Everywhere a Sign – Some E Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Montana, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon
(Editor's Note:  For  my  2019  posts,  I will be posting photos from my travels in 2018.  I visited 26 states and drive over 13,000 miles in 2018.  These posts will feature of few of the road signs and business signs I came across, as well as some stories behind them.  Enjoy the Read and Enjoy the Ride!) Every road is an adventure.  Every detour offers new entertainment.  In this post I am providing some of the E signs I came across during my travels across the country in 2018.  E means ENJOY! Eighter From Decatur, Decatur, Texas [caption id="attachment_21463" align="alignnone" width="525"] Eighter from Decatur sign in Decatur, Texas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_21025" align="alignnone" width="525"] Decatur, Texas - Home of the Eighter from Decatur[/caption] Decatur, Texas is a fun little town.  Home of…
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Everywhere a Sign – Some D Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Murals, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers
(Editor's Note:  For  my  2019  posts,  I will be posting photos from my travels in 2018.  I visited 26 states and drive over 13,000 miles in 2018.  These posts will feature of few of the road signs and business signs I came across, as well as some stories behind them.  Enjoy the Read and Enjoy the Ride!) Driving across the good old USA is always a fun adventure.  There are always so many fun surprises to be seen on the back roads of America. One of the fun ones for me from 2018 was visiting the town of Dime Box, Texas, featured below, along with D signs I found -- mostly in Texas -- during my 2018 travels. Dime Box, Texas [caption id="attachment_21337" align="alignnone" width="525"] A dime for Dime Box.…
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Everywhere a Sign – Some B Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Blue Heron, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Town Names, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 20, Vintage Neon, Washington
(Editor's Note:  For  my  2019  posts,  I will be posting photos from my travels in 2018.  I visited 26 states and drive over 13,000 miles in 2018.  These posts will feature of few of the road signs and business signs I came across, as well as some stories behind them.  Enjoy the Read and Enjoy the Ride!) I love to always watch for interesting places on the road.  I will typically grab photos of town signs, road signs and other places.  Here are just a couple of "B" Signs that I came across in my road trips across America in 2018. Belfair, Washington As I began my return trip from Port Orchard down WA Hwy 3 (on my way to US 101), I drove through Belfair.  Didn't stop, except for…
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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
[caption id="attachment_20889" align="alignleft" width="225"] Sharkheads in Biloxi, MS[/caption] 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. [caption id="attachment_20271" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Dignity: Of Earth and Sky - 50 foot tall statue by Dale Lamphere[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20268" align="alignright" width="225"] Sumoflam with Dignity near Chamberlain, SD[/caption] Perhaps my favorite from…
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Travel in 2018: Fun Place Names and Street Signs

Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, States and Provinces, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 171, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 212, US Highway 26, US Highway 270, US Highway 412, US Highway 49, US Highway 71, US Highway 87, US Highway 90, Utah, Water Towers
[caption id="attachment_21323" align="alignleft" width="300"] Smiling in Smiley, Texas[/caption] I am always on the lookout for fun places to visit when on the backroads of America.  My travels in 2018 took me to 26 different states and along the way I found more unique town names and fun street signs to add to my collection.  In 2017 I published my first book titled "Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names."  (Check out the book here) At the time I wrote it, I didn't think I would get enough new places to fill up a second book, but , indeed, I have.  And 2018 really helped with that. [caption id="attachment_21293" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Happyville Road in Greensburg, Kentucky (I always #CHOOSEHAPPY)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_21324" align="alignright" width="300"] Autumn and me in Marvel, Alabama with…
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My Travels in 2018

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Junk Art, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 212, Utah, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Water Towers, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Life gets so busy. The first two months of 2019 have been exceptionally busy and so I am just now getting to my annual review posts for 2018. [caption id="attachment_21282" align="alignleft" width="225"] Visiting Route 66 in Oklahoma[/caption] At the beginning of 2018 I didn't have very high hopes for many travel opportunities. I had begun a new job in early October of the previous year and I didn't have any definitive travel plans. But, I had also learned to roll with things and, as good fortune would have it, 2018 actually became a really good travel year. Over the course of the year I was able to travel through 26 different states and drove nearly 12,000 miles. I was able to add a plethora of photos (I took over 15,000…
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Welcome to Uranus (Missouri) – Really?

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Eateries, Family Travel, Missouri, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places
[caption id="attachment_21013" align="alignleft" width="240"] One of the Uranus Billboards along Interstate 44[/caption] In late July and early August 2018 I had been on the road traveling with my granddaughter for nearly two weeks and we finally made our way to US Route 66 in Oklahoma and Missouri. On our last night on the road, we spent the night in Springfield, Missouri. As we departed down Interstate 44, one of the first things I saw was a sign telling us to visit Uranus at exit 163! REALLY? In all my years of traveling, I had never heard of this place. As we headed east we continued to see signs...you know, the "Tourist Trap" type of signs that try to draw you in. [caption id="attachment_20958" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Thanks for Picking Uranus[/caption] [caption…
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April 2018 Cross-Country Road Trip: Miscellaneous Leftovers

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Burger Joints, Car Art, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Junk Art, Less Beaten Paths Books, Montana, Murals, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 50, Utah, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_20013" align="alignleft" width="300"] Steven's Pass - Washington[/caption] On a long road trip like the one I did in April, there are so many places visited, but some didn't fit into a post for one reason or another.  Here are some odds and ends leftovers from my 6000 mile cross country trek through 14 states.  There is really no rhyme or reason, but the opportunity to address these places in a little more depth. Papa Joe's Stop & Go - Crescent Junction, Utah [caption id="attachment_19673" align="alignright" width="300"] Papa Joe's in Crescent Junction - fun "tourist trap"[/caption] Out in the middle of nowhere in Utah is the small place called Crescent Junction at the junction of I-70 and US 191.  There is really not much there and it is basically a…
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April 2018 Cross-Country Road Trip: The Wall Art Murals of Olympia

Adventure, Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Graffiti Walls, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wall Art, Washington
[caption id="attachment_20299" align="alignleft" width="300"] Wall art on front of Fish Tale Brew Pub in Olympia, WA.  Painted by Dennis Lyons[/caption] I love entering a town plastered with Wall Art Murals, especially when it is totally unexpected. Such was the case in April 2018 when I arrived in Olympia, WA to join some friends for breakfast on the first day of my return trip back to Lexington. While driving around to find parking for the Spar Cafe, I noticed that around almost every corner a new mural would make itself known. Olympia claims to have over 70 murals dotting the city and even calls the city "A City of Murals." I would have to concur. The city has also created a slick online map with pictures of the murals and their…
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April 2018 Cross-Country Road Trip: Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Ghost Signs, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Montana, Murals, Nevada, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Utah, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington
[caption id="attachment_20124" align="alignleft" width="225"] Sign post in Broadus, Montana[/caption] One thing that we all see when traveling America's highways is signs.  All kinds of them: road signs, exit signs, mile markers, billboards, "Welcome to Our Town" signs and the massive assortment of business signs from fast food places to local eateries.  Indeed, our eyes and minds are deluges with them! Over the course of my 6000 mile road trip to Washington State and back, I probably saw way more than a sign a mile (on average).  Yes, there are many places with no signs, but then, there are others, such as going through small towns, where they are in abundance. [caption id="attachment_20107" align="aligncenter" width="450"] One of hundreds of Wall Drug signs to be seen on I-90 from as far away…
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