Whispering Giants – Less Beaten Paths of America

20Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bike Trails, Books, Bucket List Trips, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, Canada, Church Signs, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Dolphin, Dragons, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Ice Cream Places, Junk Art, Junk-art Sculptures, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Murals, Nature and Scenery, Nature Events, Ocean Scenes, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, People Shots, Peter Wolf Toth, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Street Art, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Unique Shops, US Highway 62, Vintage Neon, Volunteer Fire Departments, Washington, Water Towers, Waterfalls, Welcome Signs, West Virginia, Whispering Giants, Whispering Giants, Woody Guthrie, Yard Art

It may not yet be Obvious, but this one should be an Outstanding post about O towns as seen from my eyes. This is your Opportunity to visit the Only town named Only I hope you find this post Noteworthy while also swinging by a couple of and even one that is just Okay. I'll bring you some Obscure places and many Offbeat attractions in this post as well. ENJOY THE READ! ENJOY THE RIDE! ODDVILLE, KENTUCKY [caption id="attachment_30747" align="alignleft" width="300"] Oddville, Kentucky[/caption] I am going to start off with one close to home here in Kentucky, where I live. Oddville, Kentucky can be found on US 62. The place was established in 1799 and the name was apparently chosen so that its post office, which operated from 1851 to…

03Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alabama, Alberta, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big Cities, Books, Bridges, Buildings, Barns and Houses, Burger Joints, California, Canada, Cities and Towns, Cross Country Road Trips, Delaware, Eateries, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Japan, Kansas, Kentucky, Landscapes, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Murals, Nature and Scenery, Nebraska, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oita, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Philippines, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, South Dakota, Tersier, Texas, Tourist Traps, Travel Blogging, Travel in Japan, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 212, Wanderlust, Water Towers, Welcome Signs, Whispering Giants, Wisconsin

It's another year and another opportunity to provide a fun VIRTUAL road trip. For the 2022 A to Z Challenge, I will be taking you, the readers, to some of the many places I have visited. Almost every little town to every big city has something unique to offer visitors. I hope to take you to some of these places across the United States, and even to Canada, the Philippines and Japan on some select posts, for a virtual trip to see places you may not know about. Today's post covers a number of towns and cities that begin with the letter B. These are all over the place, including the Philippines and Japan!! Although I have a ton of B places, here is a small collection for your to…

01Apr 2022 by David Kravetz

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

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Alligators, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Big Cities, Books, Bridges, Canada, Cities and Towns, Cross Country Road Trips, Donut Places, Eateries, Family Travel, Giant Things, Highways and Roadways, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Murals, Nebraska, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Ontario, Oregon, Peter Wolf Toth, Philippines, Place Names, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Signs and Billboards, Tennessee, Texas, Town Names, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, US Highway 212, Virginia, Wall Art, Washington, Welcome Signs, Whispering Giants

It's another year and another opportunity to provide a fun VIRTUAL road trip. For the 2022 A to Z Challenge, I will be taking you, the readers, to some of the many places I have visited. Almost every little town to every big city has something unique to offer visitors. I hope to take you to some of these places across the United States, and even to Canada, the Philippines and Japan on some select posts, for a virtual trip to see places you may not know about. Today's post covers a number of towns and cities that begin with the letter A. Some are huge cities and some are barely dots on the maps. I hope you'll enjoy this trip. Ironically, on this April 1, I am visiting Anderson,…

17Apr 2020 by David Kravetz

Masking the Whispering Giants of Peter Toth

Peter Wolf Toth, Whispering Giants

[caption id="attachment_22050" align="alignleft" width="300"] American artist Peter Wolf Toth (photo courtesy of the Atlanta Expat[/caption] Since the 1970s, Hungarian-born and American-raised Peter Wolf Toth has busily created his giant hand-carved "Whispering Giants." Every U.S. state has at least one of the 72 giants that he has created. I have featured Peter's Whispering Giants in a few of my blog posts and even dedicated a chapter to these lovely giant carvings dedicated to the plight of the Native North Americans. [caption id="attachment_19665" align="alignnone" width="456"] Whispering Giant by Peter Toth, in Murray, UT[/caption] [caption id="attachment_23532" align="alignright" width="300"] Wearing facemasks out in public. (Photo credit: Salt Lake Tribune)[/caption] Since the beginning of March 2020, the world has been ravaged by the Coronavirus. We have been pushed into "social distancing," keeping away from people. …

23Aug 2019 by David Kravetz

Special About Peter Wolf Toth – Whispering Giants Artist

Adventure, Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Giant Things, Illinois, Interviews, Less Beaten Paths Books, New Mexico, Peter Wolf Toth, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Utah, Whispering Giants

[caption id="attachment_22050" align="alignleft" width="300"] Peter Toth at his studio in April 2018. (Photo used with permission courtesy of Caroline Porsiel, Atlanta Expat Magazine)[/caption] On August 20 I had a wonderful opportunity to spend a couple of hours on the phone with American artist Peter Wolf Toth who took time to speak with me from his Florida Studio. I had contacted Peter to get more details about this interesting man with the intent on adding a chapter about him and his Trail of the Whispering Giants into my new book, which will be available in August 2019. (Actually, the Kindle version is now available...see the link at the end of this post) [caption id="attachment_19548" align="aligncenter" width="525"] With Whispering Giant #61 in Ottawa, Illinois[/caption] If you are not familiar with the Trail…

08Jul 2019 by David Kravetz

June 2019 Road Trip: Fun, Quirky and Offbeat Things

Adventure, Arizona, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Eateries, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Junk Art, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Muffler Man, New Mexico, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Quirky Things, Restroom Signs, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Route 66, Selfies, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places

With any road trip I take, I look for a lot of different things. I can find the offbeat and quirky, the beautiful, the unique, the magical, the historical, the fun and more...all in one trip. I am focused...on the big picture. My June 2019 road trip took me over the road for nearly 6000 miles and through nine states. I tried to stick to back roads wherever possible because that is where the greatest discoveries can be found. In this post, I present to you some of the more unique, fun and, in some cases quirky things that I discovered along the way. There is always something out there. Here are few fun things... Place Names [caption id="attachment_21988" align="alignnone" width="531"] Welcome to Delight, Arkansas[/caption] I am always looking for…

22Apr 2019 by David Kravetz

Everywhere a Sign – Some S Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, BBQ Places, Cross Country Road Trips, Eateries, Idaho, Illinois, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Offbeat Places, Place Names, Post Offices, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, South Dakota, Texas, Town Names, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 2, US Highway 85, US Highway 87, Wanderlust, Washington, Water Towers

Since man could walk, travel has been a part of life. The sensational opportunity to see the world has kept most of us from being sedentary. The singular driving force is the strong desire of discovery. For nearly 50 years I have sought the sensation, the scintillating, the stylish and the silly in my travels. In 2018, that striving for something special continued. I hope you will enjoy some of the S Signs I discovered in my 2018 travels. Enjoy the Read. Enjoy the Ride. Smiley, Texas [caption id="attachment_21323" align="alignnone" width="525"] Smiling in Smiley, Texas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_21291" align="alignnone" width="525"] Smiley, Texas - didn't find many smiles here[/caption] [caption id="attachment_21328" align="alignnone" width="385"] The Smiley Water Tower. Not even a Smiley Face on it![/caption] I was down in Houston in February 2018…

10Apr 2019 by David Kravetz

Everywhere a Sign – Some I Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Adventure, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Beatles, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Iowa, Less Beaten Paths Books, Offbeat Places, Oklahoma, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, Wall Art, Wanderlust

(Editor's Note: For my 2019 posts, I will be posting photos from my travels in 2018. I visited 26 states and drive over 13,000 miles in 2018. These posts will feature of few of the road signs and business signs I came across, as well as some stories behind them. Enjoy the Read and Enjoy the Ride!) I am always Interested in the Incredible variety of unique places in this expansive country of ours. Through my over 13,000 miles of travel in 2018 I saw thousands of signs for roads, places, shops, etc. There aren't too many that begin with the letter I but I did find some...because I had this challenge in mind as I traveled. So, here are the three or four I signs I found in 2018.…

01Apr 2019 by David Kravetz

Everywhere a Sign – Some A Signs From 2018 #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Books, Cross Country Road Trips, Less Beaten Paths Books, Montana, Offbeat Places, Oregon, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Roadsigns, South Dakota, Tourist Traps, Town Names, Unique Places

(Editor's Note: For my 2019 posts, I will be posting photos from my travels in 2018. I visited 26 states and drive over 13,000 miles in 2018. These posts will feature of few of the road signs and business signs I came across, as well as some stories behind them. Enjoy the Read and Enjoy the Ride!) Everywhere you drive you see signs...all kinds of them -- road signs, directional signs, business signs, advertisements, and more. As I drive, with camera by my side, I am always on the look out for something unique, interesting and fun. Here are just a couple of "A" Signs that I came across in my road trips across America in 2018. Alzada, Montana [caption id="attachment_21410" align="alignnone" width="525"] Alzada, Montana[/caption] I drove through Alzada on…

05Mar 2019 by David Kravetz

Travel in 2018: The Best of the Roadside Attractions – Part 1

Adventure, Alabama, Arkansas, Back Roads, Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Colorado, Cross Country Road Trips, Dinosaurs, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Large Statues, Less Beaten Paths Books, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Muffler Man, Nevada, Offbeat Places, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Quirky Things, Roadside Attractions, Route 66, Selfies, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Tourist Traps, Toy Collections, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Utah, Washington, Water Towers, Whispering Giants, Wyoming

[caption id="attachment_20889" align="alignleft" width="225"] Sharkheads in Biloxi, MS[/caption] Obviously, one of my favorite things to do on road trips short or long is locate the fun, unique and offbeat roadside attractions. And, fortunately, 2018 provided me a plethora of these. I have already written about a few of them individually in past months, but this post will be a nice little "photo tour" of some of my favorites. Having been through 26 different states in 2018, I had plenty of sites and loads of fun. I got to share many of these with grandchildren, which made it even better. [caption id="attachment_20271" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Dignity: Of Earth and Sky - 50 foot tall statue by Dale Lamphere[/caption] [caption id="attachment_20268" align="alignright" width="225"] Sumoflam with Dignity near Chamberlain, SD[/caption] Perhaps my favorite from…