Three Days in Galveston

28Oct 2014 by David Kravetz

Three Days in Galveston – Pelican Fascination

Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Large Statues, Murals, Museums, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers, Wildflowers

After a long two days of driving from Lexington thru Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, I got to spend three days with family relaxing on the beaches of Galveston Island and visiting many of the interesting sites on the island. And, for me, I got to spend some time watching the amazing brown pelicans as they flew in formation, glided over the Gulf of Mexico and took amazing dives for fish. It was a wonderously amazing visit. Galveston is not only a city in southern Texas but is also an island. The city actually sits on Galveston Island and Pelican Island. The town was named for Gálvez-town or Gálveztown in honor of Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez by Spanish explorer José de Evia during his charting of the…

20Oct 2014 by David Kravetz

Highway 61 Visited – Day 2: Vicksburg, MS to Galveston, TX

Alligators, Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Ghost Signs, Louisiana, Mississippi, Murals, National Parks, People Shots, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 61, Wall Art, Water Towers, Wildflowers, Yard Art

Highway 61 in Mississippi may be called the Blues Highway, but there is much more to it than the Blues. After my first long drive from Kentucky to Vicksburg, I woke up early the next day to visit the Vicksburg National Military Park before heading south on Highway 61. The park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from May 18 to July 4, 1863 and also commemorates the greater Vicksburg Campaign, which preceded the battle. The expansive park includes 1,340 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles of historic trenches and earthworks, a 16-mile tour road, 144 emplaced cannons, a restored gunboat (the USS Cairo which sunk on December 12, 1862, on the Yazoo River, recovered successfully in 1964), and more. The Illinois State Memorial…

21Sep 2014 by David Kravetz

Highway 61 Visited: The Blues Highway of Mississippi – Day 1

Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Landscapes, Large Statues, Mississippi, Muffler Man, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, States and Provinces, Tennessee, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 61, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers, Wildflowers, Yard Art

Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn have all sang about it. And now, Sumoflam has driven it. US Highway 61 cuts down the middle of Mississippi, all the way from Memphis to Natchez and more. Highway 61 is better known as "The Blues Highway" as many of the famed Blues musicians grew up along this swath of the state just east of the Mississippi River. In July 2014 I had the opportunity to travel this famed highway from North to South, visit many of the small towns and learn more about Blues History. It was an amazing drive through rural Mississippi! The highway, Route 61, actually extends 1407 miles north to south all the way from Wyoming, Minnesota to New Orleans. The highway generally follows the course of…

13Sep 2014 by David Kravetz

Life Gets Busy – Blog Suffers

Arkansas, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Farmland, Large Statues, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Murals, Place Names, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 61, Vintage Neon, Wall Art

To all of you who faithfully follow my Travel Blog, I don't want you to think I have quit writing. I am in the midst of an extremely busy work season (I work in high school sports web management and social media and it's football season!) I still have plenty to write: US 61 through Mississippi, a drive through the swamplands of Louisiana, a visit to Galveston, some back roads in Texas and more. Indeed, life has sent me this way and that way. So, watch soon for more fun and quirky offbeat back roads travel.

01Sep 2014 by David Kravetz

The Back Road to Memphis: US Route 79

Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, States and Provinces, Street Art, Tennessee, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Water Towers, Yard Art

With this post I continue blogging about some of our wonderful US Highways as I strive to avoid the interstates in my travels. In June, I took a trip to Galveston, Texas for a family reunion. The entire length of the trip was predominantly US Highways or State Highways as I made my way to Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and then southern Texas. The first leg of this trip would take me from Lexington to Russellville, KY where US Highway 79 begins. Following that highway, I would make my way into downtown Memphis, TN. From there I would catch US Highway 61 (The Blues Highway) down through Mississippi (the next post in this series). Though I have been throughout a good part of Kentucky and also have taken trips into Tennessee…

09Aug 2014 by David Kravetz

From Cody to Carhenge with a Jackalope in-between

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, National Monuments, Nebraska, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 20, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wyoming, Yard Art

After a marvelous time in the mountains of Wyoming and Montana, it was time to head east through the high deserts of Wyoming and across Nebraska and eventually back home to Kentucky. After a restful evening at the Moose Creek Lodge in Cody, Wyoming, I was ready to hit the road running early the next morning. I had visited Cody in 2013 and so I didn't spend a lot of time, but I did want to get back over to the Buffalo Bill Center and take some pictures of some of the numerous statues there. After about 30 minutes in Cody, I was soon heading southeast on Wyoming Highway 120 towards Thermopolis. This is a scenic drive through rolling hills of sage brush. I drove through the town of Meeteetse…

24Jul 2014 by David Kravetz

Montana Trip: US Highway 89 thru Montana – South 89

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Horses, Landscapes, Large Statues, Montana, Murals, National Monuments, National Parks, Place Names, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 89, Vintage Neon, Wall Art

After spending a nice day with my children and grandchildren along US Highway 89 north of Great Falls, it was time to begin the long trip back to Kentucky the next day. I would begin the return trip with a quick jaunt south on I-15 to Great Falls and then south on US 87/89 towards Kings Hill Pass on the Kings Hill Scenic Byway, which runs along US 89 from the US 87 junction to the US 12 junction just north of White Sulphur Springs, Montana. Before moving on, I should mention that on the previous day we made a quick stop in Conrad, Montana to see if there is anything interesting there. Conrad is south of Shelby and just off of I-15, so it is easy off and easy…

23Jul 2014 by David Kravetz

Montana Trip: US Highway 89 thru Montana – North 89

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Horses, Landscapes, Large Statues, Montana, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Place Names, prairie dogs, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, States and Provinces, Train Bridges, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 287, US Highway 89, US Highways, Vintage Neon

As I continued my trip in Montana, I spent some time with my daughter and her children in Shelby. From there I proceeded to head back to Kentucky the "back roads" way over a number of US Highways and State Highways. My goal was to travel the majority of Montana's US 89 during this trip. I did not hit the portion north of Browning to Alberta on this trip, though I have traveled it in the past. In fact, over the years I have traveled US 89 from the Canadian border all the way to Mexico (back when US 89 went that far). This post will cover the section of US 89 north of Great Falls and I will follow with a second post covering the portion of US 89…

07Jul 2013 by David Kravetz

Two Days to Dallas – Day 2: Eagle, Colorado to Dallas

Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Bison, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Horse Art, Horses, Landscapes, Large Statues, Mountains, Murals, National Monuments, New Mexico, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 24, US Highway 87, Vintage Neon, Volcanic Sites, Wall Art, Wildflowers

I began Day 2 of my trip from Idaho to Dallas with an early morning in Eagle, Colorado. It would turn out to be a long day and I would actually end up stopping overnight in Wichita Falls, TX due to the length of the day. Following is the route all the way to the Dallas area. View Larger Map - Eagle, Colorado to Dallas, TX After a late night into Eagle, I had no idea what I would see when I awoke. I had an early start, at about 6:30 AM and when I walked out of the hotel, this is what I saw... From Eagle I had to back track on I-25 heading east to Vail in order to get on US Route 24 heading south. Along the…

04Jul 2013 by David Kravetz

America the Beautiful: The Song in Photos for the 4th of July

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, California, City Skylines, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Dream Highways, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Florida, Geologic Formations, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, LDS Temples, Lewis and Clark Sites, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, South Carolina, South Dakota, States and Provinces, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wildflowers, Wisconsin, Wyoming

I have traveled the broad expanses of this beautiful nation we call America and have seen and enjoyed this country that I call home. On this July 4th birthday, I would like to celebrate by adding photos to the words of the song "America the Beautiful", which was written by American Poet Katharine Lee Bates. All photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL Oh Beautiful, for Spacious Skies For Amber Waves of Grain For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good, With Brotherhood From Sea to Shining Sea May we celebrate this day as we enjoy our freedom and our liberty..... Freedom LIBERTY AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

Category: Murals