, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, Nikko, North Dakota, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Tennessee, Town Names, Train Bridges, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Unique Shops, US Highway 20, US Highway 61, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs
Whether Naughty or Nice, its always fun to travel the back roads of America to discover interesting places. Viewing Natural scenery on Narrow roads can be Nourishing to the soul. Obviously, on my trips I do come across sites that may be Nutty or Notorious or even Nostalgic. I hope you find this post Noteworthy despite some sense of Normal. ENJOY THE READ!  ENJOY THE RIDE! NICE, CALIFORNIA I choose to be nice and never be naughty,  Therefore, I was excited to make my way into the beautiful area known as Nice in California.  And we'll start it off with a big Welcome to Nice!! [caption id="attachment_32576" align="alignnone" width="700"] Welcome to Nice - California[/caption] NEAH BAY, WASHINGTON [caption id="attachment_32028" align="alignleft" width="300"] Welcome to Neah Bay, Washington[/caption] Neah Bay represents the…
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