Less Beaten Paths of America – Book 3 NOW AVAILABLE Amazon

Alberta, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Family Travel, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Museums, Nebraska, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Utah, West Virginia, Whispering Giants, Wisconsin, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_22042" align="alignleft" width="300"] Book Cover for Book 3 - Cover Art and design by Antsy McClain[/caption] Imagine my excitement as I woke up this morning to see the PAPERBACK edition of my brand new Book 3, titled  Beyond Description - More of the Strange and Unique, had cleared review and is now available for purchase on Amazon! Like Book 2, it is 120 pages full of color photos and interesting stories. This one looks at unique and fun destinations like Carhenge (NE), Paradise Point Marketplace (KY), Bowlin's The Thing (AZ), Uranus ,Fudge Factory and General Store (MO), Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland Museum (KY), Wall Drug (SD), Lost River Trading Post (WV), Henrys Ra66it Ranch (IL) (and more) and then some themed towns like Vulcan, AB; Hell, MI; Mt. Horeb, WI; Santa Claus, IN, Winslow, AZ and Roswell, NM. Finally, there…
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June 2019 Road Trip: Fun, Quirky and Offbeat Things

Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Eateries, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Junk Art, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Muffler Man, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places
With any road trip I take, I look for a lot of different things.  I can find the offbeat and quirky, the beautiful, the unique, the magical, the historical, the fun and more...all in one trip.  I am focused...on the big picture. My June 2019 road trip took me over the road for nearly 6000 miles and through nine states.  I tried to stick to back roads wherever possible because that is where the greatest discoveries can be found. In this post, I present to you some of the more unique, fun and, in some cases quirky things that I discovered along the way.  There is always something out there. Here are few fun things... Place Names [caption id="attachment_21988" align="alignnone" width="531"] Welcome to Delight, Arkansas[/caption] I am always looking for…
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June 2019: The Great Southwest Trek

Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Illinois, Kentucky, Landscapes, Missouri, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, New Mexico, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unique Places, Volcanic Sites, Welcome Signs
On June 5 I departed home on a 10 day adventure to the southwest U.S.  I had made plans with my sister Sherry to accompany her and her family to Tucson and Albuquerque to visit our brothers Aaron and Gary, both of whom neither of us had seen on over 20 years. [caption id="attachment_21985" align="alignnone" width="525"] Red Rock Crossing in Sedona, Arizona[/caption] [caption id="attachment_21983" align="alignnone" width="525"] Route 66 in Winslow, Arizona[/caption] I love my road trips.  But I really looked forward to this one as much of it would take me to many of my old stomping grounds.  Plans were to visit Aaron in Tucson, then go up to Flagstaff, via Sedona, for a couple of days of touring around there and then off to Albuquerque to visit Gary. [caption…
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Everywhere a Sign – Some XTRA Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Burger Joints, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Ghost Signs, Idaho, Indiana, Junk Art, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Town Names, Toy Collections, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Utah, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs, West Virginia
Throughout my travels in 2018, I did not come across a single X sign.  In the past, I have been able to use Xenia, Ohio, but we didn't go there last year. So, I am Xcited to Xplain how I will post a number of fun XTRAs that I didn't use in previous posts. There were some Xceptionally funny ones and a few Xtremely interesting ones. I hope you'll enjoy my special edition of Xtra Signs from my travels over the years.  Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. XTRA Fun For ALL -- We are open [caption id="attachment_21731" align="alignnone" width="450"] If We Are Here -- Decatur, Texas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_19018" align="alignnone" width="437"] Love the "Sorry, We're Open" sign!! At Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden Calvert City, Kentucky[/caption] At the X-Roads - Corssroads…
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Everywhere a Sign – Some WELCOME Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alabama, Alaska, Alberta, Amish Country, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, California, Canada, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Family Travel, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Manitoba, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Well, the Blogging Challenge is winding down.  It has been a wild and wacky challenge for me. Through the month I have provided readers with a wide variety of wonderful signs which I wandered upon during the year.  As I do with all of my posts, I try to be witty and wry in my presentation. I hope that I have brought out the wanderlust in my readers as well.  This post will be all about Welcome Signs. Please now enjoy my special edition of W Signs from my travels over the years.  Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Welcome Signs Everywhere! [caption id="attachment_19874" align="alignnone" width="525"] Welcome to my happy place...traveling everywhere[/caption] I love feeling welcome in places!  Perhaps one of my bigger "collections" of place signs along the highways…
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Everywhere a Sign – Some U Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, National Monuments, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, States and Provinces, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 1, US Highway 101, US Highway 177, US Highway 183, US Highway 190, US Highway 2, US Highway 271, US Highway 287, US Highway 51, US Highway 58, US Highway 60, US Highway 68, US Highway 79, US Highway 81, US Highway 89, US Highway 90, US Highways, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Water Towers, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Its a unanimous understatement to say that I love traveling the back roads of America looking for the interesting and unique. It is ultimately my utmost passion (well, besides my family and my grandchildren). I will also do something in this post. I will be posting some of the US Highway signs I have picked up, most specifically in 2018. I'll explain down below.  I hope you enjoy some of the U Signs I discovered in my 2018 travels.  Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Uranus, Missouri [caption id="attachment_20977" align="alignnone" width="525"] Welcome to Uranus Missouri[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20969" align="alignnone" width="403"] Uranus, Missouri water tower[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20958" align="alignnone" width="525"] Thanks for Picking Uranus[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20964" align="alignnone" width="525"] Sounds yummy[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20965" align="alignnone" width="412"] Help Keep Uranus Clean[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20951" align="alignnone" width="525"] The…
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Everywhere a Sign – Some R Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Burger Joints, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Idaho, Illinois, Junk Art, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 281, US Highway 81, US Highway 84, US Highway 90, Washington
Road trips can be redundant. Road trips can be real fun. Rarely is there anything dull along the way. Visit a small town on a back road and you will find something. Here are some R signs, including a collection of Roxy Theaters and Restroom signs...yes, some potty humor.  Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride.     Rustic Rose Mercantile, Evant , Texas [caption id="attachment_21754" align="alignnone" width="525"] Rustic Rose Mercantile, Evant, Texas[/caption] Don't know a thing about this place, but sure love the sign.  Evant, Texas is a small community at the intersection of US Highway 281 and US Highway 84. I drove through here on my way from Lampassas to Hamilton. Rover, Arkansas [caption id="attachment_21758" align="alignnone" width="525"] Rover, Arkansas Post Office[/caption] Rover, Arkansas is a small place on Arkansas…
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Everywhere a Sign – Some Q Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Iowa, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, The Beatles, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wanderlust, Washington
It is a challenge to find signs and places that begin with Q.  This post only has one.  So, for fun, I am also adding a Quirky Quickies section to the post...a number of quirky or otherwise interesting photos from the road that didn't really fit into any of my other A to Z Challenge posts.  It will be a quick read with quaint and quirky and maybe even quizzical signs.  I hope they quench your travel fancy.  Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. The Queen City, Cincinnati, Ohio The Queen City sign taken from way up high, Cincinnati, Ohio Another view of the Queen City sign Cincinnati is a beautiful city.  I really love taking trips up to this beautiful city on the Ohio River.   The city has been…
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Everywhere a Sign – Some O Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Museums, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Tennessee, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 31, US HIghway 59, US Highway 60, US Highway 62, US Highway 71, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Woody Guthrie
(Editor's Note:  For  my  2019  posts,  I will be posting photos from my travels in 2018.  I visited 26 states and drive over 13,000 miles in 2018.  These posts will feature of few of the road signs and business signs I came across, as well as some stories behind them. ) Obviously, there are many outstanding places to visit in this outrageously wonderful country. Whether you are an occasional traveler or you take every opportunity to wander, there is always something to see. Here are some of the odd O signs I discovered in my 2018 travels. Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Old Potter, Arkansas [caption id="attachment_21274" align="alignnone" width="525"] Old Potter, Arkansas[/caption] A few miles south of Mena, Arkansas, on US Routes 59/71, is a small unincorporated community called…
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Everywhere a Sign – Some K Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Kentucky, Kentucky Headhunters, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 287, US Highway 40, Wall Art, Washington
(Editor's Note:  For  my  2019  posts,  I will be posting photos from my travels in 2018.  I visited 26 states and drive over 13,000 miles in 2018.  These posts will feature of few of the road signs and business signs I came across, as well as some stories behind them.  Enjoy the Read and Enjoy the Ride!) From Kentucky to Kansas and all places around them east and west, there are killer signs that kan be found.  And here are some of the K signs I found in 2018. Enjoy the Read.  Enjoy the Ride. Kingston, Washington [caption id="attachment_20162" align="alignnone" width="525"] Welcome to Kingston, Washington[/caption] Kingston, Washington is home to one of the large Puget Sound Ferry ports and I loved the colorful Welcome Sign. From the ferry you can…
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