02Jul 2015 by David Kravetz

Ten Really Obscure Quirky Places You May Have Never Heard Of

#TBT, Alberta, Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Michigan, Murals, Mythical Creatures, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Tennessee, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_5742" align="alignleft" width="300"] Cadillac Ranch - Amarillo, Texas[/caption] Over the years I have traveled tens of thousands of miles of back roads across the United States (only missing Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont...they will be hit soon!).  Through all of these travels I have seen the many "famous" unique and quirky tourist spots like Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX (the one with all the Cadillacs in the ground), the giant Paul Bunyan and Blue Ox in Bemidji, MN, the Enchanted Highway in ND or the competing Eiffel Towers in Paris, TX and Paris, TN. [caption id="attachment_8772" align="alignright" width="300"] Paul Bunyan and Babe in Bemidji, MN[/caption] Among the 100s of places I have been, there are a few that really stand out to me and I would consider as future…
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04Jun 2015 by David Kravetz

Going to California: Real Goods Solar in Hopland, CA

Backroads Discoveries, California, Car Art, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Large Statues, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Yard Art
[caption width="225" id="attachment_12961" align="alignleft"] Welcome to Real Goods[/caption]As I mentioned in my previous post, along the way to Red Bluff and Woodflock, we made a stop at Real Goods in Hopland, CA.  The place was so unique and fun that it deserved its own special blog post. The Real Goods Store got its start in 1978 with a focus on solar equipment. According to their website, the store was originally envisioned as a one-stop-shop where people could find everything they needed for their remote homesteads. The store began with the sale of the first retail solar panel in the United States and the humble goal of changing the world. [caption width="300" id="attachment_12951" align="alignright"] Setting up solar water heater on Hopi Reservation in 1990[/caption]This is of particular interest to me as…
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30May 2015 by David Kravetz

Going to California: Santa Rosa – Ukiah – Red Bluff

Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, Mythical Creatures, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_12844" align="alignleft" width="300"] Goofing around at Carla's house with her pink flamingo hat and a few Antsy McClain posters[/caption] Day 2 of my Woodflock trip started off nice and slow.  No hurry so I was able to sleep in over at Carla's doublewide in Santa Rosa.  Woke up to a beautiful morning in the trailer park. Soon, Carla and I were on the road heading north.  She decided to go through Ukiah for a more scenic route (and likely to appeal to my wanderlust!) [caption id="attachment_12832" align="alignright" width="225"] In good hands with Carla!! Standing with Agraria by Larry Kirkland[/caption] Santa Rosa is home to a couple of quirky roadside attractions, so we stopped at these on our way out of town.  The first of them was a big hand…
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27May 2015 by David Kravetz

Going to California – San Francisco to Santa Rosa

Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, California, City Skylines, Colorado, Eateries, Graffiti Walls, Murals, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Street Art, Street People, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Yard Art
Woodflock - a relatively unknown destination for those unfamiliar with Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours. For the last six years Flamingoheads from California and other places have gathered in the Sycamore Grove campground along the Sacramento River near Red Bluff, CA to enjoy time schmoozing with Antsy and the band and each other through music, meditation, arts and crafts and food. Held every Memorial Day weekend, the campground turns into a flamingo haven. [caption id="attachment_12817" align="alignright" width="300"] Singing with Antsy McClain[/caption] I have traveled with Antsy McClain on a cruise to Mexico, I have accompanied him on Field Trips in Kentucky and Texas and have toured with him and the band in Washington, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia and California, but I have never had the opportunity to attend…
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07May 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Visiting Erie Canal, JELL-O Museum, Bethlehem, Nicholson Bridge

#TBT, Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, New York, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Throwback Thursday, Train Bridges, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wildflowers
(Author's note: This post is another in my Throwback Thursday series.  Taken from August 2008 on a visit to Bethlehem for the Music Festival to join Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours.  I also visited a number of other sites. At the time I was still working in Woodstock, Ontario) August 1, 2008: Instead of heading back to Kentucky for the weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Bethlehem, PA and join Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours for their two performances at the 2008 Bethlehem MusikFest.  I decided to make a weekend of it and visit more places along the way that I had yet to get to.  It would be a fun weekend indeed!! I headed out early and headed southeast towards Buffalo.  My adventures…
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23Apr 2015 by David Kravetz
#TBT – Going Through Hell to Get to Grand Rapids, MI

#TBT – Going Through Hell to Get to Grand Rapids, MI

#TBT, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Canada, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Michigan, Museums, Ontario, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, States and Provinces, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wildflowers, Yard Art
(Note: This is a Throwback Thursday post of a trip I made to Michigan from Woodstock, Ontario in May 2008.  Main reason for the trip was to see an Arena Football game, but I made a grad tour road trip of it, including a visit to Hell (MI)!) [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="432"] by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz (on the "Blaze Bench")[/caption] May 31, 2008: This weekend was yet another opportunity for me to go see my friend Aaron Boone play football.  The Utah Blaze will play in Grand Rapids, MI tomorrow and I decided I would drive there to see the game.  It is actually the closest of the three games that I will be able to attend this season. (The others were Cleveland and Philadelphia).  In looking at the map…
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16Apr 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Scenes from Cleveland

#TBT, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Bridges, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Large Statues, Ohio, Place Names, Random Thoughts, Roadside Attractions, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Vintage Neon
[caption width="500" id="attachment_12704" align="aligncenter"] Murray Hill Rd...my birthplace[/caption] [caption width="500" id="attachment_12713" align="aligncenter"] The old house in Murray Hill...my first residence[/caption] A few years ago I made a couple of visits to Cleveland, Ohio.  I was born in the Little Italy section of Cleveland in 1956 and have sisters and brothers there.  The old house I was born in is still there as well. For my Throwback Thursday, I thought I would add a few Cleveland photos for fun. [caption width="333" id="attachment_12707" align="aligncenter"] The Old House around 2009.[/caption] [caption width="333" id="attachment_12706" align="aligncenter"] The old house is now a storefront for the Murray Hill Market. This is the reflection of the address on the old tile floor[/caption] Little Italy is a wonderful part of town...great eateries, old churches, brick roads (including Murray…
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08Apr 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Wigwam Village Motel in Cave City, KY

#TBT, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Kentucky, National Parks, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon
[caption id="attachment_12656" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Wigwam Village, Cave City, KY[/caption] A few years ago I was traveling in Kentucky and made my way into Cave City, a sort of retro resort town close to Mammoth Cave National Park with lots of old 1960s style neon signs, mom-and-pop restaurants, unique tourist attractions, etc.  Apparently the actual Wigwam Villages were built in the 1930s and 1940s. [caption id="attachment_12654" align="aligncenter" width="333"] Sleep in a Wigwam neon sign[/caption] On my first trip into Cave City I saw the Wigwam Village and was astounded that there was one on this side of the country. As a bus driver/tour guide in Flagstaff, AZ in the 1980s, I would see the Wigwam Village located near Interstate 40 and old US Highway 66 near Holbrook, AZ quite often. Even…
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19Mar 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Oh the Places I’ve Been: Some Odds and Ends

#TBT, Alaska, Alberta, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, California, Canada, Caves and Caverns, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Florida, Fuji City, Fukuoka, Geologic Formations, Giant Twine Balls, Himeji, Hiroshima, Hot Springs, Illinois, Indian Ruins, Japanese Castles, Japanese Shrines, Kyoto, Landscapes, Mexico, Minnesota, Museums, Nagasaki, National Monuments, National Parks, New Mexico, New York, Ogaki, Oita, Ontario, Philippines, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Sendai, Tennessee, Tulum, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Washington DC
"You're on your own, and you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go!" - Dr. Seuss, Oh The Places You'll Go [caption id="attachment_12572" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Sumoflam at the White House - July 1990[/caption] As a Throwback Thursday menagerie, I thought I would throw in some of my odds and ends from the past...some going way back and some not so long ago.  I have been blessed to travel so many places and many of my travels happened long before I began writing about them.  So, here they are, a potpourri of places diverse.  ENJOY THE RIDE! [caption id="attachment_12627" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Mt. Fuji, Japan as seen from my airplane seat in 1990 as I flew to Tokyo from Oita.  Indeed, I soared to high…
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02Mar 2015 by David Kravetz

More Wall Art in Lexington: New Discoveries of Old Art

Graffiti Walls, Kentucky, Murals, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Wall Art
[caption id="attachment_12562" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Dronex Inc. Wall Art as seen on a wall behind CD Central[/caption] Recently, I was driving around in Lexington and came across a few more pieces of Wall Art on some walls around the University of Kentucky.  Most of these apparently have been around for a while, but they were new to me.  So, to add to my growing collection of Lexington outdoor wall art, I present you with a few more goodies. [caption id="attachment_12564" align="aligncenter" width="474"] More Dronex Inc. wall art at CD Central[/caption] Dronex Inc. always does a good job of parodies.  They really did a good job on their work on a wall behind CD Central.  Titled "Records Reimagined", this work was completed in June 2012.  These walls feature the work of over…
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