A New Photo Gallery: Sumoflam’s Weird and Wonderful America

A New Photo Gallery: Sumoflam’s Weird and Wonderful America

Alberta, Amish Country, Animals, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Big Cities, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cebu, City Skylines, Colorado, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Florida, Found Metal Sculptures, Georgia, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Horse Art, Horses, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Kentucky, Large Statues, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Musicians, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, South Carolina, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Street Art, Street Musicians, Street People, Television Shows, Tennessee, Texas, Train Bridges, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Volcanic Sites, Wall Art, Washington, West Virginia, Wildflowers, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art
Recently I was assigned by a client to look into the creation of a SmugMug website. I had to do some testing on it, but in the process I created my own SmugMug site. This site has hundreds of photographs that I've taken on my travels around the country, in Canada, in Japan, and in the Philippines. Sumoflam's Weird & Wonderful America I have not always focused on just the unique and offbeat, but I also have visited many national parks, many scenic wonderlands, have focused on animal life, flowers and trees, and other unique and interesting places and things. My new SmugMug site will feature a great variety of all of these photographs. I hope you'll give it a visit and Enjoy the Ride!!
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A 5 Day Midwest Adventure: Day 5 – Columbia, St. Louis, Ra66it Ranch and a Fire Breathing Dragon

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Large Statues, Muffler Man, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, States and Provinces, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wildflowers
[caption id="attachment_6504" align="aligncenter" width="512"] University of Missouri - Columbia, Missouri[/caption] The final day of our five day whirlwind trip to Nebraska and back began in Columbia, Missouri and took us through St. Louis and then some interesting spots in Illinois along old Route 66 and then eventually home to Lexington.  Following is our final day route: View Larger Map - Columbia, MO to Lexington, KY Columbia was a pleasant surprise.  A beautiful college town with lots of murals and color and historical buildings, like the administration building for the University of Missouri (shown above).  Before we headed down the road towards St. Louis, we took a brief drive around Columbia.  Here are a few shots: [caption id="attachment_6495" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Colorful Phone Booth in downtown Columbia, MO[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6496" align="aligncenter" width="300"]…
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A 5 Day Midwest Adventure – Day 4: Omaha, Council Bluffs and offbeat Central Missouri

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Illinois, Iowa, Large Statues, Nebraska, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Television Shows, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wildflowers, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_6386" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Home of Sliced Bread - Chillicothe, Missouri[/caption] After a good day of rest in Nebraska City, we were off the next morning.  My daughter was to meet her friends at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha (which by many reports is one of the Top Ten Zoos in America) and I was going to visit some places in Council Bluffs while they were all at the zoo.  I actually visited the Henry Doorly Zoo in 2012 during the U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials though I didn't write any blog posts about the visit.  So, I will include some of my photos from my visit as well as a couple of my daughter's photos.  After my visit to Council Bluffs we were then to make our way east …
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A 5 Day Midwest Adventure – Day 2: Walcott, IA to Nebraska City, NE

Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Iowa, Nebraska, Roadside Attractions, Television Shows, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wildflowers
[caption id="attachment_6137" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Welcome to Nebraska[/caption] Day 2 of my trip with Marissa would take us through Iowa and into Nebraska.  I promised to be a fun day of driving the backroads of the Midwest (kind of....) View Larger Map - Walcott, IA to Nebraska City, NE With the Grandkidz with us, every morning was an early one, so we were on the road in Walcott fairly early.  First thing I saw as I stepped out of the hotel was this big semi carrying a blade for a wind turbine.  This would set the stage for some subsequent visits along the road this day. You never really know how big these are until you have a frame of reference, like a huge truck. [caption id="attachment_6061" align="aligncenter" width="576"] Truck with…
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A Whirlwind Trip to Palmyra, NY and the Hill Cumorah Pageant

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Eateries, Giant Things, Large Statues, New York, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Television Shows, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wildflowers
[caption id="attachment_5355" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Lunchtime on a Skyscraper by Sergio Fernari - Williamsville, NY[/caption] My wife and I took a quick whirlwind trip to Palmyra, New York this past weekend (July 19-21, 2013) to attend the spectacular Hill Cumorah Pageant, which is presented by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Naturally, along the way we made a few stops.  The three day trip was a lot of driving and a lot of fun.  Following is a map of the trip. View Larger Map - Lexington, KY to Palmyra, NY and back The first part of the drive was straight up through Cincinnati and Columbus with just a small gas stop in Grove City, Ohio. I have traveled these roads so often, I think I have run out of…
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Sumoflam Flashback – Adventures in Southwestern Ontario: Oxford County

Backroads Discoveries, Eateries, Large Statues, Ontario, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Walters Family Band, Wildflowers
Tobacco Barns in SW Ontario CanadaIn 2008 I spent about nine months working as a Japanese interpreter in Woodstock, Ontario at the new Toyota Plant that was being built there at the time.  Over the course of that nine months I had many opportunities to visit dozens of places in rural Ontario and made my way to Toronto and some if the larger towns in the area around Toronto.  I have posted a number of "Travel Journals" with extensive details about all of these visits on my Sumoflam Trip Journals site. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="245" title="Southwestern Ontario in the Red" alt="Southwestern Ontario in the Red" height="238"] Southwestern Ontario in the Red[/caption] Southwestern Ontario is centered on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on…
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Two Days to Dallas – Day 2: Eagle, Colorado to Dallas

Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Bison, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Horse Art, Horses, Landscapes, Large Statues, Mountains, Murals, National Monuments, New Mexico, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 24, US Highway 87, Vintage Neon, Volcanic Sites, Wall Art, Wildflowers
[caption id="attachment_4752" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Heading south on US 24 towards the Sangre de Cristo range[/caption] I began Day 2 of my trip from Idaho to Dallas with an early morning in Eagle, Colorado.  It would turn out to be a long day and I would actually end up stopping overnight in Wichita Falls, TX due to the length of the day.  Following is the route all the way to the Dallas area. View Larger Map - Eagle, Colorado to Dallas, TX After a late night into Eagle, I had no idea what I would see when I awoke.  I had an early start, at about 6:30 AM and when I walked out of the hotel, this is what I saw... [caption id="attachment_4658" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Morning view from Hotel in Eagle,…
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America the Beautiful: The Song in Photos for the 4th of July

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, California, City Skylines, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Dream Highways, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Florida, Geologic Formations, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, LDS Temples, Lewis and Clark Sites, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, South Carolina, South Dakota, States and Provinces, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wildflowers, Wisconsin, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_4643" align="aligncenter" width="239"] Nicholson, Pennsylvania[/caption] I have traveled the broad expanses of this beautiful nation we call America and have seen and enjoyed this country that I call home.  On this July 4th birthday,  I would like to celebrate by adding photos to the words of the song "America the Beautiful", which was written by American Poet Katharine Lee Bates. All photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz [caption id="attachment_4632" align="aligncenter" width="183"] Katharine Lee Bates[/caption] AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL [caption id="attachment_4633" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sunrise over Keller, Texas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4622" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Badlands of South Dakota[/caption] Oh Beautiful, for Spacious Skies [caption id="attachment_4621" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Spacious Skies over South Dakota[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4626" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Spacious Skies over the Grand Canyon in Arizona[/caption] For Amber Waves of Grain [caption id="attachment_4608" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Amber Waves…
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Two Days to Dallas: Day 1 – Idaho Falls, Idaho to Eagle, Colorado

Antelope, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Idaho, Landscapes, Large Statues, Mountains, Murals, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Street Art, Town Names, Train Bridges, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wildflowers, Wyoming, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_4478" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Flowery Meadows near Hayden, Colorado[/caption] On June 12 I commenced on a trip to Dallas, Texas from Idaho Falls, Idaho.  This would be a long two day trip, but I certainly wanted to hit some places I had never been before.  So, on Day 1 I ventured south through Pocatello and then onto Eagle, Colorado, about 588 miles.  Following is my route map for Day 1. View Larger Map - Idaho Falls, ID to Eagle, CO Just near the hotel I stayed at in Idaho Falls, there was an amazing Eagle Sculpture in a roundabout.  This is a HUGE work and is quite stunning.  Called "The Protector", it is touted as the "World's Largest Eagle Monument" and was unveiled in the fall of 2006.  The work…
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Eastern Wyoming to Yellowstone: Cowboy Country, Buffaloes and more

Animals, Antelope, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Elk, Family Travel, Farmland, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Hot Springs, Landscapes, Large Statues, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National Parks, Place Names, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Street Art, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 16, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wildflowers, Wyoming, Yard Art
Buffalo Bill Reservoir[/caption] On June 2, 2013 I continued my trip westward from Lexington thru South Dakota and into Wyoming.  On this leg I started in Gillette, Wyoming and made my way to Rexburg with a trip through Yellowstone National Park. [caption id="attachment_4159" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Welcome to Gillette, WY[/caption] Gillette, Wyoming is the first large town in Wyoming on the western end of I-90.  It was incorporated in 1892 and is now called the "Energy Capital of the Nation" due to the high grade coal reserves as well as nearly 13,000 oil wells. [caption id="attachment_4053" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Downtown Cowboy Mural by Harvey Jackson[/caption] Downtown Gillette is not too large, but, along the main street there are a number of sculptures and a great wall mural.  The mural above was done…
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