Bike Trails – Less Beaten Paths of America

22Jan 2025 by David Kravetz

2024 In Review: Unique Town Names

Adventure, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Black Bear, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Church Signs, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Distilleries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Ghost Towns, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Volunteer Fire Departments, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, West Virginia

As many of my followers know, in my travels, among all the things I see, I am always on the lookout for unique town/place names and fun street signs. Last year was no different. In fact, I was even fortunate enough to get to two of my Bucket List locations while traveling. Following are the places I visited in 2024 along with photos and, in some cases, the histories behind the names. NOWHERE, OKLAHOMA [caption id="attachment_39134" align="alignnone" width="640"] Nowhere Bait Shop - Nowhere, Oklahoma[/caption] A long time resident of my Unique Town Names bucket list has been Nowhere, Oklahoma. Who doesn’t want to take a selfie in the middle of Nowhere? [caption id="attachment_39139" align="alignnone" width="640"] Welcome to the Middle of Nowhere[/caption] I had a trip to Oklahoma in late November…

18Nov 2024 by David Kravetz

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 4 – North Central Tennessee – August 2023

Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Car Art, Eateries, Family Travel, Ice Cream Places, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Offbeat Places, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Sasquatch Art, Selfies, Tennessee, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unique Places, US Highway 127, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Welcome Signs, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_38779" align="alignnone" width="640"] Cookeville, Tennessee[/caption] In August 2023 we made another kayak/hiking trip to North Central Tennessee. While my wife kayaked, I visited an old high school friend in Cookeville, Tennessee. It also happened to be the weekend of the famed US 127 "World's Longest Yard Sale" which covers 690 miles through six states. I took advantage of grabbing a few shots. Sadly, my favorite motel, The Jordan Motel in Jamestown was both booked solid for that weekend and was also consumed by dozens of folks selling their wares in the yard sale. Cookeville is a fun little town. A few murals, some cool railroad stuff and a few other things that make it a cool place. [caption id="attachment_38780" align="alignnone" width="474"] Cookeville Proud Mural[/caption] [caption id="attachment_38773" align="alignnone" width="471"] Another Cookeville,…

09Jul 2024 by David Kravetz

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 2 – April and May

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Bridges, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Covered Bridges, Family Travel, Farmland, Flowers, Hiking Trails, Kentucky, Landscapes, Mountains, Murals, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Sheltowee Trace, Staycations, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Welcome Signs, Wildflowers

The second quarter of 2023 was not a super busy travel period for me. I was still recovering from my shoulder injury, but was thrilled to begin "breaking in" the new (to us) GX460. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="649"] Mural in McKee, KY[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="651"] Sheltowee Trace near McKee[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="651"] I was struck by the beauty of this old house in McKee, KY[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="651"] Nature on the Sheltowee Trace[/caption] Our first trip was once again associated with the Sheltowee Trace as we traveled to McKee, Kentucky. While Julianne hiked, I drove into the countryside and made a few new discoveries. After her hike we did our traditional Mexican Food restaurant visit, this time hitting up the El Dorado Restaurant in McKee. It was…

29Apr 2023 by David Kravetz

Unique Town Names Redux 2023

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, California, Church Signs, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Indiana, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maryland, Murals, Nebraska, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unique Places, US Highway 77, US Highway 87, Volunteer Fire Departments, Water Towers, Welcome Signs

Back in 2017 I published the first book in my Less Beaten Paths of America travel book series. Titled "Unique Named Towns," I featured a number of towns and places that I had visited over the years. You can see (and even order) that book on Amazon if interested. Since then, I have continued to travel and come across the unique, fun and quirky places. This post is all about these great places. However, don't expect any fantastic scenery pictures in this post. Signs and selfies with signs aren't really anything to shout home about, but they do tell the story of how fun America can be. I am only adding a few for fun here. [caption id="attachment_26768" align="alignnone" width="358"] Less Beaten Paths books[/caption] In writing this, I want to…

07Feb 2023 by David Kravetz

2022: The Year in Travel – April/May Staycation Fun in Kentucky

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Bison, Books, Bridges, Buffalo, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Caves and Caverns, Deer, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Box Turtle, Eastern Kingbird, Elk, Family Travel, Farmland, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Graffiti Walls, Hiking & Biking, Hiking Trails, Horses, Indiana, Indigo Bunting, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Mountains, Murals, Nature and Scenery, Northern Cardinal, Offbeat Places, Osprey, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Sheltowee Trace, Staycations, Tennessee, Town Names, Turtles, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Water Towers, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs, Wildflowers

[caption id="attachment_36906" align="alignleft" width="300"] Staycationing in Kentucky in 2022[/caption] What a year 2022 was!! I started off the year in the midst of another COVID outbreak and high fuel prices. My hopes for much travel in 2022 weren't very high. I expected it would be a lean travel year, but it turned out much different than I had anticipated. By December 31 I had visited 14 states and driven nearly 21,000 miles. This included nearly 1,300 miles (out of a total of 2,400) of driving on Route 66 from Albuquerque to Chicago. I had actually dreamt of driving the entire length of Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA in October, which was when I would celebrate my 66th birthday, but it wasn't meant to be. Nevertheless, I was…

20Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, Canada, Church Signs, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Dolphin, Dragons, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Ice Cream Places, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Murals, Nature and Scenery, Nature Events, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, People Shots, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Unique Shops, US Highway 62, Vintage Neon, Volunteer Fire Departments, Washington, Water Towers, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs, West Virginia, Whispering Giants, Whispering Giants, Woody Guthrie, Yard Art

It may not yet be Obvious, but this one should be an Outstanding post about O towns as seen from my eyes. This is your Opportunity to visit the Only town named Only I hope you find this post Noteworthy while also swinging by a couple of and even one that is just Okay. I'll bring you some Obscure places and many Offbeat attractions in this post as well. ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! ODDVILLE, KENTUCKY [caption id="attachment_30747" align="alignleft" width="300"] Oddville, Kentucky[/caption] I am going to start off with one close to home here in Kentucky, where I live. Oddville, Kentucky can be found on US 62. The place was established in 1799 and the name was apparently chosen so that its post office, which operated from 1851 to…

05Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Airlines, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Bridges, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Hiking & Biking, Illinois, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Murals, Nebraska, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Random Thoughts, Restrooms, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, US Highway 18, Water Towers, Welcome Signs

I continue on my A to Z journey today as I take you on a trip to a few places that begin with the letter D. Unlike the previous posts, all of the locations in this post are in the United States. Nonetheless, I think you'll find some interesting places that, perhaps, you have never heard of. Since my name is David, I am gonna start out with a couple of my namesake towns. ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! DAVID, KENTUCKY [caption id="attachment_34703" align="alignleft" width="300"] David, Kentucky[/caption] David, Kentucky is a small coal mining community in the Appalachian highlands of far eastern Kentucky. It was named after David L. Francis, who was the president of the Princess Elkhorn Coal Company, which built the town. There is still a…

31Jan 2022 by David Kravetz

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…

30Nov 2021 by David Kravetz

SURPRISE! – Brand New Book on Sheltowee Trace is now available

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Bike Trails, Books, Burger Joints, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Flowers, Geologic Formations, Hiking & Biking, Hiking Trails, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, Place Names, Selfies, Sheltowee Trace, Signs and Billboards, Tennessee, Travel Blogging, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Unique Shops, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, Wildflowers

[caption id="attachment_33788" align="alignleft" width="222"] Book 5[/caption] The year 2021 was a momentous year in terms of unique travel. I spent nearly a month of driving and support on the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail from Big South Fork in Tennessee to the Northern Terminus north of Morehead, Kentucky. The trail itself is 343 miles long and my wife Julianne, daughter Marissa and over 90 others completed the Sheltowee Trace Association Trace Challenge over the course of the year, hitting sections month by month. I decided back in October to change my book writing schedule so that I could cover this amazing adventure as a support driver and Driving the Sheltowee Trace - Highlights from a Support Driver is now available in both Kindle and Paperback as Book 5 of my…

11Nov 2021 by David Kravetz

Visiting Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: Greenville, Kentucky

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Covered Bridges, Family Travel, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Hiking & Biking, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Unique Places, Unique Shops, Vintage Neon, Welcome Signs

[caption id="attachment_33745" align="alignleft" width="300"] Visiting Greenville[/caption] This is the eighth and final installment on my visit to 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_33738" align="alignnone" width="700"] Greenville Alley[/caption] [caption id="attachment_33741" align="alignright" width="700"] Colbi Ferguson in her domain at the Greenville Tourism Office.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_33740" align="alignleft" width="300"] Greenville Tourism and Courthouse[/caption] I had a great visit with Colbi Ferguson, the director of the Greenville…

Category: Bike Trails