Pennsylvania – Page 7 – Less Beaten Paths of America

17Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

L is for Love Traveling With Grandchildren – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Bucket List Trips, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Landscapes, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, National Monuments, National Parks, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wisconsin

I am rich...very rich. Not in money, but rather rich in experiences and rich in grandchildren. As the Proverb says "Children are like arrows. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them." At age 60 I have been blessed to have 10 grandchildren (so far). These are my joy and I am so grateful. And, besides loving them to death, I have also passed on the fascination of wanderlust. Most of my grandchildren are already well traveled thanks to my daughters and sons that have continued the tradition of getting on the road and seeing the world. [caption id="attachment_17948" align="aligncenter" width="583"] With some family and geandkidz in Port Orchard, WA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_14653" align="alignleft" width="300"] Heading east with the grandkidz![/caption] I have had numerous opportunities to join my…

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! [caption id="attachment_4867" align="alignnone" width="480"] Jolly Sumoflam! In Jolly, TX[/caption] It makes me Jolly. [caption id="attachment_12842" align="alignnone" width="553"] We all know who is really Nice! Nice, CA[/caption] It makes me Nice. [caption id="attachment_17185" align="alignnone" width="501"] I found Novelty in Ohio[/caption] Travel is always a Novelty Wherever I go I try to Endeavor, [caption id="attachment_17233" align="alignnone" width="480"] Made it to Hope, AR,[/caption] To have Hope [caption id="attachment_17818" align="alignnone" width="544"] Finding…

11Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

I is for Ingenuity – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alberta, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, California, Canada, City Skylines, Colorado, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Family Travel, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, LDS Temples, Mountains, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Texas, Train Bridges, Unique Places, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

I am always intrigued about the ingenuity of humans. Their ability to build and create things that solves problems for them. There are many examples of ingenuity to can be seen on the back roads of America. Whether it be bridges or towers or buildings. There is always something unique and interesting to see. [caption id="attachment_2664" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Tuckhannock Viaduct - Nicholson, Pennsylvania[/caption] [caption id="attachment_781" align="alignright" width="300"] Nicholson's welcome sign features the Viaduct[/caption] One of my brightest memories of fascination comes from a town in eastern Pennsylvania called Nicholson. In this town, the train company needed a solution to get the train up high to pass by as the town was down in the valley. So, a giant viaduct was built. Called the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, this giant structure. towered…

10Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

H is for History – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, LDS Temples, Lewis and Clark Sites, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Museums, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

One cannot travel any road in America or Canada without running into some sort of historical site, monument or building. That is part of the fun of a back road adventure. Our country of 2017 is defined in great part by the history of the country dating back to the 1600s (and earlier if you count the Native Americans). [caption id="attachment_8530" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Camp Disappointment west of Cut Bank< Montana looks out towards the mountains of Glacier National Park. This is one of many Lewis and Clark Monuments across the United States.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_17786" align="alignleft" width="300"] Monument in Beachville, Ontario commemorating the first baseball game in Canada.[/caption] Dotting the roads of America are historical markers that tell about events that occurred in that exact location or nearby. There are literally…

08Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

G is for Grandeur – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Bison, Buffalo, California, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Florida, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Kentucky, Landscapes, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pelicans, Pennsylvania, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, South Dakota, Swamps, Texas, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Utah, Virginia, Volcanic Sites, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

The United States is a vast and diverse country. From sea to shining sea there are sweeping vistas and spectacular scenes of nature. The grandeur of this country is not seen on the interstate highways, but on the back roads and the gravel roads that have woven the fiber of this country. [caption id="attachment_17743" align="aligncenter" width="672"] Grandeur as seen on a back road in North Dakota - The Enchanted Highway[/caption] [caption id="attachment_15481" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mt. Moran in the Grand Tetons as seen from Colter Bay Lodge[/caption] I am always awestruck by the superb landscapes that one can witness on the back roads. Some of these landscapes, such as the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains, are known by everybody. But there are so many more spectacles to feast your eyes…

11Jan 2017 by David Kravetz

The Year in Travel: 2016 from A to Z

Amish Country, Antsy McClain, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Bike Trails, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Eateries, Family Travel, Illinois, Kentucky, Large Statues, Maryland, National Monuments, National Parks, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Staycations, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia

The year 2016 was not a banner year for travel for me as there were no super long cross country trips taken like I had done form 2012-2015. However, over the course of the year we did take a number of smaller trips and a couple of fairly long trips. I visited 11 states during the year and made it to some places where I hadn't been for nearly 30 years. Even made it into towns from A (Abingdon, VA) to Z (Zanesville, OH) and one with an X too (Xenia, OH)!! Here is a map that includes many of the places: [caption id="attachment_17253" align="aligncenter" width="316"] Abingdon, VA - Eastern terminus of the Virginia Creeper Trail[/caption] [caption id="attachment_15813" align="aligncenter" width="236"] Zanesville, Ohio home of the Y Bridge[/caption] [caption id="attachment_16769" align="aligncenter"…

28Jul 2016 by David Kravetz

Bike Trails: Montour Trail, Canonsburg, PA

Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Cross Country Road Trips, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Landscapes, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places

This is the third post in a continuing series of Bike Trail posts. Like the back roads of America, the recent interest in bike paths and rails-to-trails paths provides a new insight on "back roads". Each Bike Path post will include surrounding information, vehicle support info and trail ratings as provided by my wife Julianne. One bike pump equals a "poor" rating while five pumps equals an "excellent" rating. We'll also provide links to the RTC TrailLinks overview of the trail. Complete Trails Overview Post is HERE Montour Trail - Pittsburgh/Canonsburg, PAClick here for RTC TrailLink Details [caption id="attachment_16766" align="alignleft" width="225"] Julianne at the Montour Trail in Pennsylvania[/caption] In late May 2016, Julianne and I visited her sister Laura in Canonsburg, PA. Right outside of Canonsburg (you can see my…

14Jul 2016 by David Kravetz

Rails to Trails for Biking: An Overview

Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Farmland, Kentucky, Landscapes, National Parks, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Staycations, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, West Virginia

[caption id="attachment_16787" align="alignleft" width="300"] Julianne the biker![/caption] In recent weeks, my wife Julianne has taken to riding on bike trails around the upper Midwest. In the past few weeks she has ridden bike trails in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, and will soon be on a nice trail in Virginia. She is finding these very enjoyable and has done some with her sister and some with our daughter Marissa, and one even with the grandchildren. As a support driver I enjoy taking her and driving the back roads to meet her (and the others) along the trail. Many of my upcoming blog posts will cover some of these scenic bike trails, many which are called Rails to Trails. This post is an overview of these trails with links to…

05Jul 2016 by David Kravetz

An Afternoon in Pittsburgh

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Murals, Museums, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Train Bridges, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wall Art

[caption id="attachment_16596" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Welcome to Pittsburgh[/caption] [caption id="attachment_16593" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Fort Pitt Tunnel in Pittsburgh[/caption] As noted in my previous post about Prosperity/Canonsburg/Washington areas of Pennsylvania (see post HERE), we took an afternoon with my wife's sister and her family to take a drive around Pittsburgh. Obviously, an afternoon does no justice to a large beautiful city like this, but that was all the time we had. Fortunately, I have been to Pittsburgh before and have knocked out a few places worth visiting (see my post which includes some Pittsburgh sites HERE). [caption id="attachment_16603" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Bridges in Pittsburgh[/caption] [caption id="attachment_16594" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Crossing into Pittsburgh[/caption] [caption id="attachment_16621" align="alignleft" width="223"] The PPG Glass Castle (One PPG Place) in downtown Pittsburgh[/caption] Our drive took us past the amazing glass…

03Jul 2016 by David Kravetz

Finding Prosperity near Canonsburg & Washington, PA

Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Birds, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Geese, Giant Things, Landscapes, Murals, Museums, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Swans, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 19, US Highway 40, Wall Art, West Virginia, Wildflowers

[caption id="attachment_16653" align="alignright" width="225"] Welcome to Canonsburg, PA[/caption] Just a week after a nice three-day visit to northern Ohio (see post HERE), Julianne and I made our way to Canonsburg, PA, which is south of Pittsburgh. Julianne's sister Laura recently moved there from Idaho with her husband and daughter and wanted us to visit. [caption id="attachment_16693" align="alignleft" width="274"] Sumoflam with Julianne and Autumn heading to Pittsburgh[/caption] From Lexington, Canonsburg is about a 5 Hour drive. We loaded Julianne's bicycle onto the bike rack and were off shortly after she got off of work. We also took our first trip with one of our grandchildren, our oldest named Autumn. She has traveled with her mother and me on a long trip to Wisconsin, but this is her first trip alone with Grampz…

Category: Pennsylvania