Road Trip USA: Discovering a Different America

Tag : twine ball

The lure of the open road is a favorite theme in U.S. popularculture. Immortalized in literature, music and film, the so-calledGreat American Road Trip is a rite of passage for American youthseeking adventure and is also a popular vacation choice forfamilies.
Traversing the United States by car is an invitation to supplement- or ditch - the standard tourist agenda and seek out some of thecountry's most treasured oddities: quirky local attractions thatoffer a glimpse at America's lighter side. These curiosities can befound in every state, and opinions vary as to which ones are wortha visit. In the interest of offering some guidance to noveltyseekers, America.gov has undertaken a brief (and very limited)survey of unconventional U.S. attractions.
GREAT BALLS OF TWINE
No fewer than four contenders vie for the title of the "World'sLargest Ball of Twine," an object that delights visitors with itsutter pointlessness.
The oldest contender - located in Darwin, Minnesota - is billed asthe largest such object ever constructed by a single person.Francis A. Johnson began wrapping twine into a ball in the early1950s and continued until his death in 1989. Measuring 40 feet (12meters) in circumference and weighing 17,400 pounds (7,900kilograms), Johnson's ball of twine has become a source of civicpride. Townspeople celebrate "Twine Ball Day" every August.
Frank Stoeber, of Cawker City, Kansas, regarded Johnson's ball as achallenge and decided to start his own. He died in 1974 beforesurpassing Johnson's record, but every August, a "Twine-a-thon" isheld where people add more twine to the ball. It now ranks as theworld's largest and heaviest ball of sisal twine, currentlyweighing almost 18,000 pounds (8,165 kilograms) and measuring 40feet (12 meters) in circumference.
The third contender - in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin - is the projectof James Frank Kotera, who started wrapping his twine ball in 1979.He continues to work on it, and by his estimation, the ball weighs19,336 pounds (8,700 kilograms), making it the heaviest ball oftwine ever built. Kotera's ball sits in an open-air enclosure onits creator's front lawn; it has a smaller companion, "Junior,"made of string.
Not to be outdone, the town of Branson, Missouri, boasts its ownball of twine, allegedly certified by the Guinness Book of WorldRecords as the "world's largest" (although this distinction mightbe fleeting, since the Kansas and Wisconsin balls are still worksin progress). Owned by the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum, theMissouri ball measures 41.5 feet (12.6 meters) in circumference.
CAR CULTURE
Two of the best known auto-themed attractions in the United Statesare Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, and Carhenge near Alliance,Nebraska.
Cadillac Ranch - conceived as a tribute to America's most famousluxury automobile - is a tongue-in-cheek art installation ofvintage Cadillacs dating from 1949-1963, featuring cars lined up ina row with their front ends buried in the ground. The cars' backends, with tail fins pointing at the sky, form a permanent saluteto America's automotive heritage. Visitors are encouraged to bringcans of spray paint to decorate the "sculptures."
Carhenge is a sly replica of England's Stonehenge (a prehistoricburial ground marked by a circular setting of large, verticalstones), but in place of the stones that define the Englishprototype, its modern-day twin is constructed of 38 vintageAmerican cars arranged in a circle. The cars have beenspray-painted a uniform gray, mimicking the color of natural stone,and the entire structure sits in the middle of a grassy plain. Withthe addition of other automobile sculptures nearby, the site is nowknown as the Car Art Reserve.
CURIOUS CRITTERS AND MORE
Popular landmarks across the United States often include giantstatues representing real or imaginary figures. In Seattle, theugly but much-loved Fremont Troll lurks beneath the Aurora Bridge,gripping a real Volkswagen Beetle car in one enormous hand. InKlamath, California, the Trees of Mystery site contains a number ofunusual tree formations, and its entrance is guarded by statues ofthe mythical lumberjack Paul Bunyan, who stands 49 feet (nearly 15meters) high, and Bunyan's sidekick, Babe the Blue Ox. Bunyan'smechanical right hand offers a sluggish wave and his "voice"(courtesy of a loudspeaker in his breast pocket) cheerfully greetsvisitors and answers their questions.
Dinosaur theme parks can be found coast to coast, but Dinosaur Landin White Post, Virginia, is a particular favorite of children. Hugefiberglass replicas of prehistoric beasts, some locked in mortalcombat, populate the forested grounds. Not all the creatures aredinosaurs, however; a towering cobra, an outsized praying mantis, ashark and a model of King Kong are part of the mix. The park'sloopy "dawn of time" effect is heightened by a caveman diorama,located indoors.
An architectural folly known as the Haines Shoe House, located inHellam, Pennsylvania, is a classic of roadside Americana. A 25-foot(7.6-meter) edifice that looks like a gigantic work boot, the housewas built in 1948 as an advertising gimmick by Mahlon N. Haines,who owned shoe stores in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Thethree-bedroom Shoe House features stained-glass windows with a shoemotif. Haines initially used the house as guest quarters for theelderly couples and newlyweds whom he invited for weekend visits;as part of this promotional stunt, he gave free pairs of shoes tohis guests. Today, the Haines Shoe House is a museum; a shoe-shapeddoghouse sits in the back yard.
Besides offering great photo opportunities, these roadsideattractions serve as a reminder to plan for some wonderfully weirddetours when embarking on Road Trip USA.
Source: U.S. Department of State
judythpiazza@newsblaze.com