A Visit to Heaven: The Grand Tetons

23Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

A Visit to Heaven: Jackson, Wyoming and the Grand Tetons

Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Fox, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Landscapes, Mountains, Murals, National Parks, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 89, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wyoming, Yard Art

Grand Tetons[/caption] March 13, 2013: Today was heavenly...WOW!! I spent the day with my niece and her husband and we traveled east from Rexburg over Teton Pass to Jackson, Wyoming and then north to Grand Teton National Park. Jackson, WY and Grand Tetons [caption id="attachment_2123" align="aligncenter" width="199"] "Mountain Man" by Steve Horn - Horn Mountain Gallery in Tetonia, ID[/caption] Our first stop on the road to Jackson was in Tetonia, ID. We made a stop outside of Horn Mountain Living to get the shot of the "Mountain Man" sculpture above, which was done by Steve Horn. Steve moved to Teton Valley over 30 years ago and lived as a mountain man prior to that. He is completely self-taught and gives his Creator full credit for his abilities. He has since…

21Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 4: Shelby, MT to Rexburg, ID

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, South Dakota

Cabin in the Snow[/caption] March 25, 2013: After a fabulous couple of days in Shelby, MT with my daughter, her husband and all the kids, it was back on the road for the last leg of the trip to Rexburg. This was basically a straight shot down I-15 thru Great Falls, Helena and Butte. Unfortunately, the day started off pretty snowy and yucky. [caption id="attachment_1998" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Gas Station in Shelby, MT[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1999" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Interstate 15 heading South towards Great Falls[/caption] By the time I had hit the Great Falls area, the weather was basically clearing up and so it was more or less smooth sailing to Helena. I was provided an excellent view of Tower Rock State Park. [caption id="attachment_1960" align="aligncenter" width="300"] South on I-15 towards Tower…

18Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 3: Miles City, MT to Shelby, MT

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, South Dakota

Antelope on the Run[/caption] Day 3 - March 10, 2013: A beautiful morning in Miles City, Montana. A cool 45 degrees and bright sunny skies. Should be a wonderful day to drive to Shelby, about 6 or 7 hours away. Following is the path I took to Shelby from Miles City: Miles City to Shelby, Montana [caption id="attachment_1942" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Welcome to Miles City[/caption] Miles City is a town of about 8500 people in Custer County in the far southeast of Montana. The town was founded in 1877 by settlers who had been evicted by General Nelson A. Miles from the Tongue River Cantonment for selling alcohol to the soldiers. It is a typical Western town and actually similar to some Texas towns I have been to. [caption id="attachment_1935" align="aligncenter"…

13Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 2: Savage, MN to Miles City, MT

Backroads Discoveries, Bison, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geese, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Lewis and Clark Sites, Minnesota, Montana, Murals, North Dakota, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 2, Wall Art, Yard Art

Rural Scene on Enchanted Highway, South of Gladstone, ND[/caption] I embarked on Day 2 of my trip to Idaho - left Savage, MN in the midst of snow and fog. The roads were scary heading northwest to Fargo, ND. [caption id="attachment_1818" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Snowy highways in Minnesota[/caption] Today (March 9, 2013) was the second leg of my trip to Idaho. Today I drove from Savage, MN to Miles City, MT. I drove 781 miles over a 14 hour stretch. Following is the map of the trip. View Larger Map My first stop along the way was for gas. I stopped in Avon, MN.....which, I discovered, is also the home of the Lake Wobegon Trail. The trail is 46 miles long and 10 feet wide. It opened in 1998. Avon is…

10Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 1: Lexington, KY to Savage, MN

Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Missouri, South Dakota, States and Provinces

Sunset in Northern Iowa[/caption] A couple of days ago I was informed I have an opportunity for some work in Idaho, and possibly full time employment. They want me to come out for two weeks and suggested I drive out instead of fly, especially since they know I love to do that. So, today (March 8) I drove 848 miles over a 15 1/2 hour stretch, finally arriving in Savage, MN for the night. Following is the map of the trip: Lexington, KY to Savage MN I left Lexington at about 6 AM and just drove straight through Indianapolis and eventually made my way to Advance, IN. This is a small town located in Boone County. I went there because of the name. [caption id="attachment_1780" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Advance, Indiana[/caption] Advance…

03Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Looking Back: Places Gone But Not Forgotten

Bridges, Colorado, North Dakota, Route 66, South Dakota

THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO THE THOUSANDS WHO EITHER LOST THEIR LIVES OR WERE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THE TERRIBLE EVENTS OF SEPT. 11, 2001 [caption id="attachment_1757" align="aligncenter" width="640"] World Trade Center and Statue of Liberty - Dec. 1990[/caption] All of us have been to a local store or restaurant that is now no longer in business. Many times we drive by the empty shell of the former restaurant or store and may have a sense of sadness. I know that here in Lexington I can probably drive by well over a dozen such restaurant locations and probably as many store locations. World Trade Center - Formerly in New York City Sometimes, similar things happen to tourist attractions, roadside attractions and the like. I am pleased that I have had an…

02Mar 2013 by David Kravetz

Another Central Kentucky Roadtrip – Stanford and Crab Orchard

Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Route 66

Old Pepsi Wall Ad - downtown Stanford, KY[/caption] On Thursday (Feb. 28, 2013) my wife and I made a trip to Stanford, KY for a meeting. Stanford is the second oldest town in the state and Lincoln County is one of Kentucky's three original counties. Benjamin Logan accompanied Daniel Boone to the area and in 1775 built a fort in what is now Stanford. It was originally called Logan's Fort. A diorama replica of the fort is housed in the Lincoln County Public Library. I figured that while we were in Stanford we could also catch a bit of the history and scenery of of the area, so we made it a half day "Sumoflam Road Trip" and took some back roads. Following is the map of our route for…

22Feb 2013 by David Kravetz

Now For Something Completely Different – My Backroads Bucket List

Backroads Discoveries

Banff, Alberta, Canada[/caption] So often on this blog I write of where I have been and what I have seen, but, I also have dreams of some huge road trips. Perhaps my biggest dream is to go to Alaska via Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon Territory. I have even gotten my free booklet from NorthtoAlaska.com entitled "The Ultimate North American Road Trip". If I were to do this trip, the following would be my mapped route: My Ultimate Dream Trip Some of the sights I would want to see (all photos taken from the North to Alaska website -- since I have not been to these places yet...) [caption id="attachment_1701" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Spirit Island, Jasper NP, Alberta[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1698" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Kinuseo Falls, Monkman BC[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1700" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Spectrum…

16Feb 2013 by David Kravetz

A dream day – Kentucky Back Roads driving and then Tommyfest in E-town

Amish Country, Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Eateries, Edgar Cruz, Family Travel, Farmland, Kentucky, Landscapes, Michael Kelsey, Musicians, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Tommy Emmanuel, Town Names, Trinity Music Productions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places

Tommy Emmanuel, c.g.p. and Michael Kelsey courtesy of Marc Manning[/caption] Today (Feb. 15, 2013) was one of those delightful days when I got to enjoy most of my passions...mainly travel, photography and music. Ultimately, the main reason for the trip was to go to Elizabethtown to see Tommy Emmanuel and Michael Kelsey. But, I took the long way to do it. Following is a map with the stops I made. View Gravel Switch to E-Town in a larger map [caption id="attachment_1613" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Perryville Mural[/caption] I drove from Lexington thru Danville and then into Perryville. I made a quick drive through the old Merchant's Row area of Perryville. [caption id="attachment_1614" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Merchant's Row Plaque[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1616" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Severed Head Trading Post[/caption] After Perryville it…

13Feb 2013 by David Kravetz

I've Been Everywhere – Part IV: Just a few more fun signs

Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Colorado, Horses, Missouri, Place Names, Route 66, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Trinity Music Productions, Yard Art

Welcome to Mars[/caption] Perhaps Mars, Pennsylvania is the most famous of our planet named towns in the US. No one is sure how the name "Mars" came into being. Some say it was Samuel Park's wife, who enjoyed astronomy, and others aver that it might be shortened from Samuel Marshall's name. In any case, on March 6, 1895, Mars was incorporated as a borough. Residents of Mars are often called "Martians", or "Planets" because of the high school team name, The Fighting Planets. There are a number of other places in the U.S. named after planets. SenseList.com has a nice list of the many town names and place names. Of all of those on that list, perhaps the most well known would include Jupiter, FL, and Blue Earth, MN, which…