Signs and Billboards – Page 31 – Less Beaten Paths of America

15Jun 2013 by David Kravetz

Eastern Wyoming to Yellowstone: Cowboy Country, Buffaloes and more

Animals, Antelope, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Elk, Family Travel, Farmland, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Hot Springs, Landscapes, Large Statues, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National Parks, Place Names, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Street Art, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 16, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wildflowers, Wyoming, Yard Art

Buffalo Bill Reservoir[/caption] On June 2, 2013 I continued my trip westward from Lexington thru South Dakota and into Wyoming. On this leg I started in Gillette, Wyoming and made my way to Rexburg with a trip through Yellowstone National Park. [caption id="attachment_4159" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Welcome to Gillette, WY[/caption] Gillette, Wyoming is the first large town in Wyoming on the western end of I-90. It was incorporated in 1892 and is now called the "Energy Capital of the Nation" due to the high grade coal reserves as well as nearly 13,000 oil wells. [caption id="attachment_4053" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Downtown Cowboy Mural by Harvey Jackson[/caption] Downtown Gillette is not too large, but, along the main street there are a number of sculptures and a great wall mural. The mural above was done…

07Jun 2013 by David Kravetz

South Dakota Backroads: The Oyate Trail across southern South Dakota

Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Eateries, Edgar Cruz, Family Travel, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Horses, Landscapes, Lewis and Clark Sites, Murals, National Parks, North Dakota, Pelicans, Place Names, prairie dogs, Roadside Attractions, South Dakota, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 18, US Highway 83, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers

Land of the Pheasants - southern South Dakota[/caption] In early April 2013 I had the opportunity to drive across the Hi-Line (US Route 2) in Northern Montana and then made our way to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore and all the across South Dakota to Mitchell and the Corn Palace. With another work trip to Idaho, I took a different route and, similar to the Hi-Line Drive, I mainly took US Route 18 (also known as the Oyate Trail) as it crosses most of South Dakota. It goes through many small and unique towns. [caption id="attachment_4002" align="aligncenter" width="201"] Oyate Trail[/caption] The Oyate Trail is a 388 mile route that generally follows SD 50 and US Route 18 across southern South Dakota. The name is derived from the Lakota word…

31May 2013 by David Kravetz

FOOD FOOD FOOD – Part 4: Some Leftovers – Huevos, Poke Sallet, Poutine, Pea Meal and more

Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Eateries, Giant Things, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Customers Needed - Toronto, Ontario[/caption] As I have traveled the many back roads of the U.S. and Canada I have seen hundreds of places to eat, many of the are the normal fast food places (we all know THEY are). But, there are also many other unique Mom and Pop shops, small drive ins, BBQ joints and burger places. I have covered the main stops from my last 8 or 9 years of travel, but there are many more I have passed along the way and a few that I didn't cover in the previous three posts. I will touch on them here, though most of them with a photo and a comment or two. Enjoy! The Leftovers - More of the Places I have been [caption id="attachment_3681" align="aligncenter" width="300"]…

26May 2013 by David Kravetz

FOOD FOOD FOOD – Part 2: Barbecue Places and Diners on Less Beaten Paths

BBQ Places, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, West Virginia, Wisconsin

[caption id="attachment_3350" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Arthur Bryant's - Kansas City[/caption] As I travel across these great United States (and Canada too) perhaps the most common sight along the way is Barbecue (BBQ) places and diners, big and small. Following are a few of the places I have visited (or at least passed and wished I had time to stop in for a visit....). Hillbilly Hot Dogs - Lesage, WV [caption id="attachment_3361" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Hillbilly Hot Dogs - Lesage, WV[/caption] Ever eaten at a junk yard? Ever had enough guts to do so? Well, if you head north of Huntington, WV along the Ohio River to the small little village of Lesage you can do just that at Hillbilly Hot Dogs. A junk collector's dream and a neatnik's nightmare! [caption id="attachment_3364" align="aligncenter"…

18May 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip Home from Idaho – Day 5: Des Moines, IA to Springfield, IL – Dutch, American Pickers and Cozy Dogs

Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Illinois, Iowa, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Selfies, States and Provinces, Street Art, Television Shows, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Yard Art

Antique Archaeology[/caption] April 3, 2013: Yet another day on the road home as Julianne and I take our time to see a few of the sites on the way. This day we drove from Des Moines to a couple places in Iowa and eventually into Illinois. Here is our route: View Larger Map - Des Moines, IA to Springfield, MO First thing we did was head to Pella, Iowa, which is not too far from Des Moines. Pella prides itself as being a "Touch of Holland" and indeed is very Dutch. Home of the largest working Dutch windmill in the United States. Pella was originally settled in 1847 by about 800 Dutch immigrants. They named the town Pella, which in Dutch means City of Refuge, due to the fact that…

07May 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip Home from Idaho – Day 3: Glendive, MT thru Enchanted Highway, Mt. Rushmore to Oacoma, SD

Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Big John, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Montana, Mountains, Muffler Man, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, North Dakota, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Yard Art

South Dakota Badlands in northern South Dakota as seen from SD Hwy 79[/caption] April 1, 2013: We started the month of April off with a non-foolish bang as we got up fairly early to hit the road towards home, with a detour through North and South Dakota. This is the route we took on this leg of the trip: View Larger Map - Glendive, MT to Oacoma, SD We first took a brief zip around Glendive to catch some of the sights... [caption id="attachment_3033" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Giant Dinosaur Sign in Glendive, Montana next to the museum[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3032" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mural at the Glendive Museum[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3008" align="aligncenter" width="199"] There were signs like these in various parts of Glendive[/caption] Glendive, Montana is surrounded by badlands and there have been many finds…

17Apr 2013 by David Kravetz

A few sites in Southeast Idaho – Idaho Falls and Blackfoot

Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Geese, Giant Things, Idaho, Landscapes, Large Statues, Mountains, Muffler Man, Murals, Museums, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Seagulls, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, Vintage Neon, Wall Art

Potato Museum - Blackfoot[/caption] While in Rexburg for the last week of March and the first week of April, I had the opportunity to take a couple of trips south to Blackfoot and Idaho Falls, where I was able to catch a few of the interesting sites in the area. I even caught an amazing quarrel between a Canadian goose and a couple of seagulls. Idaho Falls [caption id="attachment_2336" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The waterfalls on the Snake River. Idaho Falls, as they are called, were once rapids on the Snake[/caption] Idaho Falls is a nice little town at the base of the foothills with the Snake River running through the middle of town. It is currently the largest city in Southeastern Idaho with a population of nearly 57,000 and a metro…

06Apr 2013 by David Kravetz

In and Around Rexburg, ID

Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Buffalo, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Elk, Farmland, Idaho, LDS Temples, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National Parks, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Yard Art

Rexburg, ID[/caption] I spent two weeks in Rexburg from March 11 thru March 25, 2013 working on a job possibility. During my free time I spent a good deal of time in town and also looking around town and some of the surrounding areas. [caption id="attachment_2176" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Rexburg LDS Temple at sunrise[/caption] Perhaps Rexburg is best known for its LDS (Mormon) population, BYU-Idaho and the Rexburg Temple of the church (shown above). But Rexburg is also famous as the town that was practically destroyed by the Teton Dam Flood in June of 1976 (see story here). The town has been totally rebuilt since that time. [caption id="attachment_2179" align="aligncenter" width="448"] More murals from downtown Rexburg[/caption] Rexburg is kind of in a bowl, with mountain ranges all around it. To the…

23Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

A Visit to Heaven: Jackson, Wyoming and the Grand Tetons

Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Fox, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Landscapes, Mountains, Murals, National Parks, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 89, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wyoming, Yard Art

Grand Tetons[/caption] March 13, 2013: Today was heavenly...WOW!! I spent the day with my niece and her husband and we traveled east from Rexburg over Teton Pass to Jackson, Wyoming and then north to Grand Teton National Park. Jackson, WY and Grand Tetons [caption id="attachment_2123" align="aligncenter" width="199"] "Mountain Man" by Steve Horn - Horn Mountain Gallery in Tetonia, ID[/caption] Our first stop on the road to Jackson was in Tetonia, ID. We made a stop outside of Horn Mountain Living to get the shot of the "Mountain Man" sculpture above, which was done by Steve Horn. Steve moved to Teton Valley over 30 years ago and lived as a mountain man prior to that. He is completely self-taught and gives his Creator full credit for his abilities. He has since…

13Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 2: Savage, MN to Miles City, MT

Backroads Discoveries, Bison, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geese, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Lewis and Clark Sites, Minnesota, Montana, Murals, North Dakota, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 2, Wall Art, Yard Art

Rural Scene on Enchanted Highway, South of Gladstone, ND[/caption] I embarked on Day 2 of my trip to Idaho - left Savage, MN in the midst of snow and fog. The roads were scary heading northwest to Fargo, ND. [caption id="attachment_1818" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Snowy highways in Minnesota[/caption] Today (March 9, 2013) was the second leg of my trip to Idaho. Today I drove from Savage, MN to Miles City, MT. I drove 781 miles over a 14 hour stretch. Following is the map of the trip. View Larger Map My first stop along the way was for gas. I stopped in Avon, MN.....which, I discovered, is also the home of the Lake Wobegon Trail. The trail is 46 miles long and 10 feet wide. It opened in 1998. Avon is…

Category: Signs and Billboards