AtoZ Challenge Theme Reveal: 8154 – An Epic Road Trip in 2020 #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Nebraska, New Mexico, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places
Every year for the past 5 years I have participated in the AtoZ Bloggers Challenge and April 2020 is no different.  But, unlike other years, I will be taking a different twist than I have in the past.  From late January to mid-February 2020, I took an epic road trip with my daughter and three of my grandchildren.  We went through 20 different states as we drive up to Washington State, down the Pacific Coast to California and then east through Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, then back to Kentucky. This trip, which I now call "8154" because of the total mileage of the road trip, offered many unique adventures, since most of it was taken on the back roads of America.  I am currently writing my fourth book,…
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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]  
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PRHBTN 2019: More Murals to Decorate Lexington

Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Graffiti Walls, Kentucky, Murals, Offbeat Places, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Wall Art
Once again, John and Jessica Winters and their PRHBTN organization has brought some amazing art into Lexington.  October and the first part of November saw four more unique artists into the city to colorize more walls in the city. This year we got visits from Venezuelan artist Koz Dos,  New Yorker Elle, SNUB23 from Great Britain and Alexandrea Pangburn from the Denver area.  Each of them brought their own unique styles to add to the beauty of the city. [caption id="attachment_22512" align="alignnone" width="525"] Detail of Koz Dos mural[/caption] [caption id="attachment_22496" align="alignleft" width="300"] KOZ DOS[/caption] The first one to get started was Koz Dos.  Born in 1986 in Caracas, Venezuela, he is a graffiti artist who made his first steps in the Caracas hood. Since then, he has become famous for…
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Radio Interview on WRFL Trivial Thursdays with Mick Jeffries – November 7, 2019

Arizona, Books, Indiana, Interviews, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Montana, Museums, Nebraska, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Tourist Traps, Unique Places, Washington, Wyoming
This morning I had the privilege of being interviewed on local radio at WRFL-FM in Lexington during the Trivial Thursdays with Mick Jeffries to talk about my new book Less Beaten Paths of America: Beyond Description - More of the Strange and Unique.  As always, Mick does a good job of asking good questions.  I was able to include a few plugs for places like Carhenge, Uranus Fudge Factory, Paradise Point, Bowlin's The Thing, Wall Drug, Standin' on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona, and Apple Valley Hillbilly Gardens, among others. [caption id="attachment_22413" align="alignnone" width="525"] Mick Jeffries and me in the Studio[/caption] Following are a few shots from the studio and the complete audio of the interview (used with permission of WRFL). LISTEN: [audio mp3="https://lessbeatenpaths.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/wrfl_trivialthursday_7Nov2019_210.mp3"][/audio] Scenes from the studio: You can purchase my book…
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Paradise Point (KY) Revisited: September 2019

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Hot Dog Places, Junk Art, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Staycations, Street Art, Tourist Traps, Toy Collections, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 31, Welcome Signs, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_22208" align="alignleft" width="300"] Visiting with John and Sebrina Erskine to celebrate my new book, which includes a chapter about them![/caption] Back in January of 2018 I made my first visits to the Paradise Point Marketplace in Scottsville, KY and did a blog post about it (see the original post).  In celebration of my newest book release, which features a chapter about Paradise Point, I made a trip down there in mid-September 2019 to sign the book and have a fun visit.  Since they are also an excellent and whimsical eatery, they will also be included in a future book on eateries, so I needed more photos of the place, especially the amazing breakfast items, bakery items and hot dogs. [caption id="attachment_22218" align="alignnone" width="525"] Paradise Point Marketplace in Scottsville, KY[/caption]…
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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…
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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…
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Special About Peter Wolf Toth – Whispering Giants Artist

Adventure, Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Giant Things, Illinois, Interviews, Less Beaten Paths Books, New Mexico, Peter Wolf Toth, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Utah, Whispering Giants
[caption id="attachment_22050" align="alignleft" width="300"] Peter Toth at his studio in April 2018. (Photo used with permission courtesy of Caroline Porsiel, Atlanta Expat Magazine)[/caption] On August 20 I had a wonderful opportunity to spend a couple of hours on the phone with American artist Peter Wolf Toth who took time to speak with me from his Florida Studio. I had contacted Peter to get more details about this interesting man with the intent on adding a chapter about him and his Trail of the Whispering Giants into my new book, which will be available in August 2019. (Actually, the Kindle version is now available...see the link at the end of this post) [caption id="attachment_19548" align="aligncenter" width="525"] With Whispering Giant #61 in Ottawa, Illinois[/caption] If you are not familiar with the Trail…
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June 2019 Road Trip: Fun, Quirky and Offbeat Things

Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Eateries, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Junk Art, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Muffler Man, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places
With any road trip I take, I look for a lot of different things.  I can find the offbeat and quirky, the beautiful, the unique, the magical, the historical, the fun and more...all in one trip.  I am focused...on the big picture. My June 2019 road trip took me over the road for nearly 6000 miles and through nine states.  I tried to stick to back roads wherever possible because that is where the greatest discoveries can be found. In this post, I present to you some of the more unique, fun and, in some cases quirky things that I discovered along the way.  There is always something out there. Here are few fun things... Place Names [caption id="attachment_21988" align="alignnone" width="531"] Welcome to Delight, Arkansas[/caption] I am always looking for…
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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…
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