Ten Giant Reasons to Visit North Dakota

20Nov 2014 by David Kravetz

Ten Giant Reasons to Visit North Dakota

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Birds, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Enchanted Highway, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, National Parks, North Dakota, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, Water Towers, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_11604" align="aligncenter" width="699"] MapLoco States I Have Visited[/caption] In the last few days there has been a viral survey on Facebook (seems like there is one every week!!). Simply put, "How Many States Have You Visited" is fun for all because it is simple and adds color and is really a "go viral" piece. MapLoco.com has apparently used it to draw attention to their site. I did it and my results are above - yes, I only have three states to go. Many of my friends have done it as well and one common theme I found among many of them....they had not yet been to North Dakota. In fact, a couple of my friends even indicated that they may never find a reason to go to North Dakota.…

12Aug 2014 by David Kravetz

Taking the Long Way Home from Nebraska – 800 miles in a day

Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Farmland, Giant Things, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Large Statues, Missouri, Muffler Man, Nebraska, Roadside Attractions, Unexpected Discoveries, Water Towers

[caption id="attachment_10327" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Giant Clouds over Concordia, Missouri[/caption] The best and worst part of a long road trip is the coming home part. Its always nice to be at home in my own bed after a grueling trip across the country. But, it is bittersweet. All of the adventures, sights, sounds and exhilaration are behind me. The last leg of the trip is usually on the Interstates to get home as quickly as possible (with a few brief stops along the way). This trip was no different. My trip home was the "long way home" as it covered over 870 miles on the last day as I traveled straight from Grand Island, Nebraska to Lexington (via Kansas City and St. Louis in order to visit a friend in KC).…

13Jun 2014 by David Kravetz

Dreams Come True in Bemidji, MN

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Horse Art, Large Statues, Minnesota, Muffler Man, Mythical Creatures, Roadside Attractions, States and Provinces, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Yard Art

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Bemidji, Minnesota while on a road trip to Montana. I wrote a little blurb about it on my blog post about driving US Route 2 across the state of Minnesota. [caption id="attachment_8771" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Welcome to Bemidji, Minnesota[/caption] Bemidji, Minnesota is one of the ultimate "quirky places" to visit in Minnesota and for me it is a dream come true place to visit. Here is why: [caption id="attachment_8776" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Life Magazine article on Bemidji and Paul Bunyan statue in February 1945[/caption] My whole fascination with travel and the birth of my wanderlust can be traced back to about 1963 when I was a young 7 year old in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Even now I can recall flipping through a book about the…

09Nov 2013 by David Kravetz

Creating the Wanderlust – 30 Years of Back Roads Travel with Family – Pt 2

Alberta, Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Large Statues, Minnesota, Montana, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, North Dakota, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Travel with grandchildren, Wisconsin, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_7268" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Akela Flats near Deming, New Mexico, December 1999[/caption] This is Part 2 of a Three Part series on "Creating the Wanderlust" - how I have shared travel experiences with my children and grandchildren over the last 30+ years and how this has opened their eyes to the world around them. You can see Part 1 here. During 1996 and 1997 we didn't travel much though we did visit a couple of Kentucky sites including the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln near Hodgenville, KY and Cumberland Gap. [caption id="attachment_7271" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Chelsea and Seth at the Lincoln Birthplace monument in Hodgenville, Kentucky July 4, 1997[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6850" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Kids with Grandpa Kravetz at Cumberland Gap in 1997[/caption] The big highlight of 1997 was when our 1995 French…

18Oct 2013 by David Kravetz

Vintage Neon Everywhere

Arkansas, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, BBQ Places, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, South Dakota, States and Provinces, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_6800" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Old Mojo Gas Sign - Rock Springs, Wyoming[/caption] Everywhere I go I see old neon. These signs remind me of the my youthful days in the 1960s and 70s when we traveled. Alas, for many, the only signs they see are the same unoriginal fast food, gas station and motel chain signs all over the place. But, in the by gone days there were few McDonald's and Motel 6 spots. Instead, there were the little cozy motels with the old metal chairs in the front and the unique neon signs. There were the local burger joints with their big shiny signs. And there were the drive in movie theaters and the downtown theatres with their unique names. Here is a trip down memory lane with neon…

13Oct 2013 by David Kravetz

A 5 Day Midwest Adventure: Day 5 – Columbia, St. Louis, Ra66it Ranch and a Fire Breathing Dragon

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Large Statues, Muffler Man, Mythical Creatures, National Monuments, National Parks, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, States and Provinces, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Wildflowers

[caption id="attachment_6504" align="aligncenter" width="512"] University of Missouri - Columbia, Missouri[/caption] The final day of our five day whirlwind trip to Nebraska and back began in Columbia, Missouri and took us through St. Louis and then some interesting spots in Illinois along old Route 66 and then eventually home to Lexington. Following is our final day route: View Larger Map - Columbia, MO to Lexington, KY Columbia was a pleasant surprise. A beautiful college town with lots of murals and color and historical buildings, like the administration building for the University of Missouri (shown above). Before we headed down the road towards St. Louis, we took a brief drive around Columbia. Here are a few shots: [caption id="attachment_6495" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Colorful Phone Booth in downtown Columbia, MO[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6496" align="aligncenter" width="300"]…

13Oct 2013 by David Kravetz

Henry’s Ra66it Ranch – Staunton, Illinois

Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, Car Art, Found Metal Sculptures, Illinois, Large Statues, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, States and Provinces, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_6605" align="aligncenter" width="163"] Historic Route 66 in Illinois[/caption] This Post is actually a continuation of my Post on a bigger road trip in the Midwest. But, due to the nature and value of this place in Americana, I have created a separate post. Henry's Ra66it Ranch (the 66 instead of "bb" is intentional) celebrates Route 66 and the people along the highway with its emporium of highway and trucking memorabilia that includes a collection of Campbell's "Humpin' to Please" trailers next to a replica of a vintage gas station. [caption id="attachment_6606" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Henry's Ra66it Ranch in Staunton, IL[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6631" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Official Route 66 Roadside Attraction[/caption] This is one of those vintage Americana places, even though it has not been around for much more than 10-15 years.…

01Oct 2013 by David Kravetz

A 5 Day Midwest Adventure – Day 3: Hanging around Nebraska City, NE

Animals, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Car Art, Eateries, Giant Things, Nebraska, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Squirrels, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Wall Art, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_6180" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Old Car - Nebraska City, Nebraska[/caption] After two days of hard driving with three children, we were ready for a brief break. Marissa's friends live near Nebraska City, so we stayed here for a couple of nights. After a good night's rest, I took them over to the Arbor Day Farm so that they could enjoy each others company. Nebraska City is also the home of Arbor Day, which is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. It originated in Nebraska City United States by J. Sterling Morton. The first Arbor Day was held in Nebraska on April 10, 1872. [caption id="attachment_6254" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Arbor Day Farm Tree House - 50 feet tall (from arbordayfarm.org)[/caption] I didn't attend the Arbor…

20Sep 2013 by David Kravetz

A 5 Day Midwest Adventure – Day 2: Walcott, IA to Nebraska City, NE

Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Iowa, Nebraska, Roadside Attractions, Television Shows, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wildflowers

[caption id="attachment_6137" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Welcome to Nebraska[/caption] Day 2 of my trip with Marissa would take us through Iowa and into Nebraska. I promised to be a fun day of driving the backroads of the Midwest (kind of....) View Larger Map - Walcott, IA to Nebraska City, NE With the Grandkidz with us, every morning was an early one, so we were on the road in Walcott fairly early. First thing I saw as I stepped out of the hotel was this big semi carrying a blade for a wind turbine. This would set the stage for some subsequent visits along the road this day. You never really know how big these are until you have a frame of reference, like a huge truck. [caption id="attachment_6061" align="aligncenter" width="576"] Truck with…

18Sep 2013 by David Kravetz

A 5 Day Midwest Adventure – Day 1: Lexington, KY to Walcott, IA

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Car Art, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Giant Things, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Large Statues, Roadside Attractions, States and Provinces, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Yard Art

[caption id="attachment_5990" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Danville, Illinois[/caption] On September 9, 2013 I had the opportunity to accompany my daughter and three grand kids on a an adventure across the midwest from Kentucky to Omaha, Nebraska. She wanted to visit her close friend there and needed a "tour planner and driver." I was free and able to make the journey. All totaled, we spent 5 days on the road visiting spots in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. This post covers our adventures on Day 1 as we made our way to Walcott, Iowa, home of the World's Largest Truck Stop. View Larger Map - Lexington, KY to Walcott, IA We left plenty early so that we could hit Indianapolis by early morning with the intent to surprise the three grand kids…

Tag: Roadside America