25Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

R is for Roadsigns – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Amish Country, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Anyone who drives on a road, whether city street or an interstate highway, always depends on roadsigns and street signs to find their way. In this age of GPS, we sometimes miss the turns because we're not looking for the roadsigns. Well, on the back roads of America there are many fun and unique roadsigns. Perhaps they weren't meant to be that way as places were named certain names sometimes as far back as the 1600s and 1700s. But, sometimes neighborhood designers throw in funny names for streets or neighborhoods. In this post I want to take a look at some of the roadsigns I have come across in my travels. Indeed, that has been one of my fun challenges. As I have noted on one of my pages, I…
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23Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

P is for People – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Alberta, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Bobby Cochran, Bruce Wandmayer, Burger Joints, Canada, Cebu, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Edgar Cruz, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Twine Balls, Iowa, Japan, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michael Kelsey, Missouri, Mythical Creatures, Nebraska, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Ontario, Patti Hall, Pauly Zarb, People Shots, Philippines, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street People, Television Shows, Texas, Tommy Emmanuel, Tulum, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
I am enriched by people. They inspire me, they teach me, they bring me joy. I have often been told that I have never met a stranger. And it's true. I am unabashed around people. Whether it's joking with a person in line at a grocery store or interacting with the person at a table next to me in a restaurant, I always feel comfortable. The same goes with my travels. I have been blessed to have met hundreds of unique individuals from all walks of life. The diversity of people enriches us. Unlike my other posts in this series, I am stretching far beyond the boundaries of back roads in America. This post will take the reader to Japan, the Philippines, Canada and beyond. As a tour guide in…
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12Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

J is for Joy – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alberta, Alligators, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, California, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Indiana, Kentucky, Large Statues, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Mountains, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Television Shows, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wanderlust, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Traveling this great country brings me joy!  You can see this thru the myriad selfies I take while on the road. I make it a point to take selfies for posterity sake.   First of all, it proves I was there.  Secondly, it provides a record for my family to see where I've been. Lastly...it shows my joy of being on the road! It makes me Jolly. It makes me Nice. Travel is always a Novelty Wherever I go I try to Endeavor, To have Hope And find Success Being on the road has helped find Friendship And to be Friendly And perhaps even Chunky It has brought me down to Earth Zipped me to a Township named Moon Or by a Starship in Vulcan And to even find Prosperity Heck...I…
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03Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

B is for Back Roads – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Alaska, Amish Country, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Saskatchewan, Selfies, South Dakota, Staycations, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
What is April A to Z? Every April, bloggers from all over the world participate in the April A to Z blog challenge, and you can too. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to meet other bloggers. To play along, all you do is make a blog post for each letter of the alphabet during April, then visit as many other bloggers as you can. I live to travel the back roads of America. These are the core of my travels around the United States and Canada. They always offer the best of everything: scenery, traffic conditions and a myriad of surprises.   To me, the definition of a back road is anything that is not an interstate highway. However, I prefer the kind that are…
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13Feb 2017 by David Kravetz
Uncertain Revisited: A Tour of Caddo Lake

Uncertain Revisited: A Tour of Caddo Lake

Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Blue Heron, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Egret, Family Travel, Louisiana, Mythical Creatures, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Swamps, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places
It was a few years ago when I first visited Uncertain, TX (You can see my March 2012 Post here.).  As a matter fact, it was on a cold day in February 2012 when I stopped by to see it for my first time. The real draw for me initially, was the name of the town, but the bigger draw ended up being the beautiful swamp-like setting of Caddo Lake. This past weekend (Feb. 10, 2017) I had an opportunity again to visit this beautiful setting, this time with my daughter and her three children. Unlike my visit to Uncertain before, we had bigger sights set on seeing Caddo Lake and some of the swamp. Upon arrival, we noticed that there was a group of people in a boat taking…
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10May 2016 by David Kravetz

A to Z Challenge: Reflections #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Alaska, Alberta, Amish Country, Arizona, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Big Cities, Bucket List Trips, California, Car Art, City Skylines, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Horse Art, Hot Springs, Idaho, Illinois, Indian Ruins, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Lewis and Clark Sites, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Muffler Man, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Saskatchewan, Selfies, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, Utah, Vintage Neon, Washington, Water Towers, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
During the month of April 2016 I participated in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. The challenge had each blogger select a theme and then do a post thematically from A to Z during each day of April , except Sundays. This was my first opportunity to really participate in this annual event, which just completed its 6th year.  It was not easy!!  I had to not only post something daily, but also create a theme and stick with it.  And, in my perfectionist way, I wanted to make sure there were plenty of photos and commentary.  I wrote in such a way to draw people to the more detailed posts, where ever possible.  It was a load of fun and I completed the challenge.  Not sure how many…
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19Apr 2016 by David Kravetz

A to Z Challenge: The P Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Iowa, Kentucky, LDS Temples, Lewis and Clark Sites, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, Nebraska, New York, Ontario, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, Random Thoughts, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 20, US Highway 61, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers, West Virginia, Wyoming, Yard Art
During the month of April I am participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. The challenge has each blogger select a theme and then do a post thematically from A to Z during each day of April , except Sundays. My blog is number 1337 out of 1670 participating blogs. This year my A to Z posts will take you across the back roads of America to many unique what other bloggers will be posting about, check out the link: A to Z Theme Reveal List for 2016 The P Towns   Pella, Iowa There are a few towns claiming some Dutch heritage, but not many like Pella, Iowa.  Home of the largest working Dutch windmill in the United States (and a few smaller ones as well), a…
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09Mar 2016 by David Kravetz

Traveling US Numbered Highways – Part I: An Overview and History

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, 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, Route 66, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 212, US Highway 287, US Highway 61, US Highway 79, US Highway 89, US Highways, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
When I was young and living in Albuquerque, NM in the 1960s, there were not many Interstate Highways.  Most of the country still relied on the U.S. Numbered Highway System. Even to this day I can recall our family drives along the iconic Route 66 out of Albuquerque to Gallup, NM and then, eventually, when we moved to Dallas in 1968 we took it all the way to Amarillo, TX.  Even at that young age I was already enamored by the maze of highways and the desire to see what lays along these long black roads with millions of white lines in the middle and endless telephone poles and wires along both sides.  I too remember the many billboards advertising Stuckey's roadside stops, gas station or unique tourist attractions. Since…
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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…
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20Jan 2015 by David Kravetz

Top Ten Travel Photos for 2014

Alligators, Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Kentucky, Large Statues, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, National Monuments, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 89, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art
Throughout my travels I drove over 10,000 miles and took over 3000 photos in 2014. I have numerous shots from the road of quirky places, offbeat sites and some nice looking places.  If you missed my "nature photos", some of which are from my travels, please check them out on my Sumoflam's Singlewide Site.  Following are my ten favorite travel shots from 2014 and the stories behind them (and a number of honorable mentions). NUMBER 1 - OLD PRAIRIE SCHOOL HOUSE I once saw a photo of this old school house and knew that I had to get to this relic of the past.  So, on my way to Shelby, MT from Havre, I sought to track it down.  Instructions from most are difficult to find, so I figured if…
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