Nature and Scenery – Less Beaten Paths of America

02Nov 2025 by David Kravetz No Comments

Life has been a Rollercoaster Ride!!

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Common Yellowthroat, Covered Bridges, Deer, Eagles, Family Travel, Farmland, Green Heron, Kansas, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, Nature and Scenery, Osprey, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, West Virginia

[caption id="attachment_41111" align="alignnone" width="640"] The story of my life Summer 2025[/caption] The last few months have been a real rollercoaster ride for me. I haven't posted anything since June of this year. And I had a post in progress that I hadn't completed (which I will do shortly). I so love writing my blog and sharing my adventures with everyone, but life gets in the way sometimes, and it really has for me over the past few months. Here is a quick recap of the recent months. My June writing had paused because I had a small accident when my fuel pump died on my Lexus SUV. It was stuck in a neighborhood intersection at rush hour. Nobody would assist, so I finally had to get out and try to…

20Jun 2025 by David Kravetz

Bird Hunting in February 2025

Adventure, American Kestrel, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Eagles, Farmland, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Museums, Nature and Scenery, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Swans, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wanderlust

At the end of February I went in search of Bald Eagles and whatever else I would see along the way. On February 26 I headed toward Stanford and Crab Orchard in search of some nesting eagles. Of course, if I saw things of interest along the way I was all over that stuff too. Then, two days later I headed to an area north of Frankfort after hearing about a swarm of eagles in a field that had been flooded. While there I also made my first visit to the Pfeiffer Fish Hatchery for my first time. You would think that someplace so close to Lexington would have hit some of my agendas in the past, but I never made it there before. [caption id="attachment_40347" align="alignnone" width="640"] Garrard County…

29May 2025 by David Kravetz

Another Indiana Road Trip – Sandhill Cranes in Seymour – Feb. 2025

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Indiana, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Nature and Scenery, Place Names, Roadsigns, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, Unique Places, US Highway 31, US Highway 50, Wanderlust, Water Towers

I don't typically make two trips to Seymour, Indiana for Sandhill Crane viewing, but since they were still hanging around and I wanted a road trip of some sort, we (Miles and me) were off to Seymour to see more cranes! [caption id="attachment_40682" align="alignnone" width="640"] Sumoflam and Miles on the road to Seymour to see more cranes[/caption] Instead of Interstate 65, took US highways to go north so I could visit some places I hadn't yet been to. First stop along the way was at Ashland Park in Clarksville, Indiana. I always like to stop there for across the river photos of Louisville. [caption id="attachment_40321" align="alignnone" width="640"] Rosie the Riveter exclaims "We Can Do It!" with a view of Louisville across the Ohio River.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_40334" align="alignnone" width="640"] My favorite…

27May 2025 by David Kravetz

Where has 2025 gone? Some updates – Tioga Falls and West Point, Kentucky – January 2025

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Deer, Hiking Trails, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, People Shots, Pizza Joints, Roadsigns, Town Names, Train Bridges, Travel Blogging, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 31, US Highway 60, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs

Where has 2025 gone? May is almost over with and I have fallen so far behind in posting anything. Yes! I am still alive and kicking and yes I still have a travel bug lurking within me. That said, 2025 has not offered me many opportunities to travel as much as I would like. I have not enjoyed the employment that I once had and have been actively looking for new opportunities, but I am finding that many companies don't want an older person with a Masters Degree and lots of skills!! Unbelievable that I can't even get an interview for an $18/hour call center job or Data Entry job. The "Sorry, you don't meet our requirements" emails really astound me. Oh heck.... Life goes on. I keep looking. But,…

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…

15Nov 2024 by David Kravetz

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 3 – June and July

Adventure, Antique Shops, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, Cross Country Road Trips, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Tennessee, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 31, US Highway 70, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs

The month of June 2023 kicked off a very busy couple of months of travel including some big road trips and a long-awaited and long overdue trip to Florida and the Gulf Coast (see post here). The month started off with a visit to Grayson Lake State Park in Kentucky and the area around it including Carter Caves State Park. We had visited both of these places in the past, so I am not posting much from that first week. However, in mid-June Julianne and a friend went kayaking near Magnolia, Kentucky While they did, I made my to Hodgenville, Kentucky and the Lincoln Heritage areas nearby. Hodgenville has a couple of nice Lincoln statues in the town square. And they have a fairly well known hole in the wall…

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…

05Apr 2024 by David Kravetz

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 1

Adventure, American Kestrel, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Belted Kingfisher, Camel, Distilleries, Eagles, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Museums, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 31

The year 2023 was a roller coaster ride!! Some wonderful travel opportunities happened, but there were accidents and operations that seemed to throw hurdles in the way. Following is a highlight post for the year. [caption id="attachment_37711" align="alignnone" width="640"] Welcome to Hocking Hills, Ohio[/caption] We actually started off 2023 on the road with a trip up to Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio. My wife met her sister and they camped out in the cold with our daughter in a nice big tent. I spent the night in a nearby motel in Logan, Ohio. It was January. It was cold. While they slept, I visited Lake Logan State Park to check it out. Much of the lake was nearly frozen over. Logan, Ohio is a nice little town. Saw a…

05Aug 2023 by David Kravetz

2023 Gulf Coast Road Trip: The Overview

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Beaches, Big Cities, Big John, Birds, Books, Bridges, Brown Pelican, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Cities and Towns, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Florida, Found Metal Sculptures, Georgia, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Highways and Roadways, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Muffler Man, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, Nature and Scenery, Offbeat Places, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, US Highway 98, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Whispering Giants, Whispering Giants, Wood Stork, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_37550" align="alignnone" width="640"] On our way for a fun road trip! Autumn in the front with me and Chelsea and Jorge in the back.[/caption] I was thrilled to finally get in a good road trip in July 2023. My last multi-day road trip took place back in October 2022 when I traveled Route 66 in Illinois to celebrate by 66th birthday. The July 2023 was taken south to the Gulf Coast, then along the coastal highways and eventually into New Orleans. From there were went on to Houston, Keller and Uncertain, all in Texas, before heading back to Kentucky. All in all, we traveled 3001 miles over an eight day period and traveled through ten different states. I say we as on this trip I was accompanied by my…

01Jun 2023 by David Kravetz

The Bears of Kentucky Hwy 11 (and other fun stuff)

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Books, Burger Joints, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Kentucky, KY Highway 11, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Sasquatch Art, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Staycations, Tourist Traps, Unique Places, Unique Shops, Welcome Signs, Wood Carved Bears

[caption id="attachment_37383" align="alignnone" width="485"] Highway 11 runs north of Slade and joins Highway 15 near Campton, KY[/caption] Kentucky Highway 11 runs from Maysville to Barbourville, KY. It is 182.5 miles in length and is planned to become a "macro-corridor" within Kentucky. This post only covers a small section of the highway as it runs through the world famous Red River Gorge National Geologic Area and through Natural Bridge State Resort Park and into Slade. This area is probably the most highly visited natural area in Kentucky and this section of Highway 11 is most certainly the most heavily traveled of anywhere along the nearly 183 mile stretch. Being a major tourist draw, especially near Natural Bridge, this section features numerous eating establishments, many cabin rentals, a smattering of gift shops…

Category: Nature and Scenery