Unique Town Names Redux 2023

Unique Town Names Redux 2023

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, California, Church Signs, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Indiana, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maryland, Murals, Nebraska, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unique Places, US Highway 77, US Highway 87, Volunteer Fire Departments, Water Towers, Welcome Signs
Back in 2017 I published the first book in my Less Beaten Paths of America travel book series.  Titled "Unique Named Towns," I featured a number of  towns and places that I had visited over the years.  You can see (and even order)  that book on Amazon if interested. Since then, I have continued to travel and come across the unique, fun and quirky places.  This post is all about these great places.  However, don't expect any fantastic scenery pictures in this post.  Signs and selfies with signs aren't really anything to shout home about, but they do tell the story of how fun America can be.  I am only adding a few for fun here. [caption id="attachment_26768" align="alignnone" width="358"] Less Beaten Paths books[/caption] In writing this, I want to…
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Roadtrippin’ 2020: The Roadways – Seeing the USA on back roads

Roadtrippin’ 2020: The Roadways – Seeing the USA on back roads

Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, Roadsigns, Route 66, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, US 129, US Highway 101, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 16A, US Highway 2, US Highway 20, US Highways, Washington, Wyoming
[caption id="attachment_30279" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sumoflam stands among the giant Redwoods on the Avenue of the Giants[/caption] The most time consuming part of any extended road trip is being on the road.  For me, this is the icing on the cake.  Sure, I love to see all of the quirky places, unique towns, Mom and Pop eateries and more.  But, there is something about driving a two-lane highway (or narrow road or even gravel road) that brings out the wanderlust in me big time.  Watching those white/yellow lines pass by while seeing the scenery, wildlife, buildings, etc., as I drive by, is one of the best parts of travel.  Of course, a good soundtrack, like the thousands of songs on my Spotify playlists, also adds to the fun. I am a…
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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: Unique Discoveries and Unplanned Adventures

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…
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AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The Z Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Ghost Towns, Kentucky, Less Beaten Paths Books, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places
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 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 Z Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Getting a Bucket list item Knocked Out Though there are few places in the U.S. that start with a Z, one of the most well-known has generally been only a pipe dream for me.  Well, on the 8154 road trip, I…
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AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The Y Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Farmland, Kentucky, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mountains, National Parks, New Mexico, Ocean Scenes, Oregon, Place Names, Roadsigns, Route 66, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 2, Washington
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 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 Y Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) EnjoY the rYde  as we drYve Across America - Part Two Throughout the course of our 8154 Road Trip, there was not anything with an X or a Y in it.  So, I thought I would take readers on a Virtual…
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AtoZ Challenge 2020 – 8154: An Epic Road Trip – The I Stories #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Illinois, Iowa, Landscapes, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mountains, National Monuments, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, South Dakota, Texas, Town Names, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Welcome Signs
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 I Stories. (all photography by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz) Iowa - Welcome to Iowa On our trip we hit a small corner of Iowa as we drove north on Interstate 29 from Missouri to Nebraska.…
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Montana Trip: US Highway 89 thru Montana – North 89

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Horses, Landscapes, Large Statues, Montana, Murals, Museums, National Monuments, National Parks, Place Names, prairie dogs, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, States and Provinces, Train Bridges, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, US Highway 287, US Highway 89, US Highways, Vintage Neon
[caption id="attachment_9398" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Snow covered mountains of Glacier National Park as seen from US 89 just south of US Route 2 near Browning, MT[/caption] As I continued my trip in Montana, I spent some time with my daughter and her children in Shelby.  From there I proceeded to head back to Kentucky the "back roads" way over a number of US Highways and State Highways. [caption id="attachment_9399" align="aligncenter" width="474"] US Route 2 and US Route 89[/caption] My goal was to travel the majority of Montana's US 89 during this trip.  I did not hit the portion north of Browning to Alberta on this trip, though I have traveled it in the past.  In fact, over the years I have traveled US 89 from the Canadian border all the way…
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