National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More – Page 5

23Dec 2020 by David Kravetz

Roadtrippin’ 2020: An Overview

Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Books, Bridges, Buffalo, California, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Dragons, Dream Highways, Eagles, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, Murals, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oregon, Place Names, Quirky Things, Raccoon, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US 129, US Highway 101, US Highway 16, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Welcome Signs, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_25138" align="alignleft" width="300"] With family at Stitch the Dragon on the Tail of the Dragon (US 129) in Tennessee[/caption] The year 2020 has been a tough year for many people around the world. Its thrown me for a few loops as well. But, overall, as I look back on the year, it has been an absolutely amazing one. In fact, this may very well have been one of my biggest domestic road tripping years ever. Including the 8154 epic road trip in January and February, I put on an additional 4-5000 miles. Following are some of the highlights, which will be covered in separate posts over the next few days. Many of the trips included some of my children and grandchildren. We had some mini-reunions together. From the Blue…

16Sep 2020 by David Kravetz

8154 SNEAK PEAK: New Introduction

Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Oregon, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Washington

While working on my new book 8154, I had written the typical generic introduction to the book. However, since returning in late February, the world has changed dramatically. As a result, I have totally reworked my introduction to the upcoming book of our amazing road trip to the West Coast. As I have written before, this trip took us over 8000 miles through 20 states and much more. Some of my earlier blog posts have detailed parts of this trip. But, on this date (September 16, 2020) the United States is nearing 200,000 deaths as a result of the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 and it is much greater worldwide, the country's economy has taken a terrible downward turn and hundreds of businesses have dropped off of the face of the earth,…

14Sep 2020 by David Kravetz

Driving The Dragon (US 129) – Southern Tennessee

Adventure, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dragons, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Junk-art Sculptures, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, Mythical Creatures, National Parks, North Carolina, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Tennessee, Tourist Traps, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US 129, Welcome Signs

At the end of August we had a family reunion down in North Carolina. We stayed in an AirBNB in a huge backwoods lodge at Huffman Creek Retreat about 12 miles west of Robbinsville, NC. Our daughter flew in from Washington, without her kids, so we had all five of our children, two of our in-law kids and six grandkids. This was the first time that all five of my children have gathered together since October 2016. We car-pooled it down there from Lexington, KY thru Knoxville, TN and then on to “The Dragon,” (also called the Tail of the Dragon) which started near Chilhowee Lake near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Dragon is an eleven mile stretch of US 129 that skirts the southwest border of Great…

26Jun 2020 by David Kravetz

8154: What’s a Trip Without Faces?

Adventure, Animals, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bison, Blue Heron, Books, Buffalo, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Eagles, Egret, Elk, Family Travel, Geese, Horse Art, Idaho, Illinois, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Oregon, People Shots, prairie dogs, Quirky Things, Raccoon, Roadside Attractions, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Texas, Tourist Traps, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Washington, Wyoming

In early 2020 I traveled across the country over the course of three weeks with my daughter and three grandchildren. During this trip we traveled 8154 miles across 20 states and visited over 100 destinations, saw all sorts of animals, all sorts of geography, 10 National Parks and Monuments, various state parks, oceans, deserts, mountains, beaches, grasslands, canyons and more. This is the fifth of a few posts about some of the fun from this EPIC Road Trip. In this post I am sharing FACES. What is a trip without faces? And over 8000 miles of travel opens up the opportunity to see all kinds of faces -- family, friends, strange people, aliens, wild animals, birds, art, statues and who knows what else? Here are 125 of them. Enjoy…

11Jun 2020 by David Kravetz

8154: Unique Discoveries and Unplanned Adventures

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Montana, Murals, Museums, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Tourist Traps, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 180, US Highway 385, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Wyoming, Yard Art

In early 2020 I traveled across the country over the course of three weeks with my daughter and three grandchildren. During this trip we traveled 8154 miles across 20 states and visited over 100 destinations, saw all sorts of animals, all sorts of geography, 10 National Parks and Monuments, various state parks, oceans, deserts, mountains, beaches, grasslands, canyons and more. This is the third of a few posts about some of the fun from this EPIC Road Trip. In this post I'll introduce you to some of the unique places we happened upon on our back roads travels. Enjoy the Read! Enjoy the Ride! (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz and, when noted, Marissa Noe) THE JOY OF BACK ROAD TRAVEL One of the reasons I like traveling on…

04Jun 2020 by David Kravetz

8154: Visiting National and State Parks and the Junior Ranger Programs

Adventure, Antelope, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Books, Buffalo, California, Cormorants, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dream Highways, Eagles, Egret, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, prairie dogs, Pronghorn Antelope, Raccoon, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_24469" align="alignleft" width="300"] George Washington on Mt. Rushmore in SD[/caption] In early 2020 I traveled across the country over the course of three weeks. During this trip we traveled 8154 miles across 20 states and visited over 100 destinations, saw all sorts of animals, all sorts of geography, 10 National Parks and Monuments, various state parks, oceans, deserts, mountains, beaches, grasslands, canyons and more. This is the second of a few posts about some of the fun from the EPIC Road Trip with my daughter and three grandchildren. Enjoy the Read! Enjoy the Ride! (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz and, when noted, Marissa Noe) [caption id="attachment_24584" align="alignnone" width="525"] Departing for the Epic Road trip in late January[/caption] Taking a road trip with kids is always a fun…

05May 2020 by David Kravetz

AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – Reflections #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Animals, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Place Names, prairie dogs, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, South Dakota, Swamps, Texas, Tourist Traps, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Washington, 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 of my entries highlighted a few stories with photos based on the alphabet and not the order of the trip. If you missed any of the posts, check out my page with all of the links HERE. I will reflect back on this past month's posts. Enjoy the Read! Enjoy the Ride! (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) What a Whirlwind! [caption id="attachment_24114" align="alignnone" width="525"] CA 198 in Sequoia National Park[/caption] Throughout the month of April I participated in the A to Z Challenge. It…

30Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The A to Z Links Page #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Books, Bucket List Trips, California, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 60, US Highway 61, US Highway 70, US Highways, Vintage Neon, Washington, Welcome Signs, West Virginia, 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. During this trip we traveled 8154 miles across 20 states and visited over 100 destinations, saw all sorts of animals, all sorts of geography, 15 National Parks and Monuments, various state parks, oceans, deserts, mountains, beaches, grasslands, canyons and more. Each entry highlights a few stories with photos based on the alphabet and not the order of the trip. This post is an index for all of the posts in case you may have missed some. Enjoy the Read! Enjoy the Ride! (all photography by David…

29Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Farmland, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mountains, National Parks, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, Place Names, Roadsigns, Route 66, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, Washington

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 Y Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) EnjoY the rYde as we drYve Across America - Part Two Throughout the course of our 8154 Road Trip, there was not anything with an X or a Y in it. So, I thought I would take readers on a Virtual…

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…

Category: National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More