The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota

"I've been all around this great big world

And I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather go to

Than the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota"

--Wierd Al Yankovic

 

 

 

 

 

 

Darwin, Minnesota

   

Weird "Al"ley, hahaha

 

The ball of twine is cool, but the pliers carved out of a single piece of wood is really impressive.

 

Geographic Center of the US*

*not including Alaska, Hawaii and US territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam. 

We reached the middle.  Just north of the town of Lebanon, Kansas is a triangular patch of land that marks the geometric centroid of the 48 contiguous United States. 

  

 

 

One way to find a centroid is to cut the shape out of a uniform flat material like plywood, then hang it from two different position and draw a vertical line from each.  The intersection of the two lines is the centroid. (Wikipedia)

 

Worlds Largest Ball of Twine

In north central Kansas, just 23 miles from the geographic center of the 48 contiguous US states, in the town of Cawker City, is the worlds largest ball of sisal twine.  This ball continues to grow by visitors who are invited to add to it. 

 

 

 

Chihuly Glass

Dale Chihuly is an artist from Tacoma, Washington who specializes in blown glass.  We have been lucky enough to see two large exhibits of his work, one in Seattle and one in Oklahoma City.

Seattle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oklahoma City 

 

 

 

  

Agate Fossil Bed National Monument

 We visited the Agate Fossil beds in western Nebraska where 20 million years ago a relative of the beaver dug corkscrew shaped burrows.  These burrows later filled in with volcanic ash and sand which fossilized.