25Mar 2021 by David Kravetz
Old-Timey General Stores Part 2: R.M. Brooks General Store – Rugby, TN

Old-Timey General Stores Part 2: R.M. Brooks General Store – Rugby, TN

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Less Beaten Paths Books, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Tennessee, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Turkeys, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places
[caption id="attachment_30597" align="alignleft" width="241"] R.M. Brooks General Merchandise[/caption] This is the second post of my visits to Old-Timey General Stores.  On March 5, 2021 I visited the R.M. Brooks General Merchandise Store in Rugby, Tennessee.  Established in 1917, this one was a blast from the front of the store to all of the great antiques on the inside.  Tiffany Jones Terry is the current proprietor and is the great-granddaughter of R.M. Brooks. She runs the place well. Their food offerings are amazingly good too!  And you gotta try the Hoop Cheese on a sandwich!   [caption id="attachment_30621" align="alignnone" width="700"] Come In sign at RM Brooks in Rugby[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30626" align="alignnone" width="700"] Old Gulf Pump makes for a great frame.[/caption] While my wife was hiking the Sheltowee Trace in the Big…
Read More
17Mar 2021 by David Kravetz
Old-Timey General Stores Part 1: Forbus General Store – Pall Mall, TN

Old-Timey General Stores Part 1: Forbus General Store – Pall Mall, TN

Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Family Travel, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Tennessee, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Uncategorized, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 127, Welcome Signs, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_30665" align="alignleft" width="223"] Sumoflam at Forbus General Store[/caption] It is always fun to run into an "old-timey" General Store when driving back roads.  These are a throwback to the past and typically have items you don't see in most other stores.  The "old-timey" stores each have their own personalities and may offer home-style meals, special home-made pies or fudge. On recent trips (February/March 2021) to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in northeastern Tennessee I had occasion to visit not one, but two of these 100-year old plus General Stores.  What fun!  I'll cover these in two different posts. [caption id="attachment_30666" align="alignnone" width="700"] Forbus General Store front porch[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30696" align="alignnone" width="700"] Forbus General Store, Pall Mall, Tennessee[/caption] This first post visits the Forbus General Store…
Read More
26Jan 2021 by David Kravetz
Roadtrippin’ 2020: The Roadways – Seeing the USA on back roads

Roadtrippin’ 2020: The Roadways – Seeing the USA on back roads

Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, Roadsigns, Route 66, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, US 129, US Highway 101, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highways, Washington, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_30279" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam stands among the giant Redwoods on the Avenue of the Giants[/caption] The most time consuming part of any extended road trip is being on the road.  For me, this is the icing on the cake.  Sure, I love to see all of the quirky places, unique towns, Mom and Pop eateries and more.  But, there is something about driving a two-lane highway (or narrow road or even gravel road) that brings out the wanderlust in me big time.  Watching those white/yellow lines pass by while seeing the scenery, wildlife, buildings, etc., as I drive by, is one of the best parts of travel.  Of course, a good soundtrack, like the thousands of songs on my Spotify playlists, also adds to the fun. I am a…
Read More
23Dec 2020 by David Kravetz
Roadtrippin’ 2020: An Overview

Roadtrippin’ 2020: An Overview

Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Books, Bridges, Buffalo, California, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Dragons, Dream Highways, Eagles, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, Murals, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oregon, Place Names, Quirky Things, Raccoon, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US 129, US Highway 101, US Highway 16, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Welcome Signs, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_25138" align="alignleft" width="300"] With family at Stitch the Dragon on the Tail of the Dragon (US 129) in Tennessee[/caption] The year 2020 has been a tough year for many people around the world.  Its thrown me for a few loops as well.  But, overall, as I look back on the year, it has been an absolutely amazing one.  In fact, this may very well have been one of my biggest domestic road tripping years ever.  Including the 8154 epic road trip in January and February, I put on an additional 4-5000 miles.  Following are some of the highlights,  which will be covered in separate posts over the next few days. Many of the trips included some of my children and grandchildren.  We had some mini-reunions together.  From the Blue…
Read More
14Sep 2020 by David Kravetz
Driving The Dragon (US 129) – Southern Tennessee

Driving The Dragon (US 129) – Southern Tennessee

Adventure, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dragons, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Junk-art Sculptures, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, Mythical Creatures, National Parks, North Carolina, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Tennessee, Tourist Traps, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US 129, Welcome Signs
At the end of August we had a family reunion down in North Carolina. We stayed in an AirBNB in a huge backwoods lodge at Huffman Creek Retreat about 12 miles west of Robbinsville, NC. Our daughter flew in from Washington, without her kids, so we had all five of our children, two of our in-law kids and six grandkids. This was the first time that all five of my children have gathered together since October 2016. We car-pooled it down there from Lexington, KY thru Knoxville, TN and then on to “The Dragon,” (also called the Tail of the Dragon) which started near Chilhowee Lake near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Dragon is an eleven mile stretch of US 129 that skirts the southwest border of Great…
Read More
17Jun 2020 by David Kravetz
8154: Experiencing America’s Amazing Landscapes

8154: Experiencing America’s Amazing Landscapes

Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Eagles, Family Travel, Farmland, Geese, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, South Dakota, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 1, US Highway 101, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 18, US Highway 180, US Highway 2, Washington, Wyoming
In early 2020 I traveled across the country over the course of three weeks with my daughter and three grandchildren.    During this trip we traveled 8154 miles across 20 states and visited over 100 destinations, saw all sorts of animals, all sorts of geography, 10 National Parks and Monuments, various state parks, oceans, deserts, mountains, beaches, grasslands, canyons and more. This is the fourth of a few posts about some of the fun from this EPIC Road Trip.  In this post I'll share some scenes of some of America's diverse landscapes that we experienced on this epic road trip. Enjoy the Read! Enjoy the Ride! (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz and, when noted, Marissa Noe) OH BEAUTIFUL FOR SPACIOUS SKIES [caption id="attachment_24234" align="alignnone" width="640"] SD Hwy 244 north…
Read More
04Jun 2020 by David Kravetz
8154: Visiting National and State Parks and the Junior Ranger Programs

8154: Visiting National and State Parks and the Junior Ranger Programs

Adventure, Antelope, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Books, Buffalo, California, Cormorants, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dream Highways, Eagles, Egret, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, prairie dogs, Pronghorn Antelope, Raccoon, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_24469" align="alignleft" width="300"] George Washington on Mt. Rushmore in SD[/caption] In early 2020 I traveled across the country over the course of three weeks.    During this trip we traveled 8154 miles across 20 states and visited over 100 destinations, saw all sorts of animals, all sorts of geography, 10 National Parks and Monuments, various state parks, oceans, deserts, mountains, beaches, grasslands, canyons and more. This is the second of a few posts about some of the fun from the EPIC Road Trip with my daughter and three grandchildren.  Enjoy the Read! Enjoy the Ride! (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz and, when noted, Marissa Noe) [caption id="attachment_24584" align="alignnone" width="525"] Departing for the Epic Road trip in late January[/caption] Taking a road trip with kids is always a fun…
Read More
29Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The Y Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Farmland, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mountains, National Parks, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, Place Names, Roadsigns, Route 66, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, Washington
In early 2020 I traveled across the country with  the course of three weeks.  My A to Z posts this year will have the "8154" theme, which will also be the title of my forthcoming new book that will document the epic road trip.  Each entry will highlight a few stories with photos based on the alphabet and not the order of the trip.  I hope you will enjoy this bouncy ride across the back roads of America.  Please enjoy the Y Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) EnjoY the rYde  as we drYve Across America - Part Two Throughout the course of our 8154 Road Trip, there was not anything with an X or a Y in it.  So, I thought I would take readers on a Virtual…
Read More
23Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The T Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Murals, Nebraska, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Turkeys, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Wyoming
In early 2020 I traveled across the country with  the course of three weeks.  My A to Z posts this year will have the "8154" theme, which will also be the title of my forthcoming new book that will document the epic road trip.  Each entry will highlight a few stories with photos based on the alphabet and not the order of the trip.  I hope you will enjoy this bouncy ride across the back roads of America.  Please enjoy the T Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Tillamook Creamery - Tillamook, Oregon Driving down US Highway 101 in Oregon, you can drive through the town of Tillamook.  There you will find the Disneyland of Ice Cream places.  Tillamook Creamery is huge and it is a giant tourist attraction. …
Read More