On the road trip — Photo journal 2017, week 23

I made my first road trip at the ripe old age of two-and-a-half, when my parents took me for a drive from Connecticut to Maine more than a half a century ago. Many years later, when I was approaching that half century mark, I realized that while I hadn’t been to many countries, I had been to a lot of states. A reasonable goal then might be to see if I could get to all 50. So far, I’ve been to 48.

Me in Maine. Photo courtesy of the Drasky Family Archives.

Since 2011 (that fateful half century year), I started keeping track of my road trips on a Tumblr blog called On the Road (Trip).

Having just finished a road trip from San Francisco to Death Valley and the Eastern Sierras, I spent this past Friday night getting it documented. Like all Tumblr projects, this is of course meant to be turned into a book, and then, a major motion picture. So, Hollywood, if you’re listening….

At least half of the photo taking journey is spent developing or editing, uploading and categorizing, tagging and essentially trying to keep track. I’d say the road trip blog has been a very effective way for me to document some travel photos. Some day, I hope to be able to go back through years of photos of road trips that I took before I started On the Road (Trip) and write them up. Then we’ll have a 10-part Netflix series!

Until then, I’ve got a few roadside attractions to share. Enjoy!

The pool at the Days Inn across the street from Graceland in Memphis, TN. Every room had an Elvis theme. Photo by Kathy Drasky.

In case you were wondering how ice cream gets its start. Somewhere in Michigan. Photo by Kathy Drasky.

The Midwest constantly reminds you that it’s time to eat (corn in Iowa, chicken in Indiana). Photos by Kathy Drasky.

In the South, they’re more concerned with borders. South of the Border in South Carolina and swimming to Cuba from Key West, FL. Photos by Kathy Drasky.

Meanwhile in California, the desert attracts folk artists who think both big and small. A tiny Crochet Museum in Joshua Tree and Leonard Knight’s monument to God and love, Salvation Mountain. Photos by Kathy Drasky.

The King Kong “oasis” off Highway 80 in Lincoln, NE was by far one of the strangest road food experiences (try the hummus!), but I never get tired of visiting Superdawg in Chicago, IL. (I’ve been there three times!) Photos by Kathy Drasky.

On the Arkansas/Tennessee border. I’ve been meaning to make a playlist. Photo by Kathy Drasky.

Tulsa, OK. Photo by Kathy Drasky.

There are many replicas of this famous roadside attraction, but my Dad and I persevered and found the original Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji, MN. Photo by Kathy Drasky.

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