2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 1

2023: Year in Travel and Other Stories – Part 1

Adventure, American Kestrel, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Belted Kingfisher, Camel, Distilleries, Eagles, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Museums, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 31
The year 2023 was a roller coaster ride!!  Some wonderful travel opportunities happened, but there were accidents and operations that seemed to throw hurdles in the way.  Following is a highlight post for the year. [caption id="attachment_37711" align="alignnone" width="640"] Welcome to Hocking Hills, Ohio[/caption] We actually started off 2023 on the road with a trip up to Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio.  My wife met her sister and they camped out in the cold with our daughter in a nice big tent.  I spent the night in a nearby motel in Logan, Ohio.  It was January.  It was cold.  While they slept, I visited Lake Logan State Park to check it out.  Much of the lake was nearly frozen over.  Logan, Ohio is a nice little town. Saw a…
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2023: Life Throws Us Loops But We Move On

2023: Life Throws Us Loops But We Move On

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Belted Kingfisher, Camel, Church Signs, Deer, Distilleries, Eagles, Emu, Geologic Formations, Hiking & Biking, Hiking Trails, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Murals, National and State Parks, Historic Sites and More, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, Sheltowee Trace, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs, Wildflowers
[caption id="attachment_37040" align="alignleft" width="300"] Here goes a new year![/caption] The first 3 months of 2023 were pretty wild for me.  If you, my readers, have wondered about the relative drought of blog posts and book reveals, then read on. I started off the new year with a quick trip to Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio.  My wife, my daughter Marissa and my wife's sister Laura did some hiking and camping.  It was a cold, but fun adventure for them.  They stayed in tents while I stayed in a hotel in nearby Logan, Ohio.  Nothing like starting off the new year with a trip.  While they hiked, I drove around and did my usual sightseeing. Fun for all of us. Hocking Hills is a beautiful place.  It has some nice…
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Towns of America A to Z: The L Towns #atozchallenge

Towns of America A to Z: The L Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alberta, Animals, Antique Shops, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Canada, Church Signs, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Family Travel, Giant Things, Giant Twine Balls, Iowa, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Museums, Nature and Scenery, North Carolina, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Stop Signs, Television Shows, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Unique Shops, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, Virginia, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Wisconsin, Wyoming
I hope you are Loving these A to Z posts and I hope that they are not too Laughable. I am trying not to be Lazy or Lavish, but want to present some places  worth Learning about. These posts are Lengthy, but not quite Legendary.   I hope that you find them Likeable. For me, there is nothing like getting Lost in my wanderings. ENJOY THE READ!  ENJOY THE RIDE! LOVING, TEXAS [caption id="attachment_27847" align="alignleft" width="300"] Loving, Texas Post Office[/caption] I might as well start out with something upbeat and fun.  On Valentine's Day 2020, we arrived in Loving, Texas and sent out Valentine's Days cards to family from there.  Yes indeed, it was planned!! Loving is located in the northern part of Texas, north of Dallas.  It was founded in…
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8154: What’s a Trip Without Faces?

8154: What’s a Trip Without Faces?

Adventure, Animals, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bison, Blue Heron, Books, Buffalo, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Eagles, Egret, Elk, Family Travel, Geese, Horse Art, Idaho, Illinois, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Murals, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Oregon, People Shots, prairie dogs, Quirky Things, Raccoon, Roadside Attractions, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Texas, Tourist Traps, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, 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 fifth of a few posts about some of the fun from this EPIC Road Trip.  In this post I am sharing FACES. What is a trip without faces?  And over 8000 miles of travel opens up the opportunity to see all kinds of faces -- family, friends, strange people, aliens, wild animals, birds, art, statues and who knows what else?  Here are 125 of them. Enjoy…
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8154: Experiencing America’s Amazing Landscapes

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…
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8154: Visiting National and State Parks and the Junior Ranger Programs

8154: Visiting National and State Parks and the Junior Ranger Programs

Adventure, Antelope, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Books, Buffalo, California, Cormorants, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dream Highways, Eagles, Egret, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, prairie dogs, Pronghorn Antelope, Raccoon, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Wanderlust, Washington, Welcome Signs, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_24469" align="alignleft" width="300"] George Washington on Mt. Rushmore in SD[/caption] In early 2020 I traveled across the country over the course of three weeks.    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 second of a few posts about some of the fun from the EPIC Road Trip with my daughter and three grandchildren.  Enjoy the Read! Enjoy the Ride! (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz and, when noted, Marissa Noe) [caption id="attachment_24584" align="alignnone" width="525"] Departing for the Epic Road trip in late January[/caption] Taking a road trip with kids is always a fun…
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AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – Reflections #atozchallenge

AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – Reflections #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Animals, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bison, Bucket List Trips, Buffalo, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Place Names, prairie dogs, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, South Dakota, Swamps, Texas, Tourist Traps, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Washington, Wyoming
In early 2020 I traveled across the country with  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 of my entries highlighted a few stories with photos based on the alphabet and not the order of the trip.  If you missed any of the posts, check out my page with all of the links HERE.  I will reflect back on this past month's posts.  Enjoy the Read! Enjoy the Ride! (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) What a Whirlwind! [caption id="attachment_24114" align="alignnone" width="525"] CA 198 in Sequoia National Park[/caption] Throughout the month of April I participated in the A to Z Challenge.  It…
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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…
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April 2018 Cross-Country Road Trip: The Overview – Kentucky to Washington

Adventure, Animals, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Birds, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dinosaurs, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Horse Art, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, LDS Temples, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Muffler Man, Murals, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Seagulls, Selfies, South Dakota, Street Art, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 6, Utah, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington, Whispering Giants, Wildflowers, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_19571" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam on the Road Again[/caption] In April 2018 I took a nice long road trip from my home in Lexington, Kentucky to my daughter's home in Port Orchard, Washington and back. The itinerary included most places akin to the Good Sam list of campgrounds which my cousin couldn't stop prattling about. Though I was gone for 15 days, I spent nine of them traveling more than 6000 miles through 14 states.  Many of my stops were in anticipation of my new book as I wanted some fresh content to add to it. [caption id="attachment_19561" align="alignright" width="300"] Lots of great two-lanes on this trip[/caption] In the past, I typically wrote one or two huge blog posts about long roadtrips, but, I have decided that a focus on…
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A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The L Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Alberta, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Bike Trails, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Dream Highways, Eagles, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Hot Springs, Idaho, Illinois, Junk Art, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, National Monuments, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oregon, Pelicans, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
In 2018 I  will feature a random (yet alphabetical) selection of photos I have taken from my nearly 20 years of back roads travel in the United States and Canada.  I may even throw in a few random shots from other trips to Japan, Mexico and the Philippines. My theme is called America's Back Roads: A Grab Bag of Places in Pictures.   Lost Springs, Wyoming (Was Population 1, now Population 4) [caption id="attachment_14108" align="alignnone" width="400"] Visited Lost Springs, WY, Pop 1 in 2007. Went back in 2014 and it had grown 400% to Pop 4. And yes, I have a photo of that sign too![/caption] [caption id="attachment_9984" align="alignnone" width="400"] Lost Springs in 2014 - ironically I was wearing the same shirt 7 years later!!![/caption] [caption id="attachment_9983" align="alignnone" width="400"] Lost…
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