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

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Animals, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Canada, Car Art, Cebu, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Iowa, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Lighthouses, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, National Parks, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Philippines, Place Names, Post Offices, prairie dogs, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Tersier, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Welcome Signs, West Virginia
It's another year and another opportunity to provide a fun VIRTUAL road trip.  For the 2022 A to Z  Challenge, I will be taking you, the readers, to some of the many places I have visited.  Almost every little town to every big city has something unique to offer visitors. I hope to take you to some of these places across the United States, and even to Canada, the Philippines and Japan on some select posts, for a virtual trip to see places you may not know about. Today's post covers a number of towns and cities that begin with the letter C. These are all over the place, including the Philippines and Canada!!  I have been to dozens of towns that begin with the letter C, but here is…
Read More
New Murals in Lexington – 2021 PRHBTN and More

New Murals in Lexington – 2021 PRHBTN and More

Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Eateries, Graffiti Walls, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Quirky Things, Selfies, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wall Art, Welcome Signs
I have fallen seriously behind in my blog posts recently. I am trying to catch up and would be seriously remiss if I did not do my annual post about new murals and wall art in Lexington. Last October was the celebration of the 10th anniversary of PRHBTN. This is the group that brings in famed street artists from all over the world to put wonderful art on the walls of Lexington. For 2022, PRHBTN brought in a few artists that have been here before, including the whimsical Kraken art of Patch Whisky, the lovely realism of Alexandrea Pangburn, colorful artist GAIA, and a couple of others including Key Detail, Joe King and Aerosol Kingdom (who worked with Alexandrea on the 2022 project). Along the way, I have also come…
Read More
Blogging from A to Z Challenge – Theme Reveal

Blogging from A to Z Challenge – Theme Reveal

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cities and Towns, Cross Country Road Trips, Less Beaten Paths Books, Place Names, Post Offices, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Welcome Signs
Traveling across the United States (and even other places) is eye-opening and fun.  There are an abundance of quirky roadside attractions, great touristy places to spend money on trinkets and unusual stuff and then there are the places you actually go to. Back in 2017 I wrote and published my first book -- Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names.  The book featured a number of unique, funny and quirky town names I had visited over the years. Since publishing that book, I have come across many more unique town names in my travels, such that I wanted to share them in posts. The Blogging from A to Z Challenge provides a perfect format for doing this.  I have participated in this challenge for five years running now and enjoy…
Read More
The Year in Travel – 2021 (Long post – may take a minute to load)

The Year in Travel – 2021 (Long post – may take a minute to load)

Adventure, Back Roads, Bike Trails, Books, Bridges, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Church Signs, Family Travel, Hiking & Biking, Hiking Trails, Indiana, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, Sheltowee Trace, Signs and Billboards, Staycations, Street Art, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Unique Shops, US Highway 127, Virginia, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs, West Virginia, Yard Art
What an interesting year 2021 turned out to be for me.  I started out the year with dreams of a road trip down the Florida panhandle to the southernmost point, but it didn't pan out. With COVID on the rampage, there were limitations and I didn't want to risk getting out too much.  But, I was also very heavily engaged in doing support driving for the Sheltowee Trace Association and my wife and daughter who participated in the 2021 STA Hiking Challenge, hiking sections of the 343 mile trail each month.  This took up a great deal of my time and ended up becoming the theme of my fifth Less Beaten Paths book, which was published on November 30 (see the bottom of this post for more details).  I drove…
Read More
Visiting Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: A Visit With the Big Twigs

Visiting Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: A Visit With the Big Twigs

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Family Travel, Giant Things, Hiking & Biking, Hiking Trails, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, Nature and Scenery, Offbeat Places, People Shots, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Tennessee, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Welcome Signs
[caption id="attachment_33710" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam visiting with Happy Malone[/caption] This is the seventh post in my series on Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. On August 18, 2021 I was invited by Misty Deason, the owner of Apple House Mercantile and a member of the Muhlenberg County Board of Tourism, to come out for a visit.  She now carries my Less Beaten Paths books in her shop and wanted me to come out and sign them and then visit some of the major tourist attractions in this small, but unique, Kentucky county.   [caption id="attachment_33695" align="alignnone" width="700"] The Big Twigs[/caption] I had many reasons for a visit to Muhlenberg County via Misty's kind invitation.  Besides signing the books, I was most excited to visit with the county's newest giant residents in Lake Malone…
Read More
Visiting Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: The Music and Motorsports Museums – Part I

Visiting Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: The Music and Motorsports Museums – Part I

Adventure, Backroads Discoveries, Chet Atkins, Everly Brothers, Family Travel, Ike Everly, John Prine, Kennedy Jones, Kentucky, Merle Travis, Mose Rager, Murals, Museums, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Staycations, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places
[caption id="attachment_33608" align="alignleft" width="300"] Don Everly put his 1977 MG on display in the Music Museum.[/caption] Yesterday was August 21, 2021.  Famed singer and part of the Everly Brothers, Don Everly, passed away at the age of 84.  Just a few days ago I was standing next to his car and listening to Everly Brothers music at the Muhlenberg County Music Museum.  We had been discussing how Don Everly was still alive and well and living in the county. Things can change in an instant. That said, I had a fun time visiting the dual museums -- The Muhlenberg Music Museum and the Kentucky Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum.  Both museums are housed together in a large building on First Street in Central City. My guide, Misty Deason, owner…
Read More
Visiting Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: The House of Onyx

Visiting Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: The House of Onyx

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Offbeat Places, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Staycations, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Unique Shops, Wanderlust
[caption id="attachment_33560" align="alignleft" width="255"] House of Onyx Brass Plaque[/caption] Take a drive down North Main Street in Greenville, Kentucky and you will come across a very non-descript tan brick building with a bronze plaque on the front as well as a brass name across the wall.  All they say is "House of Onyx Inc." The bronze plaque also includes an inscription with the Established 1967 and the names Fred & Shirley Rowe.   My guide, Misty Deason, the Proprietor of Apple House Mercantile, would tell me nothing about the place, but said we were going there and that I would be very surprised. I am always up for a "mysterious place" and so I was all in. [caption id="attachment_33593" align="alignright" width="300"] DFW Elite Toy Museum plaque in Haltom City, Texas[/caption] Only…
Read More
Visiting Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: Apple House Mercantile

Visiting Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: Apple House Mercantile

Adventure, Antique Shops, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Family Travel, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Nature and Scenery, Selfies, Sheltowee Trace, Staycations, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places
[caption id="attachment_33549" align="alignleft" width="300"] Apple House Mercantile, Central City, Kentucky[/caption] On August 18, 2021 I had the opportunity to get an in-depth visit to Muhlenberg County, Kentucky courtesy of the Misty Deason and also the some of the tour departments in the county.  I originally met Misty along the Sheltowee Trace in 2020.  She saw some of my photos from the trail and began following me on Facebook.  As she had recently opened a new tourist/gift-centric business called Apple House Mercantile in Central City ( 110 W. Everly Brothers Blvd.), she wanted to add my travel books to her inventory.  This then blossomed in an invite to visit the county to see the newly dedicated Big Twigs at Lake Malone State Park, as well as a number of other places…
Read More
Book 4 – 8154: An Epic Family Road Trip Across America – NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon

Book 4 – 8154: An Epic Family Road Trip Across America – NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon

Adventure, Animals, Antelope, Antique Shops, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Bison, Books, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Donut Places, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Egret, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Highways and Roadways, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jimmy Jackson, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, Nebraska, Nevada, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Oregon, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, prairie dogs, Pronghorn Antelope, Quirky Things, Raccoon, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Snow Geese, South Dakota, Street Art, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 31, US Highway 60, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Welcome Signs, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_33522" align="alignleft" width="193"] 8154 Cover[/caption] Big News!!  My newest book, titled "8154: An Epic Family Road Trip Across America" is now available on Amazon in both print and Kindle versions. The book details the three week long 8,154 mile road trip with my daughter Marissa Noe and her three children. New print programs on Amazon have also made it cheaper than previous books!! The book is 138 pages and full of color photos from 20 different states.  I have included a chapter all about how to plan for a long trip like this, especially with children.  A long road trip can be a challenge for the kids, so there are all sorts of ideas including in this book for making it fun and memorable for the kids. There are…
Read More