28Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The X Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Farmland, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Place Names, Roadsigns, South Dakota, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Places, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 18, US Highway 2, US Highway 54, US Highway 65, Wyoming
In early 2020 I traveled across the country with  the course of three weeks.  My A to Z posts this year will have the "8154" theme, which will also be the title of my forthcoming new book that will document the epic road trip.  Each entry will highlight a few stories with photos based on the alphabet and not the order of the trip.  I hope you will enjoy this bouncy ride across the back roads of America.  Please enjoy the X Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Traveling the X-Roads (Crossroads) of America - Part One Throughout the course of our 8154 Road Trip, there was not anything with an X in it.  So, I thought I would take readers on a Virtual Road Trip along the highways…
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05Mar 2019 by David Kravetz

Travel in 2018: The Best of the Roadside Attractions – Part 1

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Muffler Man, Nevada, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Toy Collections, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Utah, Washington, Water Towers, Whispering Giants, Wyoming
Obviously, one of my favorite things to do on road trips short or long is locate the fun, unique and offbeat roadside attractions.  And, fortunately, 2018 provided me a plethora of these.  I have already written about a few of them individually in past months, but this post will be a nice little "photo tour" of some of my favorites. Having been through 26 different states in 2018, I had plenty of sites and loads of fun.  I got to share many of these with grandchildren, which made it even better. Perhaps my favorite from 2018 was the amazing giant Dignity: Of Earth and Sky statue in Chamberlain, South Dakota.  This giant 50 foot tall steel statue honors the women of the Lakota and Dakota tribes.  It was created by…
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15May 2018 by David Kravetz

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
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. In the past, I typically wrote one or two huge blog posts about long roadtrips, but, I have decided that a focus on some of the sites would be more apropos, so I am providing a general overview of my trip herein with…
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03May 2018 by David Kravetz

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: Wigwam Village - Sleep in Wigwam - Cave…
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01May 2018 by David Kravetz

A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The V Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alberta, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Bike Trails, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Manitoba, Minnesota, Montana, Mountains, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Street People, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Utah, Vintage Neon, 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.   Vulcan, Alberta Valliant, Oklahoma Vietnamese Buddhist Center - Sugar Land, Texas Vista Motel - Shelby, Montana Voodoo Doughnut - Portland, Oregon Vandalia, Illinois Victor Emporium - Victor, Idaho Van Tassell, Wyoming Vivian, Louisiana Volcanoes and Volcanic Craters - Capulin, New Mexico; Craters of the Moon, Idaho; Sunset Crater, Arizona Virginia Creeper Trail - Damascus, Virginia; Abingdon, Virginia Voyageurs National Park - International Falls, Minnesota Viborg, South Dakota…
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30Apr 2018 by David Kravetz

A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The T Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alaska, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, California, Canada, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Dream Highways, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Fuji City, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Horse Art, Hot Springs, Idaho, Indian Ruins, Japan, Japanese Shrines, Junk Art, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mexico, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Philippines, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Tersier, Texas, Town Names, Travel in Japan, Tulum, Turkey Vultures, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Volcanic Sites, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wisconsin, 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.   Talent, Oregon Tee Pee Motel - Wharton, Texas Thoroughbred Park - Lexington, Kentucky Tightwad, Missouri Tornado, West Virginia Top of the World Store - Beartooth Pass - near Cody, Wyoming Tulum, Mexico Tews Falls - Hamilton, Ontario Trailer Park Eatery - Austin, Texas Teddy Rides Again - Enchanted Highway - Regent, North Dakota Two Medicine Dinosaur Center - Bynum, Montana Texas Instruments Sculpture - LSA Burger Co.…
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27Apr 2018 by David Kravetz

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 Spider Volkswagen - Wolf Creek, Oregon Sandwich, New Hampshire WARNING: They do not have a place to get a sandwich in Sandwich. No Joke! Story Inn - Story, Indiana San Xavier del Bac - Tucson, Arizona Success, Missouri Shoshoni, Wyoming Space Aliens Grill & Bar - Waite Park, Minnesota; Fargo, North Dakota Screaming Heads - Burk's Falls, Ontario Spud Drive-In…
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25Apr 2018 by David Kravetz

A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The R Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alabama, Alberta, Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, California, Car Art, Colorado, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Junk Art, Kentucky, Landscapes, LDS Temples, Less Beaten Paths Books, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Squirrels, Street Art, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Water Towers, Waterfalls, 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.   Ric's Grill - Steak in Water Tower - Lethbridge, Alberta Route 66 Soda / Route Beer - Mokena, Illinois Rabbit Hash, Kentucky Restroom Hiker Mural - Damascus, Virginia Other Restroom Fun - Story, Indiana; Hopland, California; San Francisco, California; Cleveland, Ohio; Cypress, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Nebraska City, Nebraska; Ashland, Montana; Frenchglen, Oregon Rock City - near Valier, Montana Geographical Center of North America - Rugby, North Dakota…
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23Apr 2018 by David Kravetz

A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The Q Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Museums, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Washington, West Virginia
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.   Not many Q items, so I may just add a few QUIRKY places & things! Quan Am Statue - Sugar Land, Texas Quartzsite, Arizona Quicksand, Kentucky If you like what you see, you may want to check out my book: Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names, available on Amazon.  My second book, Less Beaten Paths of America: Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions, will be available…
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