Ah, Kansas, halfway across the country, home of the geodetic center of the Lower 48 (which we never did find), and, more importantly for George and me in 1997, home to the World’s Largest Ball of Twine, or at least a ball that lays claim to that title. After leaving Missouri, we got off the interstate in Manhattan, and headed into central Kansas. Here’s my account from the journal:

…We headed out on 24 across Kansas, starting at 1 a.m. I drove 2 hours, and it was the most gorgeous moonlit night. I saw 2 cars in those two hours, and the moon came in and out of the clouds, lighting up silos, churches, and lakes as we drove along the flatland. We arrived in Cawker City at 3 a.m., and stared in awe at their ball of twine. Its exact rank is unclear – it was pretty damn big, so big that it looks as though it has sort of settled on its platform; it’s more of a blob than a ball. It definitely wouldn’t roll… We sat soaking in the moment, in the quiet, beautiful night air, scented with rotting sisal twine.

We drove on, and as day broke, we passed through Kanorado, Kansas, and on into Colorado. It was a surreal night of driving, to be sure. During the 1998 Colorado-and-back road trip, I came across another memorable sight when I stopped in Lucas, Kansas, home of the amazing, not-to-be-missed Garden of Eden, a collection of sculptures made from 113 tons of concrete over 30 years in the early part of the century by Civil War veteran Samuel Dinsmoor. Wow.