In search of what man can do.

Our most recent trip across this country took us through the heartland of America.  We followed Interstate 64 and 70 to 25 and then to 40 and finally 17 into Phoenix.  This route allowed us to traverse West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, Kansas, parts of Colorado and New Mexico.  The choice of this path was prompted by an email from my brother suggesting we should go see the “world’s largest ball of twine”.   Like you, my reaction was -- WHAAA?  But the next thought was -- Why not?  And so we set out.

As the planning, such as we plan anything, progressed the theme  -- what has man done?—began to grow.  Here are some of the sites we visited, some man-made and others nature-made.   They range from the exalted and sublime to the mundane and secular.  Most are not on main paths while some exclude paths completely.  I hope you find these roadside attractions interesting.

The original idea for this trip.  The 18,000lb ball of sisal twine. One man's effort until his death Frank Stoeber rolled his ball of twine from 1953 until 1961 when he gave it to Cawker City, Kansas. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, a Francis Johnson was rolling his own ball of twine aiming to surpass Frank's.  The city fathers of Cawker City, not wishing to be "out twined" established a city event, the "Twine-A-Thon", where anyone could add twine to the massive ball. The competition thrives today with other cities claiming to have their own "largest ball of twine/string/baling wire/barbed wire in the world". Until you know the story, this is just as exciting as its name implies.

The main street of Cawker City, Kansas belies its colorful history and reflects the sad state of many small towns in America. Our and one other truck were the only traffic on the day we visited.  No store on Main street was open.

The town library was closed.

As a contrast, the Taos Pueblo in Taos, New Mexico is  thriving attraction. One of the nineteen Pueblos in New Mexico, The Taos Pueblo is open to the public (for a fee).  There are guided tours that offer a native insight into the life and times of the Pueblo Indians.

Buildings and landscape are maintained in as near original condition as possible. Adobe is the main building material with some concession to modern plumbing and safety.  Photographs are permitted but only of the buildings and surrounds, no people photographs.

Multi-family housing the standard.

Outdoor adobe ovens were present in several location and are used regularly.

Horse and livestock fencing are as they were in the past.

An example of corral fencing in use on the Pueblo.

A professed esteem for ancestors does not seem evident in this older cemetery on the Pueblo.

This cemetery just on the edge of the Pueblo was better maintained and adorned by nature with this colorful array.

This church in the Taos Pueblo is the fourth iteration of a Catholic church building on the Pueblo. the first two were destroyed in the 1600's by the Anasazi  Indians in revolution against the Spanish occupiers.  The third was destroyed by US Military around 1848 when Mexican revolutionaries used the church as sanctuary during their resistance to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago which made New Mexico and other territory a part of the the United States.

The intricately carved entrance door to the church was done by tribe craftsmen from local wood.

A contrast to the simple and low-tech buildings of the Taos Pueblo is the Gateway Arch in      St Louis Missouri. Conceived and designed by architect Eero Saarinen and German-American structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947 construction did not begin until 1963. Erected as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States at a cost, in 1963 dollars, of  $13 million. The stainless steel clad structure is 630 feet tall at the peak and is the World's tallest arch.

At waters edge on the Mississippi River the arch is surrounded by a large tree covered pedestrian park area that comprises the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial which is managed by the National Park Service.

Pods like this transport people to the top of the arch. Five people in each pod -- it is a tight fit if all are adults -- for a four minute ride from base to top.

The pods are linked in a group eight to make a train for the top. This area is the access to them.

To give perspective to the height, this is the ground level view of the trash and log jam against the dock for river cruises.

And this is the view from the top of the arch.

The Eads Bridge, named for its builder James Eads, was the longest arch bridge when completed in 1874 and until the 1967 opening of the Gateway Arch it was the iconic landmark for St Louis.  This bridge was unique at the time for using ribbed steel arches; Steel had not been used prior and was not considered structurally sound enough for such use.

The above two panorama pictures are from the top of the Gateway Arch. The top one is looking east into Indiana and the bottom west into St Louis, Missouri.

Obligatory selfie inside the top of Arch. 

We opted for the "scenic shortcut" to Taos and were both pleased by the views and  dismayed by the added time.  The canyon took us through a portion of the Philmont Boy Scouts wilderness camp.  This camp is the largest youth camp in the world with 137,000 acres of wilderness.  A little known fact of this camp is that it is the location of the only documented site for Tyrannosaurus Rex tracks in  existence.

The craggy mountains offer challenges for hikers and climbing enthusiasts.

The sharpness of the cliffs on both sides of the road give cause to wonder what epic event would leave such a valley; Glaciers, earthquake, rivers now non existent?

The bases of giant mountains are covered with these delicate flowers.  This must be nature's way of making up for the violent acts that gave birth to the mountains.

We traveled through this area as the beginnings of fall colors were strutting through. 

The birches are not content to be hidden by the drabness of the evergreens.

 

I could not help but think of Robert Frost and his poem "a swinger of Birches" 

I'd like to get away from earth awhile

And then come back to it and begin over.

May no fate willfully misunderstand me

And half grant what I wish and snatch me away

Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:

I don't know where it's likely to go better.

I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,

And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk

Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,

But dipped its top and set me down again.

That would be good both going and coming back.

One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.

the whole poem can be found here: 

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173524

Linda and I stand at the center of the USA--- as we should.

Sometimes, Man abandons his creations to the fate of time.

Corn and Soya Beans are staple crops in the high plains. Clusters of silos dot the landscape allowing farmers to store their crops awaiting transport to market and until the prices are more favorable.

This co-op silo in the middle of Russell, Kansas was a busy place. While we pumped gas three double trailers of grain left for points unknown.

This prairie church outside of nowhere was the only building in a 2-3 mile radius.  I am of the opinion that the gods hang out here to avoid the crowds.

Using what  you have available and is cheap must be the motto of the dry land farmer. These fence posts are simply segments of  local rock.  the highly stratified formations of rock break off in long segments that can be further refined to rectangular fence posts.  These are guaranteed to last the life of the wire.

The Russell middle school is constructed entirely of local rock. Again the local formations are such that building blocks can be easily mined.  When I was taking this photo a male member of the school staff approached me asking what I was doing. I gave his this blog URL and so if that man is reading this, I hope this confirms that my intentions were not evil.

I did say that we were looking for man made attractions but when Mother Nature shows off, I am prepared to give her space and attention. This storm followed us for several miles but never caused any problems/

This is a portion of the Konza Prairie, an 8,600 acre natural preserve of tall grass prairie.  It is a research center for the University of Kansas. If you can imagine the thoughts of the settlers as they began their journey west, this site must have been somewhat daunting. This native grassland supports a wide variety of animals, birds, fish and plants.  When man works with nature the majestic features of the world become evident.

Alternative energy sources are taking foot across America.  Wind farms were very evident as we drove through the middle of our country.

The giant wind turbines shown above are the big brother to these windmills which provided water for crops and animals during the development and growth periods of this area.  This working windmill pump was one of only a few workingo nes we encountered as we crossed these high plains states.  Deep wells and high horsepower pumps now drive irrigation machines.

Our search for what man can do took us to the Black Madonna Shrine in Missouri. A Polish Franciscan brother Bronislaus migrated to the US in 1938 and began to build a shrine to The Black Madonna of Czestochowa. He labored alone for over three decades to complete nine individual grottoes honoring saints and events surrounding the Madonna. He used all sorts of scrap and rocks including busted geodes, broken glazed tile and other pieces of what we would call trash to complete his labor of love.  While I am not among the faithful, I  can appreciate the dedication and single mindedness of Brother Bronisalus.  This attraction was over two hours off the highway and worth the time.

It was at this grotto, which he was rebuilding for the third time that Brother Bronislaus died.  His fellow monks only missed him when he did not show of evening prayers.