Travel with grandchildren – Page 5 – Less Beaten Paths of America

03Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Antelope, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Books, Buffalo, California, Cormorants, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Ghost Signs, Ghost Towns, Idaho, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Montana, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Place Names, Pronghorn Antelope, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 70, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Wyoming

In early 2020 I traveled across the country with one of my daughters and three grandchildren. We traveled 8154 miles through 20 states over 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 C Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Caddo Lake - Uncertain, Texas In my "A Stories," I mentioned Aaron Applebaum of Mystique Tours and his great boat rides through the swamps of Caddo…

02Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Eagles, Family Travel, Junk Art, Less Beaten Paths Books, Montana, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, New Mexico, Oregon, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Washington, Welcome Signs, Wyoming

In early 2020 I traveled across the country with one of my daughters and three grandchildren. We traveled 8154 miles through 20 states over 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 A Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Bald Eagles - all over On our 8154 mile drive across the United States, we were fortunate enough to see 24 Bald Eagles...we saw them in…

01Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Ghost Towns, Iowa, Junk Art, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Montana, National Parks, Nebraska, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 60, Vintage Neon, Welcome Signs

In early 2020 I traveled across the country with one of my daughters and three grandchildren. We traveled 8154 miles through 20 states over 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 A Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Alcatraz Island - San Francisco, CA While in California in mid-February, we visited San Francisco and viewed Alcatraz Island, the famed island-prison, from afar. [caption id="attachment_22941"…

26Feb 2020 by David Kravetz

Book 4 Cover Art Reveal – New Book is Titled “8154”

Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nature Events, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs, Wyoming, Yard Art

GREAT NEWS! Book 4 is now officially underway! Thanks to my friend Antsy McClain, the new cover for Book 4 has been setup and here it is. Titled "8154" after the number of miles we traveled for 23 days from late January to mid-February 2020, this book will detail my EPIC Roadtrip with my daughter Marissa and her three children. You'll finally get to take a trip as seen from our eyes. Marissa will help write the book with me. We hope to have it ready for sale by the end of March 2020. We hope you'll watch for it. Some of the sights we visited were kindly suggested by our friends at Roadside America. Visit them and get their app!! [caption id="attachment_5929" align="aligncenter" width="160"] Roadside America iPhone app[/caption]

16Sep 2019 by David Kravetz

Paradise Point (KY) Revisited: September 2019

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Hot Dog Places, Junk Art, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Offbeat Places, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Staycations, Street Art, Tourist Traps, Toy Collections, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 31, Welcome Signs, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_22208" align="alignleft" width="300"] Visiting with John and Sebrina Erskine to celebrate my new book, which includes a chapter about them![/caption] Back in January of 2018 I made my first visits to the Paradise Point Marketplace in Scottsville, KY and did a blog post about it (see the original post). In celebration of my newest book release, which features a chapter about Paradise Point, I made a trip down there in mid-September 2019 to sign the book and have a fun visit. Since they are also an excellent and whimsical eatery, they will also be included in a future book on eateries, so I needed more photos of the place, especially the amazing breakfast items, bakery items and hot dogs. [caption id="attachment_22218" align="alignnone" width="525"] Paradise Point Marketplace in Scottsville, KY[/caption]…

24Aug 2019 by David Kravetz

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…

05Mar 2019 by David Kravetz

Travel in 2018: The Best of the Roadside Attractions – Part 1

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Muffler Man, Nevada, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Toy Collections, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Utah, Washington, Water Towers, Whispering Giants, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_20889" align="alignleft" width="225"] Sharkheads in Biloxi, MS[/caption] Obviously, one of my favorite things to do on road trips short or long is locate the fun, unique and offbeat roadside attractions. And, fortunately, 2018 provided me a plethora of these. I have already written about a few of them individually in past months, but this post will be a nice little "photo tour" of some of my favorites. Having been through 26 different states in 2018, I had plenty of sites and loads of fun. I got to share many of these with grandchildren, which made it even better. [caption id="attachment_20271" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Dignity: Of Earth and Sky - 50 foot tall statue by Dale Lamphere[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20268" align="alignright" width="225"] Sumoflam with Dignity near Chamberlain, SD[/caption] Perhaps my favorite from…

31Oct 2018 by David Kravetz

Download BOTH of my books on Kindle for FREE: November 1 – November 5

Adventure, Alabama, Alaska, Alberta, Amish Country, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Big John, Books, California, Car Art, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Dinosaurs, Dragons, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Florida, Found Metal Sculptures, Georgia, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Junk Art, Kansas, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Muffler Man, Murals, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Quirky Things, Rhode Island, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Carolina, South Dakota, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Toy Collections, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, Utah, Vermont, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Whispering Giants, Wisconsin, Wyoming

As an After Halloween Treat, for a limited time you will be able to download both of my books - my newest -- "Less Beaten Paths of America: Quirky and Offbeat Roadside Attractions" and also "Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names." TOTALLY FREE!! This is part of the Trick-Or-Treat Book Blog Hop hosted by Author Patricia Lynne. Both of these volumes are collections of my many travels across the United States and Canada. As you know, I have photographed well-known and not so well-known attractions along the way. In this book I share my experiences and occasional challenges, but always provide some fun and personal anecdotal stories of the quirky and offbeat places that the large and small communities offer. My first book is all about Unique Town…

19Oct 2018 by David Kravetz

Experiencing Old-Timey Decatur, Texas

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 287, Vintage Neon, Wall Art

Heading north out of Keller, Texas on US 287 you can enjoy a scenic ride and make your way into the town of Decatur, Texas. Named after naval hero Stephen Decatur, the town was originally set up in 1856 and eventually was a stopover for ranchers and herders on the Chisholm Trail. [caption id="attachment_21052" align="aligncenter" width="525"] The old Eighter from Decatur Sign[/caption] By 1882, the railway came into Decatur from Fort Worth. It was apparently at that time a gambling railway worker was talking about a female from Decatur and coined the phrase an "Eighter from Decatur," which has stuck around ever since. [caption id="attachment_21050" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Welcome to Decatur sign[/caption] Today, the peaceful little town still draws traffic from ranchers and railway folk, but also from tourists trying to…

14Aug 2018 by David Kravetz

Welcome to Uranus (Missouri) – Really?

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Eateries, Family Travel, Missouri, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places

[caption id="attachment_21013" align="alignleft" width="240"] One of the Uranus Billboards along Interstate 44[/caption] In late July and early August 2018 I had been on the road traveling with my granddaughter for nearly two weeks and we finally made our way to US Route 66 in Oklahoma and Missouri. On our last night on the road, we spent the night in Springfield, Missouri. As we departed down Interstate 44, one of the first things I saw was a sign telling us to visit Uranus at exit 163! REALLY? In all my years of traveling, I had never heard of this place. As we headed east we continued to see signs...you know, the "Tourist Trap" type of signs that try to draw you in. [caption id="attachment_20958" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Thanks for Picking Uranus[/caption] [caption…

Category: Travel with grandchildren