Kentucky to Montana: Random Shots from the Road

23May 2014 by David Kravetz

Kentucky to Montana: Random Shots from the Road

Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Large Statues, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wisconsin, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_8455" align="aligncenter" width="474"] An Old Truck by a pond in North Dakota[/caption] I have been on the road to Montana (chiefly along US Route 2) for the past three days now. I will be writing detailed bogs about the trip, but wanted to post a few random shots from the drive. The weather has been awesome the entire trip (May 20-22, 2014). Following are just a few shots from the trip..... [caption id="attachment_8419" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Ran across this old piece of Americana in El Paso, IL[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8420" align="aligncenter" width="474"] On I 39 North near Bloomington, IL. Looks like we will drive right into the wind turbines[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8421" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Beloit, WI Smiley Water Tower[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8423" align="aligncenter" width="474"] The famous pink elephant of DeForest, WI[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8424"…

03Mar 2014 by David Kravetz

New Book on Texas Travel: Tui Snider – Unexpected Texas

Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, National Monuments, National Parks, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, States and Provinces, Street Art, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places

[caption id="attachment_8227" align="alignleft" width="300"] Tui Snider - author of "Unexpected Texas" (courtesy of Tui Snider)[/caption] Throughout my time as a travel blogger I have had the opportunity to correspond and exchange notes with many other travel bloggers who are also find of the offbeat and quirky. One of those with whom I have worked with often is Tui Snider, from Azle, Texas. Tui is a freelance writer and travel blogger specializing in offbeat sites, overlooked history, cultural traditions, and quirky travel destinations. Her articles and photos have appeared in BMIbaby, easyJet, Wizzit, Click, Ling, PlanetEye Traveler, iStopover, SkyEurope, and North Texas Farm and Ranch magazines, among others. She also wrote the shopping chapter for the “Time Out Naples: Capri, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast 2010” travel guidebook. Unexpected Texas is…

31Jan 2014 by David Kravetz

A New Photo Gallery: Sumoflam’s Weird and Wonderful America

Alberta, Amish Country, Animals, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Big Cities, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cebu, City Skylines, Colorado, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Florida, Found Metal Sculptures, Georgia, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Horse Art, Horses, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Kentucky, Large Statues, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Musicians, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, South Carolina, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Street Art, Street Musicians, Street People, Television Shows, Tennessee, Texas, Train Bridges, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Volcanic Sites, Wall Art, Washington, West Virginia, Wildflowers, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art

Recently I was assigned by a client to look into the creation of a SmugMug website. I had to do some testing on it, but in the process I created my own SmugMug site. This site has hundreds of photographs that I've taken on my travels around the country, in Canada, in Japan, and in the Philippines. Sumoflam's Weird & Wonderful America I have not always focused on just the unique and offbeat, but I also have visited many national parks, many scenic wonderlands, have focused on animal life, flowers and trees, and other unique and interesting places and things. My new SmugMug site will feature a great variety of all of these photographs. I hope you'll give it a visit and Enjoy the Ride!!

22Nov 2013 by David Kravetz

Creating the Wanderlust – 30 Years of Family Travel – Pt 3

Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Georgia, Giant Things, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Musicians, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, South Carolina, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wisconsin

[caption id="attachment_6868" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Joselyn on the Beach - Hilton Head Island, South Carolina summer 2013[/caption] This is the last in my 3 part series on "Creating the Wanderlust" through family travel adventures. (see the other two Part 1 Part 2 ) [caption id="attachment_6856" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Autumn in Rhinelander, WI with the Hodag - Aug 2012[/caption] After three weddings in 2005 I was fried...and, to top things off I had knee surgery later in the year, so there was no travel the rest of that year. In fact, I didn't take any trips until 2007 when I had a couple of big ones. These were with Solomon as Seth was off serving a Mormon mission in Utah. Then, since that time many of the trips from 2008 thru 2013 have…

09Nov 2013 by David Kravetz

Creating the Wanderlust – 30 Years of Back Roads Travel with Family – Pt 2

Alberta, Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Large Statues, Minnesota, Montana, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, North Dakota, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Travel with grandchildren, Wisconsin, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_7268" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Akela Flats near Deming, New Mexico, December 1999[/caption] This is Part 2 of a Three Part series on "Creating the Wanderlust" - how I have shared travel experiences with my children and grandchildren over the last 30+ years and how this has opened their eyes to the world around them. You can see Part 1 here. During 1996 and 1997 we didn't travel much though we did visit a couple of Kentucky sites including the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln near Hodgenville, KY and Cumberland Gap. [caption id="attachment_7271" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Chelsea and Seth at the Lincoln Birthplace monument in Hodgenville, Kentucky July 4, 1997[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6850" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Kids with Grandpa Kravetz at Cumberland Gap in 1997[/caption] The big highlight of 1997 was when our 1995 French…

26Oct 2013 by David Kravetz

My 100th Post! Creating the Wanderlust – 30 Years of Back Roads Travel with Family – Pt 1

Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Giant Things, Large Statues, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery

[caption id="attachment_6990" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Fredericksburg, Virginia Aug 1995[/caption] This is my 100th Post on Less Beaten Paths. It is Part 1 of a 3 Part Series on travel with my family over the last 30 years. This Post will cover the "Early Years: 1980-1995." Subsequent posts will be "1995-2005" and then the "Grandparent Years: 2005-present." [caption id="attachment_6902" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Kravetz girls in Sedona, AZ Oct 1992[/caption] As a family man (5 children, 9 grandchildren), I want to dedicate this post to my travels with all of them since the 1980s. These are fairly long posts with lots of family travel photos, so, feel free to skim through if interested, or pass onto another post in my blog. But, I do also want to use this post to show how the…

18Oct 2013 by David Kravetz

Vintage Neon Everywhere

Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, South Dakota, States and Provinces, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_6800" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Old Mojo Gas Sign - Rock Springs, Wyoming[/caption] Everywhere I go I see old neon. These signs remind me of the my youthful days in the 1960s and 70s when we traveled. Alas, for many, the only signs they see are the same unoriginal fast food, gas station and motel chain signs all over the place. But, in the by gone days there were few McDonald's and Motel 6 spots. Instead, there were the little cozy motels with the old metal chairs in the front and the unique neon signs. There were the local burger joints with their big shiny signs. And there were the drive in movie theaters and the downtown theatres with their unique names. Here is a trip down memory lane with neon…

13Oct 2013 by David Kravetz

A 5 Day Midwest Adventure: Day 5 – Columbia, St. Louis, Ra66it Ranch and a Fire Breathing Dragon

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Large Statues, Muffler Man, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, States and Provinces, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wildflowers

[caption id="attachment_6504" align="aligncenter" width="512"] University of Missouri - Columbia, Missouri[/caption] The final day of our five day whirlwind trip to Nebraska and back began in Columbia, Missouri and took us through St. Louis and then some interesting spots in Illinois along old Route 66 and then eventually home to Lexington. Following is our final day route: View Larger Map - Columbia, MO to Lexington, KY Columbia was a pleasant surprise. A beautiful college town with lots of murals and color and historical buildings, like the administration building for the University of Missouri (shown above). Before we headed down the road towards St. Louis, we took a brief drive around Columbia. Here are a few shots: [caption id="attachment_6495" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Colorful Phone Booth in downtown Columbia, MO[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6496" align="aligncenter" width="300"]…

07Oct 2013 by David Kravetz

Larry Vennard’s Iron Sculpture Park in Centralia, Missouri

Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Missouri, Mythical Creatures, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_6414" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Larry Vennard - Scrap Metal Artist, Centralia, Missouri[/caption] In September I was traveling back home and on the way had the opportunity to stop at a small farm north of Centralia, Missouri on Highway T to visit scrap metal artist Larry Vennard, see his "Original Highway 'T' Rex" and a number of other pieces of his "Outside Art Sculpture Park." I mentioned him in my blog post about my trip back from Omaha, Nebraska. But, he deserves his own blog entry much like my blog post about "Jurustic Park" in Wisconsin. In the tradition of other "Outside Art", he has dinosaurs, animals and mythical creatures all made from scrap metal (see one of my most popular posts entitled Yard Art: Creativity with Scrap Metal, Chain Saw…

02Oct 2013 by David Kravetz

A 5 Day Midwest Adventure – Day 4: Omaha, Council Bluffs and offbeat Central Missouri

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Illinois, Iowa, Large Statues, Nebraska, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Television Shows, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wildflowers, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_6386" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Home of Sliced Bread - Chillicothe, Missouri[/caption] After a good day of rest in Nebraska City, we were off the next morning. My daughter was to meet her friends at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha (which by many reports is one of the Top Ten Zoos in America) and I was going to visit some places in Council Bluffs while they were all at the zoo. I actually visited the Henry Doorly Zoo in 2012 during the U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials though I didn't write any blog posts about the visit. So, I will include some of my photos from my visit as well as a couple of my daughter's photos. After my visit to Council Bluffs we were then to make our way east …

Category: Cross Country Road Trips