April 2018 Cross-Country Road Trip: Dignity of Earth and Sky Statue in South Dakota

Adventure, Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Kansas, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Lewis and Clark Sites, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Whispering Giants
[caption id="attachment_20268" align="alignleft" width="225"] Sumoflam with Dignity near Chamberlain, SD[/caption] I love having the opportunity to come upon new and unplanned discoveries in my roadtrips.  While traveling, I constantly check my Roadside America app (which is available for iPhone download here) which has a handy dandy location finder and will tell you the closest of their featured attractions.  While driving through South Dakota near Chamberlain, I did so and came across "Dignity: A 50 foot-tall Indian Woman" statue entry.  Turns out it is located at a rest area near Chamberlain, SD overlooking the Missouri River valley way below.  It was also a Lewis and Clark stopover. [caption id="attachment_20271" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Dignity: Of Earth and Sky - 50 foot tall statue by Dale Lamphere[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20270" align="alignright" width="225"] Dignity statue as…
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A Grab Bag from America’s Back Roads – The S Things #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alberta, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Birds, Books, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, California, Car Art, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Dream Highways, Eateries, Elephants, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Junk Art, Kansas, Kentucky, Kumamoto, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Rocky Mountains, Sandhill Cranes, Seagulls, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Virginia, Washington, 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.   Sunset Motel - Belle Fourche, South Dakota [caption id="attachment_19410" align="alignnone" width="400"] Great little place in the geographic center of the continental US![/caption] [caption id="attachment_19409" align="alignnone" width="400"] Always like places with these old keys![/caption] Spider Volkswagen - Wolf Creek, Oregon [caption id="attachment_5755" align="alignnone" width="400"] Spider Volkswagen - Wolf Creek, Oregon[/caption] Sandwich, New Hampshire WARNING: They do not have a place to get a sandwich in Sandwich. No Joke!…
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Sumoflam’s 2017 Travels in Review

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Bike Trails, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Burger Joints, Caves and Caverns, City Skylines, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Deer, Delaware, Eagles, Eateries, Eclipse, Family Travel, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, LDS Temples, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Murals, National Monuments, National Parks, New York, North Carolina, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Staycations, Street Art, Television Shows, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Train Bridges, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Virginia, Wall Art, Wanderlust, Waterfalls, West Virginia
[caption id="attachment_18682" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sunrise in Ocean City, MD on New Year's Day 2017[/caption] On January 1, 2017 I sat on a beach in Ocean City, Maryland to watch a spectacular sunrise and pondered to myself about the opportunities I would have to travel throughout the year. Little did I really know the extent that I would actually contact a mini bus rental in Chicago and travel over the year and I’m grateful that I’ve had a wonderful year of seeing more of this beautiful country.   [caption id="attachment_18697" align="alignright" width="300"] Oddville, Kentucky[/caption] Beginning with that glorious morning in Maryland, over the course of the year I have driven nearly 15,000 miles on road trips, many to visit family or be with family, but all of the trips have been…
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Back at the Blogging – Lots of Catching Up to Do

Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Caves and Caverns, City Skylines, Eateries, Family Travel, Giant Things, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, National Parks, New York, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Waterfalls, West Virginia
[caption id="attachment_18651" align="alignleft" width="169"] Big Mike's Mystery House in Cave City, KY[/caption] It has been a while since I’ve written in the blog. The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity beginning in July with a family reunion and continuing on with the new job at comicbook.com. In the midst of all of that I have spent the last couple of months using most of my “writing time“ to complete my first book which was referred to in my previous post a couple of days ago. Now that that book is published and on Amazon.com. I’m going to try to knock out a few of the blog posts that have been piling up on me. Over the next couple of weeks you’ll see blog posts about the new murals…
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