National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More – Page 8

11Sep 2019 by David Kravetz

Red River Gorge – Slade, KY: A Different Look

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Goats, Junk Art, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, Mythical Creatures, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Tourist Traps, Turtles, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wanderlust, Zoos

[caption id="attachment_22070" align="alignleft" width="300"] Slade, Kentucky Welcome Sign[/caption] Ofttimes when we visit a place, we have a destination in mind. The Red River Gorge area of Kentucky is one of those places. Visitors typically are focused on visiting beautiful and expansive views of the gorge, hiking some of the well known trails, taking a hike up to the Natural Bridge or something else. This past weekend (August 31, 2019) I took my wife to the area fora hiking meetup. This left me with a three hour window to do other things. I am not able to hike some of these trails right now because my knee has been causing problems. [caption id="attachment_22105" align="alignnone" width="525"] Red River Gorge[/caption] [caption id="attachment_22100" align="alignnone" width="525"] Red River Gorge Scenic Byway[/caption] So, after dropping my…

24Aug 2019 by David Kravetz

Less Beaten Paths of America – Book 3 NOW AVAILABLE Amazon

Alberta, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Family Travel, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Museums, Nebraska, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Utah, West Virginia, Whispering Giants, Wisconsin, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_22042" align="alignleft" width="300"] Book Cover for Book 3 - Cover Art and design by Antsy McClain[/caption] Imagine my excitement as I woke up this morning to see the PAPERBACK edition of my brand new Book 3, titled Beyond Description - More of the Strange and Unique, had cleared review and is now available for purchase on Amazon! Like Book 2, it is 120 pages full of color photos and interesting stories. This one looks at unique and fun destinations like Carhenge (NE), Paradise Point Marketplace (KY), Bowlin's The Thing (AZ), Uranus ,Fudge Factory and General Store (MO), Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland Museum (KY), Wall Drug (SD), Lost River Trading Post (WV), Henrys Ra66it Ranch (IL) (and more) and then some themed towns like Vulcan, AB; Hell, MI; Mt. Horeb, WI; Santa Claus, IN, Winslow, AZ and Roswell, NM. Finally, there…

05Jul 2019 by David Kravetz

June 2019: The Great Southwest Trek

Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Illinois, Kentucky, Landscapes, Missouri, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, New Mexico, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unique Places, Volcanic Sites, Welcome Signs

On June 5 I departed home on a 10 day adventure to the southwest U.S. I had made plans with my sister Sherry to accompany her and her family to Tucson and Albuquerque to visit our brothers Aaron and Gary, both of whom neither of us had seen on over 20 years. [caption id="attachment_21985" align="alignnone" width="525"] Red Rock Crossing in Sedona, Arizona[/caption] [caption id="attachment_21983" align="alignnone" width="525"] Route 66 in Winslow, Arizona[/caption] I love my road trips. But I really looked forward to this one as much of it would take me to many of my old stomping grounds. Plans were to visit Aaron in Tucson, then go up to Flagstaff, via Sedona, for a couple of days of touring around there and then off to Albuquerque to visit Gary. [caption…

28Apr 2019 by David Kravetz

Everywhere a Sign – Some XTRA Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Burger Joints, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Ghost Signs, Idaho, Indiana, Junk Art, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Town Names, Toy Collections, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Utah, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs, West Virginia

Throughout my travels in 2018, I did not come across a single X sign. In the past, I have been able to use Xenia, Ohio, but we didn't go there last year. So, I am Xcited to Xplain how I will post a number of fun XTRAs that I didn't use in previous posts. There were some Xceptionally funny ones and a few Xtremely interesting ones. I hope you'll enjoy my special edition of Xtra Signs from my travels over the years. Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. XTRA Fun For ALL -- We are open [caption id="attachment_21731" align="alignnone" width="450"] If We Are Here -- Decatur, Texas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_19018" align="alignnone" width="437"] Love the "Sorry, We're Open" sign!! At Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden Calvert City, Kentucky[/caption] At the X-Roads - Corssroads…

26Apr 2019 by David Kravetz

Everywhere a Sign – Some WELCOME Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alabama, Alaska, Alberta, Amish Country, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, California, Canada, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Family Travel, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Manitoba, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Well, the Blogging Challenge is winding down. It has been a wild and wacky challenge for me. Through the month I have provided readers with a wide variety of wonderful signs which I wandered upon during the year. As I do with all of my posts, I try to be witty and wry in my presentation. I hope that I have brought out the wanderlust in my readers as well. This post will be all about Welcome Signs. Please now enjoy my special edition of W Signs from my travels over the years. Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Welcome Signs Everywhere! [caption id="attachment_19874" align="alignnone" width="525"] Welcome to my happy place...traveling everywhere[/caption] I love feeling welcome in places! Perhaps one of my bigger "collections" of place signs along the highways…

24Apr 2019 by David Kravetz

Everywhere a Sign – Some U Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, National Monuments, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, States and Provinces, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 1, US Highway 101, US Highway 177, US Highway 183, US Highway 190, US Highway 2, US Highway 271, US Highway 287, US Highway 51, US Highway 58, US Highway 60, US Highway 68, US Highway 79, US Highway 81, US Highway 89, US Highway 90, US Highways, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Water Towers, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Its a unanimous understatement to say that I love traveling the back roads of America looking for the interesting and unique. It is ultimately my utmost passion (well, besides my family and my grandchildren). I will also do something in this post. I will be posting some of the US Highway signs I have picked up, most specifically in 2018. I'll explain down below. I hope you enjoy some of the U Signs I discovered in my 2018 travels. Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Uranus, Missouri [caption id="attachment_20977" align="alignnone" width="525"] Welcome to Uranus Missouri[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20969" align="alignnone" width="403"] Uranus, Missouri water tower[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20958" align="alignnone" width="525"] Thanks for Picking Uranus[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20964" align="alignnone" width="525"] Sounds yummy[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20965" align="alignnone" width="412"] Help Keep Uranus Clean[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20951" align="alignnone" width="525"] The…

18Apr 2019 by David Kravetz

Everywhere a Sign – Some P Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alabama, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Less Beaten Paths Books, Montana, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 191, US Highway 287, US Highway 50, US Highway 6, US Highway 81, Utah, Wanderlust, Washington

Perfection is not something I seek on a road trip. Play is the key word for me. Driving from here to there on a back road is like playing. The game of discovery is so much fun. And I am passionate about the places I venture into, whether it be a small country community on a narrow two-lane road or a big city amid the proud tall-standing buildings. Pure passionate playfulness. And here are some of the interesting P signs I discovered in my 2018 travels. Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Putnam's One-Stop Bait Shop Sign, Rogersville, Alabama [caption id="attachment_21682" align="alignnone" width="525"] Putnam's One stop Bait Shop, Rogersville, Alabama[/caption] [caption id="attachment_21718" align="alignnone" width="525"] Putnam's Shad Guts[/caption] [caption id="attachment_21719" align="alignnone" width="525"] Putnam's Fiddle Worms[/caption] Driving to Houston through Alabama brought…

17Apr 2019 by David Kravetz

Everywhere a Sign – Some O Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Museums, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Tennessee, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 31, US HIghway 59, US Highway 60, US Highway 62, US Highway 71, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Woody Guthrie

(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. ) Obviously, there are many outstanding places to visit in this outrageously wonderful country. Whether you are an occasional traveler or you take every opportunity to wander, there is always something to see. Here are some of the odd O signs I discovered in my 2018 travels. Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Old Potter, Arkansas [caption id="attachment_21274" align="alignnone" width="525"] Old Potter, Arkansas[/caption] A few miles south of Mena, Arkansas, on US Routes 59/71, is a small unincorporated community called…

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

[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…

25Feb 2019 by David Kravetz

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…

Category: National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More