19Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

N is for National Parks & Monuments – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alaska, Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, California, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indian Ruins, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Places, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wyoming
The US National Park System has 417 official units throughout the country including 59 National Parks, 87 National Monuments, 19 National Preserves, 51 National Historic Parks, 78 National Historic Sites, 4 National Battlefield Parks, 9 National Military Parks, 9 National Battlefields, 30 National Memorials and a number of other National sites including National Rivers, National Seashores, National Lakeshores, National Parkways and National Trails. Officially, the National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world. The NPS is a great blessing to the citizens of this country…
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17Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

L is for Love Traveling With Grandchildren – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Bucket List Trips, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Landscapes, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, National Monuments, National Parks, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wisconsin
I am rich...very rich.  Not in money, but rather rich in experiences and rich in grandchildren.  As the Proverb says "Children are like arrows. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them." At age 60 I have been blessed to have 10 grandchildren (so far). These are my joy and I am so grateful. And, besides loving them to death, I have also passed on the fascination of wanderlust.  Most of my grandchildren are already well traveled thanks to my daughters and sons that have continued the tradition of getting on the road and seeing the world. I have had numerous opportunities to join my grandchildren on roadtrips.  It is absolutely amazing to see their reactions to the world around them, to watch them scamper on a…
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12Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

J is for Joy – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alberta, Alligators, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, California, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Indiana, Kentucky, Large Statues, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Mountains, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Television Shows, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wanderlust, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Traveling this great country brings me joy!  You can see this thru the myriad selfies I take while on the road. I make it a point to take selfies for posterity sake.   First of all, it proves I was there.  Secondly, it provides a record for my family to see where I've been. Lastly...it shows my joy of being on the road! It makes me Jolly. It makes me Nice. Travel is always a Novelty Wherever I go I try to Endeavor, To have Hope And find Success Being on the road has helped find Friendship And to be Friendly And perhaps even Chunky It has brought me down to Earth Zipped me to a Township named Moon Or by a Starship in Vulcan And to even find Prosperity Heck...I…
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11Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

I is for Ingenuity – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alberta, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, California, Canada, City Skylines, Colorado, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Family Travel, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, LDS Temples, Mountains, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Texas, Train Bridges, Unique Places, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming
I am always intrigued about the ingenuity of humans. Their ability to build and create things that solves problems for them. There are many examples of ingenuity to can be seen on the back roads of America. Whether it be bridges or towers or buildings. There is always something unique and interesting to see. One of my brightest memories of fascination comes from a town in eastern Pennsylvania called Nicholson. In this town, the train company needed a solution to get the train up high to pass by as the town was down in the valley. So, a giant viaduct was built. Called the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, this giant structure. towered over the town and allowed the trains to pass by way up on top of the town nestled below…
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10Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

H is for History – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, LDS Temples, Lewis and Clark Sites, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Museums, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
One cannot travel any road in America or Canada without running into some sort of historical site, monument or building.  That is part of the fun of a back road adventure.  Our country of 2017 is defined in great part by the history of the country dating back to the 1600s (and earlier if you count the Native Americans). Dotting the roads of America are historical markers that tell about events that occurred in that exact location or nearby. There are literally 1000s of these. In the eastern US many of them are about Civil War incidents while in the west many are related to Indian Wars, Lewis and Clark or pioneers.  They are often interesting to stop and read.  As a History/Geography major in college, I have found these…
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08Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

G is for Grandeur – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Bison, Buffalo, California, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Florida, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Kentucky, Landscapes, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pelicans, Pennsylvania, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, South Dakota, Swamps, Texas, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Utah, Virginia, Volcanic Sites, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming
The United States is a vast and diverse country. From sea to shining sea there are sweeping vistas and spectacular scenes of nature. The grandeur of this country is not seen on the interstate highways, but on the back roads and the gravel roads that have woven the fiber of this country. I am always awestruck by the superb landscapes that one can witness on the back roads. Some of these landscapes, such as the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains, are known by everybody. But there are so many more spectacles to feast your eyes upon. When speaking of grandeur, perhaps one of my most favorite locations is Monument Valley in the northwest corner of Arizona and the southwest corner of Utah. Located within the Navajo Indian reservation, this…
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07Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

F is for Falls – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alaska, Arizona, Back Roads, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Idaho, Kentucky, Landscapes, Lewis and Clark Sites, National Parks, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Washington, Water Towers, Waterfalls, Wyoming
I love visiting all of the offbeat and quirky places when I'm out on the road. But, I must confess that I am also addicted to the beauty of nature in all its forms. One of the more splendid beautiful objects of nature is the waterfall. Every state in the country has waterfalls, those though some are more magnificent than others. Like millions of other tourists, I have most certainly been to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side and to American Falls on the American side. These are beyond spectacular! Though the roar of Niagara Falls will always be in the back of my mind, there are others that I've drawn me closer in that I have enjoyed.   When I made my first trip to Portland Oregon in 2011,…
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05Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

D is for Diners, Dives and Drive-ins – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Alabama, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, People Shots, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia
What is April A to Z? Every April, bloggers from all over the world participate in the April A to Z blog challenge, and you can too. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to meet other bloggers. To play along, all you do is make a blog post for each letter of the alphabet during April, then visit as many other bloggers as you can. Road trips would never be the same without the opportunity to stop at local diners, dives and drive-ins (OK...I gotta give credit to Guy Fieri). Food is such an important part of a road trip. Obviously, no matter where one drives they always come across the chain shops like McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, etc. With those places, the food you get is…
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03Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

B is for Back Roads – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Alaska, Amish Country, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Saskatchewan, Selfies, South Dakota, Staycations, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
What is April A to Z? Every April, bloggers from all over the world participate in the April A to Z blog challenge, and you can too. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to meet other bloggers. To play along, all you do is make a blog post for each letter of the alphabet during April, then visit as many other bloggers as you can. I live to travel the back roads of America. These are the core of my travels around the United States and Canada. They always offer the best of everything: scenery, traffic conditions and a myriad of surprises.   To me, the definition of a back road is anything that is not an interstate highway. However, I prefer the kind that are…
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01Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

A is for Adventure – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Car Art, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Idaho, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Ohio, Pelicans, Place Names, Post Offices, Random Thoughts, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Staycations, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 2, Wanderlust, Washington, Wyoming
What is April A to Z? Every April, bloggers from all over the world participate in the April A to Z blog challenge, and you can too. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to meet other bloggers. To play along, all you do is make a blog post for each letter of the alphabet during April, then visit as many other bloggers as you can. Today is day one of the A to Z bloggers challenge. I am focusing on Wanderlust and for my first post I will look at what is probably the biggest result of wanderlust. That is, adventure. Those that travel in most cases do so for the adventure. Indeed, the opportunity to discover new things, experience new things and taste new things…
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