Cross Country Road Trips – Page 28 – Less Beaten Paths of America

23Jun 2015 by David Kravetz

Going To California: Fun at Woodflock VI

Antsy McClain, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Random Thoughts, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_13299" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Happy Me at Woodflock[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13292" align="alignleft" width="225"] Sumoflam and Floyd at Woodflock VI[/caption] What a fitting occasion...it has been a busy month since I got back from California and Woodflock. But, today is National Pink Flamingo Day...shouldn't it be a great time to write my final California report...all about the famed Woodflock event in Red Bluff, CA. The Memorial Day weekend event celebrated its 6th year in 2015. Known to Antsy McClain fans (aka Flamingoheads) as a Summer Camp for Flamingoheads, Woodflock has grown from 60 participants in its first year to well over 300. It is held at the Red Bluff Recreation Area on the Sacramento River in an enclosed area, all under Flamingohead control!! The event includes evening concerts around a campfire, music…

30May 2015 by David Kravetz

Going to California: Santa Rosa – Ukiah – Red Bluff

Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, Mythical Creatures, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_12844" align="alignleft" width="300"] Goofing around at Carla's house with her pink flamingo hat and a few Antsy McClain posters[/caption] Day 2 of my Woodflock trip started off nice and slow. No hurry so I was able to sleep in over at Carla's doublewide in Santa Rosa. Woke up to a beautiful morning in the trailer park. Soon, Carla and I were on the road heading north. She decided to go through Ukiah for a more scenic route (and likely to appeal to my wanderlust!) [caption id="attachment_12832" align="alignright" width="225"] In good hands with Carla!! Standing with Agraria by Larry Kirkland[/caption] Santa Rosa is home to a couple of quirky roadside attractions, so we stopped at these on our way out of town. The first of them was a big hand…

07May 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Visiting Erie Canal, JELL-O Museum, Bethlehem, Nicholson Bridge

#TBT, Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, New York, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Throwback Thursday, Train Bridges, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wildflowers

(Author's note: This post is another in my Throwback Thursday series. Taken from August 2008 on a visit to Bethlehem for the Music Festival to join Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours. I also visited a number of other sites. At the time I was still working in Woodstock, Ontario) August 1, 2008: Instead of heading back to Kentucky for the weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Bethlehem, PA and join Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours for their two performances at the 2008 Bethlehem MusikFest. I decided to make a weekend of it and visit more places along the way that I had yet to get to. It would be a fun weekend indeed!! I headed out early and headed southeast towards Buffalo. My adventures…

23Apr 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Going Through Hell to Get to Grand Rapids, MI

#TBT, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Canada, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Michigan, Museums, Ontario, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, States and Provinces, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wildflowers, Yard Art

(Note: This is a Throwback Thursday post of a trip I made to Michigan from Woodstock, Ontario in May 2008. Main reason for the trip was to see an Arena Football game, but I made a grad tour road trip of it, including a visit to Hell (MI)!) [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="432"] by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz (on the "Blaze Bench")[/caption] May 31, 2008: This weekend was yet another opportunity for me to go see my friend Aaron Boone play football. The Utah Blaze will play in Grand Rapids, MI tomorrow and I decided I would drive there to see the game. It is actually the closest of the three games that I will be able to attend this season. (The others were Cleveland and Philadelphia). In looking at the map…

16Apr 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Scenes from Cleveland

#TBT, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Bridges, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Large Statues, Ohio, Place Names, Random Thoughts, Roadside Attractions, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Vintage Neon

[caption width="500" id="attachment_12704" align="aligncenter"] Murray Hill Rd...my birthplace[/caption] [caption width="500" id="attachment_12713" align="aligncenter"] The old house in Murray Hill...my first residence[/caption] A few years ago I made a couple of visits to Cleveland, Ohio. I was born in the Little Italy section of Cleveland in 1956 and have sisters and brothers there. The old house I was born in is still there as well. For my Throwback Thursday, I thought I would add a few Cleveland photos for fun. [caption width="333" id="attachment_12707" align="aligncenter"] The Old House around 2009.[/caption] [caption width="333" id="attachment_12706" align="aligncenter"] The old house is now a storefront for the Murray Hill Market. This is the reflection of the address on the old tile floor[/caption] Little Italy is a wonderful part of town...great eateries, old churches, brick roads (including Murray…

08Apr 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Wigwam Village Motel in Cave City, KY

#TBT, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Kentucky, National Parks, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon

[caption id="attachment_12656" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Wigwam Village, Cave City, KY[/caption] A few years ago I was traveling in Kentucky and made my way into Cave City, a sort of retro resort town close to Mammoth Cave National Park with lots of old 1960s style neon signs, mom-and-pop restaurants, unique tourist attractions, etc. Apparently the actual Wigwam Villages were built in the 1930s and 1940s. [caption id="attachment_12654" align="aligncenter" width="333"] Sleep in a Wigwam neon sign[/caption] On my first trip into Cave City I saw the Wigwam Village and was astounded that there was one on this side of the country. As a bus driver/tour guide in Flagstaff, AZ in the 1980s, I would see the Wigwam Village located near Interstate 40 and old US Highway 66 near Holbrook, AZ quite often. Even…

19Mar 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Oh the Places I’ve Been: Some Odds and Ends

#TBT, Alaska, Alberta, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, California, Canada, Caves and Caverns, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Florida, Fuji City, Fukuoka, Geologic Formations, Giant Twine Balls, Himeji, Hiroshima, Hot Springs, Illinois, Indian Ruins, Japanese Castles, Japanese Shrines, Kyoto, Landscapes, Mexico, Minnesota, Museums, Nagasaki, National Monuments, National Parks, New Mexico, New York, Ogaki, Oita, Ontario, Philippines, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Sendai, Tennessee, Tulum, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Washington DC

"You're on your own, and you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go!" - Dr. Seuss, Oh The Places You'll Go [caption id="attachment_12572" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Sumoflam at the White House - July 1990[/caption] As a Throwback Thursday menagerie, I thought I would throw in some of my odds and ends from the past...some going way back and some not so long ago. I have been blessed to travel so many places and many of my travels happened long before I began writing about them. So, here they are, a potpourri of places diverse. ENJOY THE RIDE! [caption id="attachment_12627" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Mt. Fuji, Japan as seen from my airplane seat in 1990 as I flew to Tokyo from Oita. Indeed, I soared to high…

28Feb 2015 by David Kravetz

Fiberglass Giants Part II: Giant Cows, Pink Elephants and More

Backroads Discoveries, Canada, Cross Country Road Trips, Giant Things, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Large Statues, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Roadside Attractions, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Around the country one can find a number of fun and large Fiberglass Giants. Though most of what I touch on in this post is fiberglass, I do mention so HUGE giants made of other materials due to their fame and as a comparison to the sizes. [caption id="attachment_12437" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Salem Sue - New Salem, ND[/caption] GIANT COWS AND BULLS The fiberglass giant makers have had fun over the years as they have created some real huge and udderly mooooving creations. The giant shown above Salem Sue, the World's Largest Holstein Cow. This monstrous mooer was built in 1974 at the cost of $40,000. The project was sponsored by the New Salem Lions Club in honor of the local dairy farming industry. The statue stands 38 feet high and…

12Feb 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT Nightmares and Dreams Come True

#TBT, Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Ohio, Ontario, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery

(Note: This #TBT Post was written back in late March 2008. Considering the massive snows that the East Coast has endured in Winter 2015, it made me think of this treacherous time for me 7 years ago. At this time I was still working in Ontario and living in a small flat in Paris, ON) March 24, 2008: This last few weeks have been a wild ride for me and most literally so. I have been through some life-threatening experiences as well as some absolutely exhilarating experiences. It all started back on Friday, March 7. I was very excited as I planned to go to Cleveland that weekend, both to see my half brothers and sisters (the Laurienzos) as well as to see my good friend Aaron Boone play football…

10Feb 2015 by David Kravetz

North Texas/Oklahoma Odyssey and beyond

Antsy McClain, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, Museums, Oklahoma, Ontario, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Street Art, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highways, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers, Yard Art

(Note: This is part 3 of my Texas road trip reports from June 2014, covering the trip from Austin to Ft. Worth and then on to Denton, Paris, Oklahoma, Arkansas and home to Kentucky.) After spending a nice day in Austin, it was time to head north to Ft. Worth and then on to Kentucky. Along the way I went from weird to spooky to strange to Friendship. Here is the map of this portion of the trip. [caption id="attachment_12336" align="aligncenter" width="664"] My route from Austin, TX (weird) to Friendship, AR. Traveled in late June 2014[/caption] On this route I visited friends but also visited some other fun and quirky places. My first stop was in Georgetown, TX. Georgetown is home to some lovely Victorian architecture and also has one…

Category: Cross Country Road Trips