8154: An Epic Family Road Trip – Less Beaten Paths of America

20Aug 2021 by David Kravetz

Visiting Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: The House of Onyx

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Offbeat Places, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Staycations, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Unique Shops, Wanderlust

[caption id="attachment_33560" align="alignleft" width="255"] House of Onyx Brass Plaque[/caption] Take a drive down North Main Street in Greenville, Kentucky and you will come across a very non-descript tan brick building with a bronze plaque on the front as well as a brass name across the wall. All they say is "House of Onyx Inc." The bronze plaque also includes an inscription with the Established 1967 and the names Fred & Shirley Rowe. My guide, Misty Deason, the Proprietor of Apple House Mercantile, would tell me nothing about the place, but said we were going there and that I would be very surprised. I am always up for a "mysterious place" and so I was all in. [caption id="attachment_33593" align="alignright" width="300"] DFW Elite Toy Museum plaque in Haltom City, Texas[/caption] Only…

19Aug 2021 by David Kravetz

Visiting Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: Apple House Mercantile

Adventure, Antique Shops, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Family Travel, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Nature and Scenery, Selfies, Sheltowee Trace, Staycations, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places

[caption id="attachment_33549" align="alignleft" width="300"] Apple House Mercantile, Central City, Kentucky[/caption] On August 18, 2021 I had the opportunity to get an in-depth visit to Muhlenberg County, Kentucky courtesy of the Misty Deason and also the some of the tour departments in the county. I originally met Misty along the Sheltowee Trace in 2020. She saw some of my photos from the trail and began following me on Facebook. As she had recently opened a new tourist/gift-centric business called Apple House Mercantile in Central City ( 110 W. Everly Brothers Blvd.), she wanted to add my travel books to her inventory. This then blossomed in an invite to visit the county to see the newly dedicated Big Twigs at Lake Malone State Park, as well as a number of other places…

29Jul 2021 by David Kravetz

Book 4 – 8154: An Epic Family Road Trip Across America – NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon

Adventure, Animals, Antelope, Antique Shops, Antsy McClain, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Bison, Books, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, Burger Joints, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Donut Places, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Egret, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Highways and Roadways, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jimmy Jackson, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, National Monuments, National Parks, Nature and Scenery, Nebraska, Nevada, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Oregon, People Shots, Place Names, Post Offices, prairie dogs, Pronghorn Antelope, Quirky Things, Raccoon, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Snow Geese, South Dakota, Street Art, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highway 31, US Highway 60, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Welcome Signs, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_33522" align="alignleft" width="193"] 8154 Cover[/caption] Big News!! My newest book, titled "8154: An Epic Family Road Trip Across America" is now available on Amazon in both print and Kindle versions. The book details the three week long 8,154 mile road trip with my daughter Marissa Noe and her three children. New print programs on Amazon have also made it cheaper than previous books!! The book is 138 pages and full of color photos from 20 different states. I have included a chapter all about how to plan for a long trip like this, especially with children. A long road trip can be a challenge for the kids, so there are all sorts of ideas including in this book for making it fun and memorable for the kids. There are…

03Apr 2021 by David Kravetz

AtoZ Challenge 2021 – Signs Signs – The C Signs #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Canada, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mississippi, Missouri, Murals, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Wall Art, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Welcome to another year of the AtoZ Challenge. This year I am doing signs that I have seen across the country. This post will feature signs associated with the Letter C. ENJOY THE RIDE! We can't avoid signs. They are everywhere. Advertisements, informational signs, directional signs, business signs and, sometimes, even humorous and fun signs. Each of my posts in this years' challenge will feature a hodgepodge of signs I have come across in my travels. In most cases, I'll also note where they were taken. Some were actually inside of shops or otherwise, so not all will have locations. I hope you enjoy this fun trip each day of April. [caption id="attachment_30958" align="alignnone" width="400"] Say Cheese! Beloit, Wisconsin[/caption] If you think my posts are kind of cheesy, you'll find…

25Mar 2021 by David Kravetz

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…

16Sep 2020 by David Kravetz

8154 SNEAK PEAK: New Introduction

Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Oregon, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Washington

While working on my new book 8154, I had written the typical generic introduction to the book. However, since returning in late February, the world has changed dramatically. As a result, I have totally reworked my introduction to the upcoming book of our amazing road trip to the West Coast. As I have written before, this trip took us over 8000 miles through 20 states and much more. Some of my earlier blog posts have detailed parts of this trip. But, on this date (September 16, 2020) the United States is nearing 200,000 deaths as a result of the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 and it is much greater worldwide, the country's economy has taken a terrible downward turn and hundreds of businesses have dropped off of the face of the earth,…

07Jul 2020 by David Kravetz

All Three Less Beaten Paths Books hit TOP 3 in US Travel Chart today

Back Roads, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Less Beaten Paths Books, Wanderlust

Really really excited. I know this will only be for a couple of days, but, my three books are now sitting #1, #2 and #3 on Amazon's Kindle US Travel chart. This is a first for me to hit the US Travel Chart like this. All three of my books are on Day 3 of the FREE Kindle Download (thru 7/9/20 at 4 AM EST). Get one or all at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JVV3PGH WATCH FOR MY NEW BOOK "8154" -- COMING LATER THIS YEAR TO AMAZON I am currently working on my FOURTH book, titled "8154" to represent the mileage of my epic road trip with family. You can visit my Amazon Author Page to see my other books at https://amzn.to/3azY36l

04Jul 2020 by David Kravetz

Less Beaten Paths Books hit Top 3 in Amazon today

Back Roads, Books, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Less Beaten Paths Books, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Whispering Giants, Whispering Giants

Beginning July 4 I set the Kindle versions of my first three books to be FREE downloads for the week. In less than 11 hours, the three books jumped up to the TOP THREE on three Amazon US Travel Charts for Free Kindle Downloads. I think this is a first to be in the Top Three. And, as of this writing, the books are also sitting #3-#5 on the Amazon Travel Food, Lodging and Transportation List. I am currently working on Book Four, titled "8154." (See below for more details) You can download the first three books at https://www.amazon.com/David-Kravetz/e/B0784XVGSW. They are yours to keep! ENJOY THE READ and ENJOY THE RIDE! WATCH FOR MY NEW BOOK "8154" -- COMING SOON TO AMAZON I am currently working on my FOURTH book,…

17Jun 2020 by David Kravetz

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…

11Jun 2020 by David Kravetz

8154: Unique Discoveries and Unplanned Adventures

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Montana, Murals, Museums, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Tourist Traps, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 180, US Highway 385, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Washington, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Wyoming, Yard Art

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 third of a few posts about some of the fun from this EPIC Road Trip. In this post I'll introduce you to some of the unique places we happened upon on our back roads travels. Enjoy the Read! Enjoy the Ride! (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz and, when noted, Marissa Noe) THE JOY OF BACK ROAD TRAVEL One of the reasons I like traveling on…

Tag: 8154: An Epic Family Road Trip