14Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, California, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Giant Things, Illinois, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, National Monuments, Nebraska, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, Vintage Neon, 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 L Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Loving, Texas As we traveled we realized that we would be arriving in Loving, Texas on Valentine's Day.  How cool would that be if we could…
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09Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Ghost Signs, Illinois, Iowa, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Montana, Murals, Nebraska, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Street Art, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers, 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 H Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Hamburg, Iowa Hamburg, Iowa is a small town just off of Interstate 29 and a few miles north of the Missouri border and a miles southeast…
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06Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Books, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Egret, Elk, Family Travel, Illinois, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, Vintage Neon, Washington, Water Towers, 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 E Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Egyptian Theatre - Coos Bay, Oregon I love classic theatres and wish I had more time and opportunity to visit them on the insides and see…
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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…
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24Apr 2019 by David Kravetz

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 Might as well start this post on a humorously low point.  Yes indeed, there is a place in Missouri called Uranus. And yes, it is pronounced "Your Anus" (and by the way, I heard a question on Jeopardy recently and Alex Trebek pronounces…
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23Apr 2019 by David Kravetz

Everywhere a Sign – Some T Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Family Travel, Illinois, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, Vintage Neon, Washington
Travel is my passion.  It is a terrific passion that tantalizes every nerve in my soul. Needless to say, I am a tenacious traveler. I try to track down every nook and cranny on the back roads of this terrific country. From the twisted and tortuous mountain roads to the tall tree-lined highways, I am always tempted to go yet another mile.  I hope you will enjoy some of the T Signs I discovered in my 2018 travels. Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Telephone, Texas Telephone, Texas was a surprise for me.  Didn't know this town was here, but it was on my way north to Oklahoma from Fort Worth (on country back roads of course!)  When I got to the small community of about 200, I was thrilled…
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22Apr 2019 by David Kravetz

Everywhere a Sign – Some S Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Idaho, Illinois, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 85, US Highway 87, Wanderlust, Washington, Water Towers
Since man could walk, travel has been a part of life.  The sensational opportunity to see the world has kept most of us from being sedentary. The singular driving force is the strong desire of discovery. For nearly 50 years I have sought the sensation, the scintillating, the stylish and the silly in my travels.  In 2018, that striving for something special continued.  I hope you will enjoy some of the S Signs I discovered in my 2018 travels. Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Smiley, Texas I was down in Houston in February 2018 and took the grandsons on an expedition.  One of my "goal places" was Smiley, Texas.   I always love places with unique names.  The small community's name has nothing to do with smiles.  Rather, it was…
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26Feb 2019 by David Kravetz

Travel in 2018: Fun Place Names and Street Signs

Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, States and Provinces, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 171, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 212, US Highway 26, US Highway 270, US Highway 412, US Highway 49, US Highway 71, US Highway 87, US Highway 90, Utah, Water Towers
I am always on the lookout for fun places to visit when on the backroads of America.  My travels in 2018 took me to 26 different states and along the way I found more unique town names and fun street signs to add to my collection.  In 2017 I published my first book titled "Less Beaten Paths of America: Unique Town Names."  (Check out the book here) At the time I wrote it, I didn't think I would get enough new places to fill up a second book, but , indeed, I have.  And 2018 really helped with that. Obviously, in my road trip plans I did set my sights on a few of these places intentionally.  Once such place was Marvel, Alabama.  I even bought a Marvel T-shirt to…
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25Feb 2019 by David Kravetz

My Travels in 2018

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Junk Art, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 212, Utah, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Water Towers, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Life gets so busy. The first two months of 2019 have been exceptionally busy and so I am just now getting to my annual review posts for 2018. At the beginning of 2018 I didn't have very high hopes for many travel opportunities. I had begun a new job in early October of the previous year and I didn't have any definitive travel plans. But, I had also learned to roll with things and, as good fortune would have it, 2018 actually became a really good travel year. Over the course of the year I was able to travel through 26 different states and drove nearly 12,000 miles. I was able to add a plethora of photos (I took over 15,000 travel photos in 2018) and content for use in…
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12Jun 2018 by David Kravetz

April 2018 Cross-Country Road Trip: The Landscape in Photos

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Nevada, Oregon, Roadside Attractions, South Dakota, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 24, US Highway 50, Utah, Washington
This is the final post from my April 2018 cross-country road trip from Lexington to Port Orchard, Washington and back. As a reminder, I covered 6000 miles and ventured through 16 states. Along the way I not only stopped to visit attractions and see the sites in towns small and large, but I also tried to capture the grandeur of the landscapes and scenery I passed by along the way.  Following are a number of scenic photos from that trip.  Enjoy the ride!  I have randomized these, so they are not in any particular order.  Captions tell the story. US Route 2 just past Steven's Pass, WA - notice how high the show walls are on the side ENJOY THE RIDE!  CHOOSE HAPPY! If you like what you see, you…
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