Wanderlust – Less Beaten Paths of America

11Apr 2026 by David Kravetz No Comments

The Real March Madness: Where Eagles Steal and Ospreys Dunk

Adventure, Birds, Blue Heron, Bonaparte Gull, Books, Caspian Tern, Cormorants, Eagles, Egret, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Nature Events, Selfies, Wanderlust

It’s early April 2026. Millions of basketball fans have been focused on their TVs or in big arenas watching their favorite college teams compete in one of America’s biggest sporting events.Though I enjoy catching a few games, I’ve discovered a far more profound competition—one that takes place in one of my favorite “arenas”: Jacobson Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Like a seasoned sportscaster, I arrive early. The arena is quiet, still wrapped in darkness. The action will come soon, but for now, I take in the calm—the subtle shift of color in the sky, the slow arrival of sunrise. [caption id="attachment_41392" align="alignnone" width="640"] Early morning quiet before sunrise at Jacobson Park[/caption] Across the park, another kind of rush hour has already begun. Hundreds of headlights and taillights stream north along Richmond…

25Mar 2026 by David Kravetz

Travailing the Oft Beaten Paths of AI (Alternate Intelligence)

Adventure, AI Backroads, AI Generated Signs, Alternate Intelligence, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Maryland, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Restrooms, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Sasquatch Art, Selfies, States and Provinces, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wanderlust

In the past few months, I haven’t been able to travel as much as I would like, so I’ve spent a great deal of time “travailing” along the paths of Artificial Intelligence. In a sense, this is a bit of a detour from real-life back roads, but I can assure my readers that getting engaged with AI can be an adventure in its own right. [caption id="attachment_41296" align="alignnone" width="640"] Somewhere along the road… things start to look familiar… until they don’t.[/caption] Back in the mid-2000s, I oversaw a team of software system testers while at Lexmark. It was a great learning experience, and software testing was always an adventure. Our job was to find ways to break the software so developers could go in and fix the code. You see,…

02Nov 2025 by David Kravetz

Life has been a Rollercoaster Ride!!

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Common Yellowthroat, Covered Bridges, Deer, Eagles, Family Travel, Farmland, Green Heron, Kansas, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, Nature and Scenery, Osprey, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, West Virginia

[caption id="attachment_41111" align="alignnone" width="640"] The story of my life Summer 2025[/caption] The last few months have been a real rollercoaster ride for me. I haven't posted anything since June of this year. And I had a post in progress that I hadn't completed (which I will do shortly). I so love writing my blog and sharing my adventures with everyone, but life gets in the way sometimes, and it really has for me over the past few months. Here is a quick recap of the recent months. My June writing had paused because I had a small accident when my fuel pump died on my Lexus SUV. It was stuck in a neighborhood intersection at rush hour. Nobody would assist, so I finally had to get out and try to…

20Jun 2025 by David Kravetz

Bird Hunting in February 2025

Adventure, American Kestrel, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Eagles, Farmland, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Museums, Nature and Scenery, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Swans, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wanderlust

At the end of February I went in search of Bald Eagles and whatever else I would see along the way. On February 26 I headed toward Stanford and Crab Orchard in search of some nesting eagles. Of course, if I saw things of interest along the way I was all over that stuff too. Then, two days later I headed to an area north of Frankfort after hearing about a swarm of eagles in a field that had been flooded. While there I also made my first visit to the Pfeiffer Fish Hatchery for my first time. You would think that someplace so close to Lexington would have hit some of my agendas in the past, but I never made it there before. [caption id="attachment_40347" align="alignnone" width="640"] Garrard County…

29May 2025 by David Kravetz

Another Indiana Road Trip – Sandhill Cranes in Seymour – Feb. 2025

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Indiana, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Nature and Scenery, Place Names, Roadsigns, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, Unique Places, US Highway 31, US Highway 50, Wanderlust, Water Towers

I don't typically make two trips to Seymour, Indiana for Sandhill Crane viewing, but since they were still hanging around and I wanted a road trip of some sort, we (Miles and me) were off to Seymour to see more cranes! [caption id="attachment_40682" align="alignnone" width="640"] Sumoflam and Miles on the road to Seymour to see more cranes[/caption] Instead of Interstate 65, took US highways to go north so I could visit some places I hadn't yet been to. First stop along the way was at Ashland Park in Clarksville, Indiana. I always like to stop there for across the river photos of Louisville. [caption id="attachment_40321" align="alignnone" width="640"] Rosie the Riveter exclaims "We Can Do It!" with a view of Louisville across the Ohio River.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_40334" align="alignnone" width="640"] My favorite…

06Mar 2025 by David Kravetz

2024 in Review: Town Name Murals – My 500th Post

Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Family Travel, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Murals, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Wanderlust, West Virginia

[caption id="attachment_40088" align="alignnone" width="640"] Sumoflam in Fate, TX[/caption] First of all, this is my 500th blog post since beginning my blogging in 2008!! When I am traveling I am always going through the small towns and big ones on the lookout for large murals that welcome visitors to their towns and cities. This continued to be one of my objectives in travel in 2024. There is always a great variety of these from large to small. Unlike my regular mural posts, I don't spend any time looking for the artists of these signs. Just want to share the photos and the locations. Have a lot from Oklahoma and Texas since I took a couple of trips there. Let's go!! Enjoy the Ride. [caption id="attachment_40163" align="alignnone" width="640"] Welcome to Hillsboro, TX[/caption]…

22Jan 2025 by David Kravetz

2024 In Review: Unique Town Names

Adventure, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Black Bear, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Church Signs, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Distilleries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Ghost Towns, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Missouri, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Volunteer Fire Departments, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, West Virginia

As many of my followers know, in my travels, among all the things I see, I am always on the lookout for unique town/place names and fun street signs. Last year was no different. In fact, I was even fortunate enough to get to two of my Bucket List locations while traveling. Following are the places I visited in 2024 along with photos and, in some cases, the histories behind the names. NOWHERE, OKLAHOMA [caption id="attachment_39134" align="alignnone" width="640"] Nowhere Bait Shop - Nowhere, Oklahoma[/caption] A long time resident of my Unique Town Names bucket list has been Nowhere, Oklahoma. Who doesn’t want to take a selfie in the middle of Nowhere? [caption id="attachment_39139" align="alignnone" width="640"] Welcome to the Middle of Nowhere[/caption] I had a trip to Oklahoma in late November…

18Nov 2024 by David Kravetz

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 4 – North Central Tennessee – August 2023

Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Car Art, Eateries, Family Travel, Ice Cream Places, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Offbeat Places, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Sasquatch Art, Selfies, Tennessee, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unique Places, US Highway 127, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Welcome Signs, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_38779" align="alignnone" width="640"] Cookeville, Tennessee[/caption] In August 2023 we made another kayak/hiking trip to North Central Tennessee. While my wife kayaked, I visited an old high school friend in Cookeville, Tennessee. It also happened to be the weekend of the famed US 127 "World's Longest Yard Sale" which covers 690 miles through six states. I took advantage of grabbing a few shots. Sadly, my favorite motel, The Jordan Motel in Jamestown was both booked solid for that weekend and was also consumed by dozens of folks selling their wares in the yard sale. Cookeville is a fun little town. A few murals, some cool railroad stuff and a few other things that make it a cool place. [caption id="attachment_38780" align="alignnone" width="474"] Cookeville Proud Mural[/caption] [caption id="attachment_38773" align="alignnone" width="471"] Another Cookeville,…

15Nov 2024 by David Kravetz

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 3 – June and July

Adventure, Antique Shops, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, Cross Country Road Trips, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Tennessee, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 31, US Highway 70, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs

The month of June 2023 kicked off a very busy couple of months of travel including some big road trips and a long-awaited and long overdue trip to Florida and the Gulf Coast (see post here). The month started off with a visit to Grayson Lake State Park in Kentucky and the area around it including Carter Caves State Park. We had visited both of these places in the past, so I am not posting much from that first week. However, in mid-June Julianne and a friend went kayaking near Magnolia, Kentucky While they did, I made my to Hodgenville, Kentucky and the Lincoln Heritage areas nearby. Hodgenville has a couple of nice Lincoln statues in the town square. And they have a fairly well known hole in the wall…

05Aug 2023 by David Kravetz

2023 Gulf Coast Road Trip: The Overview

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Beaches, Big Cities, Big John, Birds, Books, Bridges, Brown Pelican, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Cities and Towns, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Florida, Found Metal Sculptures, Georgia, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Highways and Roadways, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Muffler Man, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, Nature and Scenery, Offbeat Places, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, US Highway 98, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Whispering Giants, Whispering Giants, Wood Stork, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_37550" align="alignnone" width="640"] On our way for a fun road trip! Autumn in the front with me and Chelsea and Jorge in the back.[/caption] I was thrilled to finally get in a good road trip in July 2023. My last multi-day road trip took place back in October 2022 when I traveled Route 66 in Illinois to celebrate by 66th birthday. The July 2023 was taken south to the Gulf Coast, then along the coastal highways and eventually into New Orleans. From there were went on to Houston, Keller and Uncertain, all in Texas, before heading back to Kentucky. All in all, we traveled 3001 miles over an eight day period and traveled through ten different states. I say we as on this trip I was accompanied by my…

Category: Wanderlust