Abilene, Kansas

A number of rural midwestern towns have their version of "world's largest" something to try to attract visitors. Works on us! In Abilene, Kansas, it's the world's largest belt buckle.

Concordia, Kansas

It's truly hard to comprehend, but in the US between 1854 and 1929, an estimated 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children were removed from the streets of east coast cities and sent to rural areas on "orphan trains." Some of the orphans were warmly embraced by their new families, but others were regarded simply as free servants or farm workers. Their stories are told at the National Orphan Train Complex.

Concordia, Kansas

A little told story of World War II is that there were over 500 prisoner-of-war camps in the United States, holding more than 425,000 German, Italian, and Japanese prisoners. The camps were designed to be temporary and little remains of them, but this guard tower is preserved in Concordia, Kansas.

Lucas, Kansas

The tiny community of Lucas, Kansas is home to several art installations, including the World's Largest Souvenir Travel Plate, and also the "World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World’s Largest Things", which is exactly what it sounds like.

Cawker City, Kansas

The biggest ball of twine!

Cawker City, Kansas

When traveling through remote areas, housing options are sometimes limited. In this case, we spent the night in an old repurposed gas station!

Lebanon, Kansas

Sitting at the geographical center of the contiguous 48 states!

Monument Rocks, Kansas

Kansas is a very flat state, but every now and then it surprisingly isn't.

Mount Sunflower, Kansas

The "summit" of "Mount" Sunflower, the Kansas high point

Panorama Point, Nebraska

The Nebraska high point is a remote spot surrounded by plains. The heavy bars around the monument are to prevent bison from knocking it over!

Boulder, Colorado

Filling in for the Sleepy Time Tea Bear at the factory that makes the tea!

Denver, Colorado

Waiting for the show to start at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre! (I guess I'm a little early...)

Manitou Springs, Colorado

Around 1904, the stones from the ruins of a pueblo in southwest Colorado were moved over 300 miles to Manitou Springs, Colorado, where they were reassembled, supposedly according to their original layout. The claimed reason for the move was to preserve the ruins from looters, but it seems likely the motive was less lofty, as the site was immediately heavily promoted as a tourist attraction. Today, questions swirl about the authenticity of the site and the appropriateness of many aspects of the attraction. 

Colorado Springs, Colorado

The Western Museum of Mining has a replica of the rescue pod used to extract 33 Chilean miners who had been trapped by a cave-in for 69 days in 2010.

Victor, Colorado

RIta is a kindly, enormous troll who can be found near the remains of a 19th century gold mine, where she is filling an abandoned mineshaft with rocks to keep humans from falling in and hurting themselves.

Cripple Creek, Colorado

I was framed.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

View of Pike's Peak from Garden of the Gods

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Jim Craig's 1980 Winter Olympics Hockey gold medal on display at the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum. Do you believe in miracles?

Somewhere in New Mexico

The sign says "Do Not Pass". The cow isn't going anywhere. Now what?

Kenton, Oklahoma

Black Mesa, the Oklahoma high point

Kenton, Oklahoma

If you hike in the Oklahoma panhandle long enough, you will eventually find dinosaur tracks!

Boise City, Oklahoma

At 65 feet long and 35 feet high, "Cimmy" is a life-size Apatosaurus sculpture watching over the Cimarron Heritage Center, in the same area his real-life ancestors roamed about 150 million years ago.