Nature and Scenery – Page 4 – Less Beaten Paths of America

29Jul 2021 by David Kravetz

Book 4 – 8154: An Epic Family Road Trip Across America – NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon

Adventure, Animals, Antelope, Antique Shops, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Bison, Books, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Donut Places, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Egret, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Highways and Roadways, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jimmy Jackson, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, Nebraska, Nevada, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Oregon, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, prairie dogs, Pronghorn Antelope, Quirky Things, Raccoon, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Snow Geese, South Dakota, Street Art, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 31, US Highway 60, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Welcome Signs, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_33522" align="alignleft" width="193"] 8154 Cover[/caption] Big News!! My newest book, titled "8154: An Epic Family Road Trip Across America" is now available on Amazon in both print and Kindle versions. The book details the three week long 8,154 mile road trip with my daughter Marissa Noe and her three children. New print programs on Amazon have also made it cheaper than previous books!! The book is 138 pages and full of color photos from 20 different states. I have included a chapter all about how to plan for a long trip like this, especially with children. A long road trip can be a challenge for the kids, so there are all sorts of ideas including in this book for making it fun and memorable for the kids. There are…

13Apr 2021 by David Kravetz

AtoZ Challenge 2021 – Signs Signs – The J Signs #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Iowa, Jackalope, Junk Art, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Parks, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Swamps, Texas, Tourist Traps, Virginia, Welcome Signs, Wyoming

Welcome to another year of the AtoZ Challenge. This year I am doing signs that I have seen across the country. This post will feature signs associated with the Letter J. ENJOY THE RIDE! We can't avoid signs. They are everywhere. Advertisements, informational signs, directional signs, business signs and, sometimes, even humorous and fun signs. Each of my posts in this years' challenge will feature a hodgepodge of signs I have come across in my travels. In most cases, I'll also note where they were taken. Some were actually inside of shops or otherwise, so not all will have locations. I hope you enjoy this fun trip each day of April. Finding signs with the letter J is more of a challenge than many of the other letters. But, I…

31Mar 2021 by David Kravetz

Sakura – A Cherry Blossom Story

#TBT, Flowers, Fuji City, Gifu, Japan, Kentucky, Nature and Scenery, Ogaki, Oita, People Shots, Selfies, Travel in Japan

[caption id="attachment_30917" align="alignnone" width="300"] Sakura - Cherry Blossoms[/caption] Back when I was in first grade (around 1963 or 1964) I learned a song in school. It was a Japanese song called "Sakura Sakura," which means Cherry Blossom, Cherry Blossom. It was a springtime song and the class sang it for the parents. I have never forgotten the words to the song over all these years. However, as a young child, it didn't even dawn on me that someday I would go to Japan and experience the Cherry Blossoms myself! In Lexington, where I reside, the cherry blossoms are in bloom, especially at the Lexington Cemetery. Each year as I go see them, I recite the words to the song again. Translated, this simple song says: Cherry Blossoms, Cherry Blossoms In…

17Mar 2021 by David Kravetz

Old-Timey General Stores Part 1: Forbus General Store – Pall Mall, TN

Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Family Travel, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Tennessee, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Uncategorized, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 127, Welcome Signs, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_30665" align="alignleft" width="223"] Sumoflam at Forbus General Store[/caption] It is always fun to run into an "old-timey" General Store when driving back roads. These are a throwback to the past and typically have items you don't see in most other stores. The "old-timey" stores each have their own personalities and may offer home-style meals, special home-made pies or fudge. On recent trips (February/March 2021) to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in northeastern Tennessee I had occasion to visit not one, but two of these 100-year old plus General Stores. What fun! I'll cover these in two different posts. [caption id="attachment_30666" align="alignnone" width="700"] Forbus General Store front porch[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30696" align="alignnone" width="700"] Forbus General Store, Pall Mall, Tennessee[/caption] This first post visits the Forbus General Store…

26Jan 2021 by David Kravetz

Roadtrippin’ 2020: The Roadways – Seeing the USA on back roads

Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, Roadsigns, Route 66, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, US 129, US Highway 101, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highways, Washington, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_30279" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam stands among the giant Redwoods on the Avenue of the Giants[/caption] The most time consuming part of any extended road trip is being on the road. For me, this is the icing on the cake. Sure, I love to see all of the quirky places, unique towns, Mom and Pop eateries and more. But, there is something about driving a two-lane highway (or narrow road or even gravel road) that brings out the wanderlust in me big time. Watching those white/yellow lines pass by while seeing the scenery, wildlife, buildings, etc., as I drive by, is one of the best parts of travel. Of course, a good soundtrack, like the thousands of songs on my Spotify playlists, also adds to the fun. I am a…

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…

17Jun 2020 by David Kravetz

8154: Experiencing America’s Amazing Landscapes

Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Eagles, Family Travel, Farmland, Geese, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, South Dakota, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 1, US Highway 101, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 18, US Highway 180, US Highway 2, 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 fourth of a few posts about some of the fun from this EPIC Road Trip. In this post I'll share some scenes of some of America's diverse landscapes that we experienced on this epic road trip. Enjoy the Read! Enjoy the Ride! (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz and, when noted, Marissa Noe) OH BEAUTIFUL FOR SPACIOUS SKIES [caption id="attachment_24234" align="alignnone" width="640"] SD Hwy 244 north…

Category: Nature and Scenery