Nature and Scenery – Page 7 – Less Beaten Paths of America

03Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The C Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Antelope, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Books, Buffalo, California, Cormorants, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Ghost Signs, Ghost Towns, Idaho, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Montana, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Place Names, Pronghorn Antelope, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 70, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Wyoming

In early 2020 I traveled across the country with one of my daughters and three grandchildren. We traveled 8154 miles through 20 states over the course of three weeks. My A to Z posts this year will have the "8154" theme, which will also be the title of my forthcoming new book that will document the epic road trip. Each entry will highlight a few stories with photos based on the alphabet, and not the order of the trip I hope you will enjoy this bouncy ride across the back roads of America. Please enjoy the C Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Caddo Lake - Uncertain, Texas In my "A Stories," I mentioned Aaron Applebaum of Mystique Tours and his great boat rides through the swamps of Caddo…

26Feb 2020 by David Kravetz

Book 4 Cover Art Reveal – New Book is Titled “8154”

Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nature Events, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs, Wyoming, Yard Art

GREAT NEWS! Book 4 is now officially underway! Thanks to my friend Antsy McClain, the new cover for Book 4 has been setup and here it is. Titled "8154" after the number of miles we traveled for 23 days from late January to mid-February 2020, this book will detail my EPIC Roadtrip with my daughter Marissa and her three children. You'll finally get to take a trip as seen from our eyes. Marissa will help write the book with me. We hope to have it ready for sale by the end of March 2020. We hope you'll watch for it. Some of the sights we visited were kindly suggested by our friends at Roadside America. Visit them and get their app!! [caption id="attachment_5929" align="aligncenter" width="160"] Roadside America iPhone app[/caption]

09Jan 2020 by David Kravetz

Sheltowee Trace Shakedown Hike 12/28/2019

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Geologic Formations, Hiking Trails, Kentucky, Offbeat Places, Sheltowee Trace, Unique Places

[caption id="attachment_22649" align="alignleft" width="225"] Start of the hike, both excited and scared![/caption] The Shakedown I awoke this morning to the lingering smell of Deep Blue essential oil on my pajamas. A Ziploc bag full of water was beside me, the bed around it damp from the condensation of melting ice cubes. I was stiff and my leg hurt. I grabbed my phone to self diagnose an inflamed IT Band (Iliotibial Band). It took several minutes to gather the courage to arise from the bed, and I walked stiff-legged to a bare wall to lean on while I gently stretched my tight muscles. The blue foam roller called to me. As I slowly lowered myself to my knees then onto the roller, I clasped my hands as if in prayer, my…

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…

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…

21Jun 2018 by David Kravetz

Cincinnati: A View from the Top – Carew Tower

Adventure, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, City Skylines, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Ohio, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Train Bridges, Unique Places, Vintage Neon

[caption id="attachment_20739" align="alignleft" width="300"] A view of downtown Cincinnati from atop the Carew Tower[/caption] Had a wonderful (but hot) Father's Day 2018. My wife asked me what I wanted to do, and I said I wanted to take a trip to Cincinnati and visit the downtown area for fun. Cincinnati is one of those cities that has a great skyline to photograph. So, before we went, I looked for places that we could get good views of Cincinnati. In the past, I have taken shots from across the river in Newport, KY and a couple of other spots, but I wanted something more unique. [caption id="attachment_20704" align="aligncenter" width="333"] Cincinnati skyline as seen from Devou Park in Covington, KY. Carew Tower is tall brown building on the left[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20779" align="aligncenter"…

12Jun 2018 by David Kravetz

April 2018 Cross-Country Road Trip: The Landscape in Photos

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Nevada, Oregon, Roadside Attractions, South Dakota, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 24, US Highway 50, Utah, Washington

[caption id="attachment_20669" align="alignleft" width="300"] Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, CO[/caption] This is the final post from my April 2018 cross-country road trip from Lexington to Port Orchard, Washington and back. As a reminder, I covered 6000 miles and ventured through 16 states. Along the way I not only stopped to visit attractions and see the sites in towns small and large, but I also tried to capture the grandeur of the landscapes and scenery I passed by along the way. Following are a number of scenic photos from that trip. Enjoy the ride! I have randomized these, so they are not in any particular order. Captions tell the story. [caption id="attachment_20671" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Sunset in Colorado, taken on US 24 near Hartsel, Colorado[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20654" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Lovely sunset…

27May 2018 by David Kravetz

April 2018 Cross-Country Road Trip: US Route 2 in Washington

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, Cross Country Road Trips, Ghost Signs, Idaho, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, Murals, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 2, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Waterfalls

[caption id="attachment_19897" align="alignleft" width="225"] US Route 2 in Washington[/caption] Over the years I have been able to travel the majority of US Route 2 from Michigan all the way to the other side of Glacier National Park. But I have never had the opportunity travel Route 2 in Washington, which would effectively let me finish the western segment of the highway, which, ultimately stretches 2,112 miles from St. Ignace, MI to Everett, WA. Within Washington, the highway traverses a 326.36-mile-long route that connects the western and eastern regions of the state as a part of the state highway system and the National Highway System. US 2 also forms parts of two National Scenic Byways, the Stevens Pass Greenway, which goes over a portion of the Cascades, and the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway near Coulee City, which offers some wonderful views of…

Category: Nature and Scenery