Landscapes – Less Beaten Paths of America

15Nov 2024 by David Kravetz No Comments

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…

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…

20Apr 2023 by David Kravetz

2023: Life Throws Us Loops But We Move On

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Belted Kingfisher, Camel, Church Signs, Deer, Distilleries, Eagles, Emu, Geologic Formations, Hiking & Biking, Hiking Trails, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, Sheltowee Trace, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs, Wildflowers

[caption id="attachment_37040" align="alignleft" width="300"] Here goes a new year![/caption] The first 3 months of 2023 were pretty wild for me. If you, my readers, have wondered about the relative drought of blog posts and book reveals, then read on. I started off the new year with a quick trip to Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio. My wife, my daughter Marissa and my wife's sister Laura did some hiking and camping. It was a cold, but fun adventure for them. They stayed in tents while I stayed in a hotel in nearby Logan, Ohio. Nothing like starting off the new year with a trip. While they hiked, I drove around and did my usual sightseeing. Fun for all of us. Hocking Hills is a beautiful place. It has some nice…

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…

27Nov 2022 by David Kravetz

Route 66 in Illinois – Celebrating 66th Birthday

Adventure, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Big Cities, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, Cities and Towns, City Skylines, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Highways and Roadways, Hot Dog Places, Illinois, Interstate 55, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Muffler Man, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, Nature and Scenery, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Restrooms, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Street Art, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Unique Shops, US Highway 30, US Highway 40, US Highway 60, US Highways, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_35900" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam on Route 66 in Illinois[/caption] Everyone knows that Route 66 is considered to be America's most iconic highway. Known as the Mother Road, there have been songs written about it, TV shows that feature it and hundreds of groups that travel it. To me, US Route 66 is really just another US Highway, but, due to its pop culture status, it is a fun highway to travel. As 2022 kicked in, it was my hope that I could use my 66th birthday on October 4 as an excuse to travel the entire length from Chicago to Santa Monica. As is typically the case, things don't always go as planned and/or hoped for, and such was the case for my 2022 Route 66 plan. Nevertheless, I…

11Sep 2022 by David Kravetz

Saguaro National Park – A Magnificent Display of Desert’s Giants

Adventure, Animals, Arizona, Back Roads, Barrel Cactus, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Desert Cardinal, Desert Scenes, Gila Monster, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, Ocotillo, Plants, Prickly Pear Cactus, Saguaro Cactus, Selfies, Squirrels, Tree Cholla Cactus, Unique Places, Welcome Signs

[caption id="attachment_35561" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam at Saguaro National Park[/caption] In early August 2022 I had an opportunity to visit Arizona's Saguaro National Park, making it my 36th National Park (out of the current 63) visit over the course of my life. Though I had lived in Arizona for a number of years, I never had the opportunity to get to Saguaro. So, in the middle of a hot summer morning, we made our way to the home of the majestic saguaro cactus outside of Tucson. It was a splendid day to see these symbols of the American west, despite the cacti really only growing in a small portion of the United States. The saguaro, the largest of all cactus species, can grow over 40 feet tall and can live over…

31Aug 2022 by David Kravetz

Sunset at White Sands National Park

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, Nature Events, New Mexico, People Shots, Sand Dunes, US Highway 70, US Highway 82

[caption id="attachment_29018" align="alignleft" width="244"] Visiting White Sands National Monument in February 2021[/caption] In early August I had the opportunity to visit White Sands National Park in the southeast corner of New Mexico. The Park was originally designated White Sands National Monument on January 18, 1933 by then President Herbert Hoover. On December 20, 2019, President Donald Trump redesignated it the National Park status. This is my third visit to the park in the past decade, but this time it was a very special visit as we arrived there just before sunset and got to experience an amazing sunset along with a bright moon over the white sands. [caption id="attachment_35453" align="alignnone" width="700"] White Sands National Park at dusk[/caption] The park, which is close to the New Mexico cities of Alamogordo and…

16May 2022 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Canada, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Distilleries, Family Travel, Flowers, Ghost Signs, Graffiti Walls, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Mountains, Mountains, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Parks, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Ontario, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, States and Provinces, Street Art, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Unique Shops, Volunteer Fire Departments, Washington, Welcome Signs, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art

Sadly, I didn't get all of these posted with the month of April, but I most certainly want to finish. I am like the guy in the 5K that shows up last....at least I will complete the race. So, the biggest list of town names in the alphabet is probably those that begin with the letter S. There are a load of towns and places, but I will limit them to a readable amount. I do have some fun names at the end. ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! SANDWICH, NEW HAMPSHIRE [caption id="attachment_15115" align="alignnone" width="522"] Sandwich Historical Society - Sandwich, New Hampshire[/caption] [caption id="attachment_15107" align="alignnone" width="516"] Signposts in Sandwich, NH. No restaurants![/caption] Hungry? Maybe a sandwich? If so, don't visit Sandwich, New Hampshire as there is not a place…

Category: Landscapes