Signs and Billboards – Page 27 – Less Beaten Paths of America

08Aug 2015 by David Kravetz

Washington State: A Week of Travel and Variety

BBQ Places, Birds, City Skylines, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Murals, Mythical Creatures, National Parks, Roadside Attractions, Seagulls, Selfies, States and Provinces, Street Art, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Wall Art, Washington, Yard Art

After our beautiful vacation and stay at the Borneo lodge which you can find on borneoecotours.com/borneo-rainforest-lodge, my wife and I had the opportunity to fly to Seattle at the end of July for a nice week (actually 9 days) of fun with our family out there. Over the next couple of weeks I will have a few posts about our adventures, but wanted to provide a brief preview of what we experienced: Beaches, Mountains, Sights, Sounds, Eats and Quirky fun!! Day 1: We took a ferry from Bremerton, WA and then spent a full day walking around parts of Seattle...then took a Duck ride. The ferry is followed by hungry seagulls who would swoop down and eat from people's hands. I got some amazing closeups of the birds. Once we…

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

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. Among the 100s of places I have been, there are a few that really stand out to me and I would consider as future MUST SEE spots for the adventurous travelers. In no specific order, here are ten of my "Obscure Quirky Places" you…

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

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!) 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 in front of the mall. Reminded me that I was in good hands with Carla!! The Hand statue is actually titled "Agraria" and is by artist Larry Kirkland, who is originally from California but currently…

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. 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 the pinnacle of Flamingohead Fantasy trips...Woodflock. That is,…

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…

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

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. Little Italy is a wonderful part of town...great eateries, old churches, brick roads (including Murray Hill Rd.) and even a Random road. The Old Mayfield Theater is a national historic site. The Holy Rosary Church in Little Italy is adorned with wonderful sculptures I love Presti's Bakery in Little Italy....just love it! As one enters Little Italy they pass by the Lake View Cemetery, an iconic cemetery loaded with wonderful monuments. My…

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

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. 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 back then, I knew there was another near San Bernadino, CA, (See Wigwam Village #7 built in 1949) but…

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

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. 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 25 Central Kentucky artists, illustrators and designers, all of whom have created new interpretations of LP covers, both famous and obscure. Just down the street from CD Central…

10Feb 2015 by David Kravetz

North Texas/Oklahoma Odyssey and beyond

Antsy McClain, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, Museums, Oklahoma, Ontario, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Street Art, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highways, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers, Yard Art

(Note: This is part 3 of my Texas road trip reports from June 2014, covering the trip from Austin to Ft. Worth and then on to Denton, Paris, Oklahoma, Arkansas and home to Kentucky.) After spending a nice day in Austin, it was time to head north to Ft. Worth and then on to Kentucky. Along the way I went from weird to spooky to strange to Friendship. Here is the map of this portion of the trip. On this route I visited friends but also visited some other fun and quirky places. My first stop was in Georgetown, TX. Georgetown is home to some lovely Victorian architecture and also has one of the more quirky street statues I have seen. This building was the home of the San Gabriel…

06Feb 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Yard Art, Swans and Mennonites in Southern Ontario

#TBT, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Canada, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Landscapes, Large Statues, Mennonite Country, Museums, Ontario, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Street Art, Swans, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Yard Art

(Note: I was working at the Toyota Plant in Woodstock, Ontario as a Japanese interpreter at the time I wrote this post in 2008) March 26, 2008: It was a beautiful day and I got off work at 4:00 and decided to head out on a small road trip around the region. A couple of days ago I met with Cathy Bingham, Director of the Oxford County, Ontario Tourism Office in Woodstock. She had contacted me about my Jakeman's Syrup page and wanted to meet with me to give me more ideas. We had a wonderful visit and she gave me some unique ideas, told me about the history of the area and focused me in on some different places to see, both in Oxford County as well as the…

Category: Signs and Billboards