27Jan 2016 by David Kravetz

A Trip to New England – Part II: September 2015

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Large Statues, Maine, Massachusetts, Murals, Museums, New Hampshire, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Yard Art
This is Part II of my posts about our visit to New England, most specifically Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont (with a drive through Massachusetts).  Day 2 was a nice day of travel south to Mystic, CT and then north all the way to Maine.  Following is a map with our basic route We took a fairly easy morning and went over to pickup our grandson Rockwell, who would join us on this two day adventure and off we went. Our first stop was at Wells Dinosaur Haven in Uncasville, CT.  This is actually a person's house with a huge backyard full of self-sculpted dinosaurs.  The brainchild and creation of Jeff Wells, this unique "haven" got its start in 1981. He has well over 30 dinosaurs, including a life-size…
Read More
06Jan 2016 by David Kravetz
2015 In Review: The Year In Travel

2015 In Review: The Year In Travel

Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Big Cities, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, California, Car Art, City Skylines, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Kentucky, Large Statues, Maine, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National Parks, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Seagulls, Selfies, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Utah, Wall Art, Washington, West Virginia
The year 2015 started off with plans to travel to a couple of locations, but not the extent of the travel that I enjoyed in 2014. As it turned out, I had some great experiences and more travel than had been originally planned. It was truly a good year for my travel as I have noted in my blog posts and Facebook posts throughout the year. Unlike most of my travel, which I like to do by car on back roads, the year's travel adventures saw me traveling by airplane on a number of occasions. I don't mind flying, honestly, but I prefer driving because I can see more of the landscape. However, schedules and other things necessitated my flying to many of the destinations I went to this year.…
Read More
23Dec 2015 by David Kravetz

Christmas Time in Santa Claus, Indiana

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Giant Things, Indiana, Large Statues, Museums, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places
Over the years, I have traveled to a number of what I call "Theme Towns." These would include places such as Vulcan, Alberta with its Star Trek theme (see post of my visit in 2007); Metropolis, IL and its Superman theme (see post of my visit); Hershey, PA and its chocolate theme (see post about recent visit in 2015); Roswell, NM with an alien theme; Douglas, WY and its Jackalope theme (see post here); and Hell, MI with its Devils and hell-fire (see post here). Another one I visited back in 2012 was Santa Claus, IN with its Santa and Christmas inspired themes. That visit was a short pass-thru visit on my way west to Kansas City. On my grandson Landen's 7th birthday, Dec. 17, we gathered up Landen, his…
Read More
10Dec 2015 by David Kravetz

A Trip To New England – September 2015

#TBT, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Flowers, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Television Shows, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, West Virginia, Wildflowers
At the end of August we had a new grandson born into the family -- Samuel Kravetz is now grandchild #10.  He was born to my son Seth and his wife Holly, who, at the time, were living near Hartford, Connecticut.  Naturally, this was a cause for celebration and for a trip to Connecticut to see this new bundle of joy. So, we planned the trip and our daughter Marissa and her three children would join Julianne and I for a visit to New England.  On September 5th we headed east on I-64 for this "see grandson/see nephew/see cousin/see New England" trip.  I was excited not only for the grandchild, but also because this trip would afford me the opportunity to knock off the last 3 states on my list...I…
Read More
20Nov 2015 by David Kravetz

Washington State: Adventures in Port Orchard, WA

Bucket List Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, Roadside Attractions, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wall Art, Washington, Yard Art
As I may have noted in my earlier Washington posts, my daughter and her family live in Port Orchard, WA.  The city is located 13 miles due west of West Seattle and connected to Seattle and Vashon Island via the Washington State Ferries run to Southworth. The Port Orchard area was first settled in 1854 by Wiliam Renton and Daniel Howard, who set up a saw mill there. The town that was to become Port Orchard was originally platted in 1886 by Frederick Stevens, who named the new location after his father, Sidney. The town of Sidney was incorporated September 15, 1890, and was the first in Kitsap County to be both platted and incorporated. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Navy sought a suitable location for another installation on the west…
Read More
08Nov 2015 by David Kravetz

Wall Art in Lexington: PRHBTN 2015 Projects and more

Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Kentucky, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Unique Places, Wall Art
Once again the great team at PRHBTN and all of its supporters have brought 4 great artists into Lexington to add 4 more lovely wall murals around Lexington.  These artists from New York, Italy and Portugal all visited Lexington and left with their art work colorizing more of town. (See updated map of all murals in Lexington embedded below) The first week of November I made my rounds to grab shots of these murals. I have done similar posts in the past ( see 2014 2013a 2013b ) and this is the 2015 version. Unlike the art the past couple of years, we actually have a piece that is probably closer to conventional wall art rather than the street art influences, especially in Portuguese artist ODIETH's marvelous Louis Armstrong mural…
Read More
06Nov 2015 by David Kravetz

Washington State: Mt. Rainier National Park

BBQ Places, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Deer, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Flowers, Geologic Formations, Landscapes, Mountains, National Parks, Roadside Attractions, Squirrels, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wall Art, Washington, Wildflowers
Our last couple of days in Washington and we finally made it to Mt. Rainier National Park.  This was a fabulous day trip from Port Orchard and we were blessed with amazing weather. For this trip we headed south to Tacoma and then eventually made our way to WA 410 and to the small picturesque town of  Enumclaw.  We had a couple of hours to get there, so we stopped for a play break for the kids and a stretch break for the adults.  We found a nice park that afforded us all some time to get stretched and even take a few photos. From Enumclaw we continued west on 410, also called the "Chinook Byway," along the White River to Greenwater, WA.  The historic Naches Trail brought ox and…
Read More
24Sep 2015 by David Kravetz

Finally Made It! All 50 US States – Sept. 2015

Alabama, Alaska, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Big Cities, Bucket List Trips, California, Caves and Caverns, City Skylines, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Dream Highways, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Florida, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Georgia, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Graffiti Walls, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indian Ruins, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Rhode Island, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, Selfies, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 61, US Highway 89, Utah, Vermont, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art
WARNING-This is a long post. It took me nearly 59 years to get to all 50 states! On September 8, 2015, I set foot on the side of the road just north of Brattleboro, VT after we crossed over the Connecticut River from New Hampshire on Hwy 9. I got out and took a selfie of myself under a Welcome to Vermont sign.  I had finally set foot in my 50th US state...a nearly 59 year journey. Stay 3 or more nights & save up to 25% now! At participating hotels Following is a state by state chronicle of my nearly 59 year journey in order of states visited. My 50 State Adventure 1- Ohio (1956): I was born in Cleveland in the Little Italy section of town to Joe…
Read More
31Aug 2015 by David Kravetz

Washington State: Fat Smitty’s – The Quirky Burger Joint

Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Giant Things, Large Statues, People Shots, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Wall Art, Washington, Yard Art
Every so often I come across an eatery that looks so quirky and fun that I must stop there.  On my recent trip to Washington, we stopped in one of these places.  Weeks before the trip, my daughter and son in law apprised me of these place near Port Townsend, WA and said that it was "So Sumoflam" that we would go there. Fat Smitty's is a funky little burger joint sitting on US Hwy 101 at the junction with WA Route 20 in the Discovery Bay region of Port Townsend.  The outside is decorated with a couple dozen chain saw carved statues of food and other oddities.  Colorful and fun, it is a must stop! So, on our trip to Neah Bay in July (see post here) we stopped…
Read More