Oyate Trail – Less Beaten Paths of America

29Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

V is for Vistas – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alaska, Alberta, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, California, City Skylines, Colorado, Connecticut, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Family Travel, Farmland, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Lighthouses, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, South Dakota, Swamps, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Utah, Virginia, Wanderlust, Washington, Waterfalls, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Vistas are the joy of back roads travel. Every corner, every crest of a hill, every mile offers a new vista. And this country has some spectacular and splendid vistas. Over the years I have seen some amazing vistas. Whether they be in the deserts of the southwest, the high plains of Montana or on the oceans in the east or the west, the views are endless and inspiring. Following are some of the vistas I have enjoyed and their locations. Enjoy the ride and the views. [caption id="attachment_4039" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Sunset at the Badlands in South Dakota[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2194" align="aligncenter" width="660"] St. Anthony Sand Dunes in Idaho[/caption] [caption id="attachment_15120" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A view of the Portland Head Light in Maine[/caption] [caption id="attachment_18082" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Hills of Shenandoah Valley in…

08Apr 2017 by David Kravetz

G is for Grandeur – #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arizona, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Bison, Buffalo, California, City Skylines, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Enchanted Highway, Family Travel, Farmland, Florida, Geologic Formations, Idaho, Kentucky, Landscapes, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Mountains, National Monuments, National Parks, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pelicans, Pennsylvania, Pronghorn Antelope, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Sandhill Cranes, Selfies, South Dakota, Swamps, Texas, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Utah, Virginia, Volcanic Sites, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

The United States is a vast and diverse country. From sea to shining sea there are sweeping vistas and spectacular scenes of nature. The grandeur of this country is not seen on the interstate highways, but on the back roads and the gravel roads that have woven the fiber of this country. [caption id="attachment_17743" align="aligncenter" width="672"] Grandeur as seen on a back road in North Dakota - The Enchanted Highway[/caption] [caption id="attachment_15481" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mt. Moran in the Grand Tetons as seen from Colter Bay Lodge[/caption] I am always awestruck by the superb landscapes that one can witness on the back roads. Some of these landscapes, such as the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains, are known by everybody. But there are so many more spectacles to feast your eyes…

27Apr 2016 by David Kravetz

A to Z Challenge: The W Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Antsy McClain, Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bison, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Covered Bridges, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, Iowa, Landscapes, Large Statues, Lewis and Clark Sites, Mountains, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, Ontario, Place Names, Post Offices, Random Thoughts, Roadside Attractions, Rocky Mountains, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, US Highway 14, US Highway 16, US Highway 169, US Highway 20, US HIghway 59, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers, Wyoming, Yard Art

During the month of April I am participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. The challenge has each blogger select a theme and then do a post thematically from A to Z during each day of April , except Sundays. My blog is number 1337 out of 1670 participating blogs. This year my A to Z posts will take you across the back roads of America to many unique towns. To see what other bloggers will be posting about, check out the link: A to Z Theme Reveal List for 2016 The W Towns Wharton, Texas [caption id="attachment_11309" align="alignnone" width="300"] Future of Wharton, TX Mural by Dayton Wordrich[/caption] [caption id="attachment_11321" align="alignnone" width="300"] Buildings in downtown Wharton, TX[/caption] [caption id="attachment_11564" align="alignnone" width="300"] Tee Pee Motel in Wharton, TX[/caption] [caption…

05Apr 2016 by David Kravetz

A to Z Challenge: The D Towns #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge, Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Horse Art, Illinois, Jackalope, Landscapes, Large Statues, Lewis and Clark Sites, Murals, Museums, Mythical Creatures, Ohio, Place Names, Post Offices, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Wall Art, Washington, Water Towers, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art

During the month of April I am participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. The challenge has each blogger select a theme and then do a post thematically from A to Z during each day of April , except Sundays. My blog is number 1337 out of 1670 participating blogs. This year my A to Z posts will take you across the back roads of America to many unique towns, some known for their names, other for unique sites in town. To see what other bloggers will be posting about, check out the link: A to Z Theme Reveal List for 2016 The D Towns Douglas, Wyoming [caption id="attachment_560" align="alignnone" width="300"] Large Jackalope - Douglas, WY[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10135" align="alignnone" width="300"] Another Jackalope is spotted in Douglas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9979"…

09Jun 2013 by David Kravetz

South Dakota Backroads: Prairie Dogs and Badlands

Backroads Discoveries, Bison, Deer, Family Travel, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, National Parks, Place Names, prairie dogs, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, South Dakota, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wildflowers

Badlands National Park[/caption] On my previous post I covered my travels from Omaha to Kadoka, South Dakota along the Oyate Trail. This post covers the second part of that day, basically, my visit to the hauntingly wondrous Badlands National Park in western South Dakota. [caption id="attachment_4031" align="aligncenter" width="284"] Scrappy the Scrap Metal Buck by Brett Prang[/caption] Before I get into the Badlands visit, one more final comment about Kadoka. While at a gas station off if I-90 I came across this giant scrap metal buck. I did some research and found out that it's name is "Scrappy" and it is the creation of metal artist Brett Prang, who resides in the Badlands area and runs Incredible Metal from his Guest House and their Frying Pan Ranch. I wish I would…

07Jun 2013 by David Kravetz

South Dakota Backroads: The Oyate Trail across southern South Dakota

Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Eateries, Edgar Cruz, Family Travel, Flowers, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Horses, Landscapes, Lewis and Clark Sites, Murals, National Parks, North Dakota, Pelicans, Place Names, prairie dogs, Roadside Attractions, South Dakota, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 18, US Highway 83, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Water Towers

Land of the Pheasants - southern South Dakota[/caption] In early April 2013 I had the opportunity to drive across the Hi-Line (US Route 2) in Northern Montana and then made our way to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore and all the across South Dakota to Mitchell and the Corn Palace. With another work trip to Idaho, I took a different route and, similar to the Hi-Line Drive, I mainly took US Route 18 (also known as the Oyate Trail) as it crosses most of South Dakota. It goes through many small and unique towns. [caption id="attachment_4002" align="aligncenter" width="201"] Oyate Trail[/caption] The Oyate Trail is a 388 mile route that generally follows SD 50 and US Route 18 across southern South Dakota. The name is derived from the Lakota word…