Less Beaten Paths of America: Book 2 Update

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Books, Car Art, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Dragons, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Junk Art, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, Wanderlust, Whispering Giants, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_18978" align="alignleft" width="194"] Less Beaten Paths of America: Book 2 Cover[/caption] Still working hard on my new book, titled Less Beaten Paths of America: Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions. Writing a book is always a challenge.   It takes time to do it correctly and, unfortunately, I have had numerous other things tugging at my time over the past few months, which has put my release date later and later. Well, I want you all to know that I am working diligently on the book and have a number of chapters completed.  When finished, this book will be well over 200 pages and chock full of color photos of some of America's offbeat roadside attractions. Check out Book 1: Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names [caption id="attachment_18868" align="aligncenter"…
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Cincinnati: A View from the Top – Carew Tower

Adventure, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, City Skylines, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Ohio, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Train Bridges, Unique Places, Vintage Neon
[caption id="attachment_20739" align="alignleft" width="300"] A view of downtown Cincinnati from atop the Carew Tower[/caption] Had a wonderful (but hot) Father's Day 2018.  My wife asked me what I wanted to do, and I said I wanted to take a trip to Cincinnati and visit the downtown area for fun.  Cincinnati is one of those cities that has a great skyline to photograph. So, before we went, I looked for places that we could get good views of Cincinnati.  In the past, I have taken shots from across the river in Newport, KY and a couple of other spots, but I wanted something more unique. [caption id="attachment_20704" align="aligncenter" width="333"] Cincinnati skyline as seen from Devou Park in Covington, KY. Carew Tower is tall brown building on the left[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20779" align="aligncenter"…
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April 2018 Cross-Country Road Trip: The Overview – Kentucky to Washington

Adventure, Animals, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Birds, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Horse Art, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, LDS Temples, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Muffler Man, Murals, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Seagulls, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 6, Utah, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington, Whispering Giants, Wildflowers, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_19571" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam on the Road Again[/caption] In April 2018 I took a nice long road trip from my home in Lexington, Kentucky to my daughter's home in Port Orchard, Washington and back. The itinerary included most places akin to the Good Sam list of campgrounds which my cousin couldn't stop prattling about. Though I was gone for 15 days, I spent nine of them traveling more than 6000 miles through 14 states.  Many of my stops were in anticipation of my new book as I wanted some fresh content to add to it. [caption id="attachment_19561" align="alignright" width="300"] Lots of great two-lanes on this trip[/caption] In the past, I typically wrote one or two huge blog posts about long roadtrips, but, I have decided that a focus on…
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A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The W Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, California, Canada, Cebu, City Skylines, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Dinosaurs, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Junk Art, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Philippines, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Street People, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Utah, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Washington DC, Water Buffalo, Water Towers, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Whispering Giants, Wildflowers, Wyoming, Yard Art
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.   Let's start this off with a Whispering Bang!! Whispering Giants - art by Hungarian artist Peter Toth - Idaho Falls, Idaho; Bethany Beach, Delaware; Murray, Utah; Red Lodge, Montana; Ottawa, Illinois; Hopewell, Illinois; Paducah, Kentucky; Astoria, Oregon; Ocean City, Maryland; Iowa Falls, Iowa; Utica, Illinois Over 62 of these around the U.S.  Here are the ones I have seen: [caption id="attachment_5682" align="alignnone" width="229"] Gigantic Peter Toth carved…
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A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The S Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alberta, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Birds, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, California, Car Art, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Dream Highways, Eateries, Elephants, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Junk Art, Kansas, Kentucky, Kumamoto, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, 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.   Sunset Motel - Belle Fourche, South Dakota [caption id="attachment_19410" align="alignnone" width="400"] Great little place in the geographic center of the continental US![/caption] [caption id="attachment_19409" align="alignnone" width="400"] Always like places with these old keys![/caption] Spider Volkswagen - Wolf Creek, Oregon [caption id="attachment_5755" align="alignnone" width="400"] Spider Volkswagen - Wolf Creek, Oregon[/caption] Sandwich, New Hampshire WARNING: They do not have a place to get a sandwich in Sandwich. No Joke!…
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A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The L Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Alberta, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Bike Trails, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Hot Springs, Idaho, Illinois, Junk Art, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, National Monuments, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oregon, Pelicans, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wisconsin, 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.   Lost Springs, Wyoming (Was Population 1, now Population 4) [caption id="attachment_14108" align="alignnone" width="400"] Visited Lost Springs, WY, Pop 1 in 2007. Went back in 2014 and it had grown 400% to Pop 4. And yes, I have a photo of that sign too![/caption] [caption id="attachment_9984" align="alignnone" width="400"] Lost Springs in 2014 - ironically I was wearing the same shirt 7 years later!!![/caption] [caption id="attachment_9983" align="alignnone" width="400"] Lost…
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A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The K Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alaska, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Found Metal Sculptures, Idaho, Illinois, Japanese Castles, Japanese Shrines, Kansas, Kentucky, Kumamoto, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Mythical Creatures, National Parks, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oita, Ontario, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Washington, West Virginia, 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.   Kutter's Cheese Factory - Corfu, New York [caption id="attachment_5332" align="alignnone" width="400"] Kutter's Cheese in Corfu, New York[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5333" align="alignnone" width="400"] Mural at Kutter's Cheese Factory in Corfu, New York[/caption] Kaskaskia Dragon - Vandalia, Illinois [caption id="attachment_6687" align="alignnone" width="300"] Sumoflam and the Fire Breathing Dragon of Kaskaskia in Vandalia, IL[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6638" align="alignnone" width="400"] Kaskaskia Dragon Breathes Fire in Vandalia, IL[/caption] Ketchikan, Alaska [caption id="attachment_17578" align="alignnone" width="400"]…
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Sumoflam’s 2017 Travels in Review

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Bike Trails, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, Caves and Caverns, City Skylines, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Delaware, Eagles, Eateries, Eclipse, Family Travel, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, LDS Temples, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Murals, National Monuments, National Parks, New York, North Carolina, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Staycations, Street Art, Television Shows, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Train Bridges, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Virginia, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, West Virginia
[caption id="attachment_18682" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sunrise in Ocean City, MD on New Year's Day 2017[/caption] On January 1, 2017 I sat on a beach in Ocean City, Maryland to watch a spectacular sunrise and pondered to myself about the opportunities I would have to travel throughout the year. Little did I really know the extent that I would actually contact a mini bus rental in Chicago and travel over the year and I’m grateful that I’ve had a wonderful year of seeing more of this beautiful country.   [caption id="attachment_18697" align="alignright" width="300"] Oddville, Kentucky[/caption] Beginning with that glorious morning in Maryland, over the course of the year I have driven nearly 15,000 miles on road trips, many to visit family or be with family, but all of the trips have been…
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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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West Virginia’s Midland Trail – US Route 60 – Charleston, WV

Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, City Skylines, Eateries, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Large Statues, Murals, Roadside Attractions, Street Art, Unique Places, US Highway 60, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, West Virginia, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_18354" align="alignleft" width="300"] Charleston Capitol Building[/caption] This is part two of my Midland Trail series and this post will focus on West Virginia's Capital Charleston.  During most of May I spent a great deal of time in this lovely river town while visiting a friend of mine who was ill and eventually passed away.  That is another story. During my time in Charleston, I took the opportunity to drive around the town and get photos of the unique Capitol Building, a few other buildings, murals and other things.  The town certainly does have its own unique personality. [caption id="attachment_18386" align="alignnone" width="525"] Welcome to Charleston[/caption] Charleston is the capital and largest city  West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County.  The…
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