World's Largest Tour

08/29/08

The "World's Largest" Tour

On my motorcycle trip to the Trinity Site in 2003, I decided to make the ride a little more interesting. Along the way, I decided to visit sites claiming to be the World's Largest something. You know, World's Largest McDonalds, World's Largest Coffee Pot, or whatever. In amongst the Largest, I stopped to visit a few other sites like the Very Large Array (VLA), the Bone Zone, Car Henge, grave site of Smokey Bear, and many more. Below are photos of the Largest and then some. I had some difficulty determining (in advance) where exactly these sites were located. So, where ever possible, I have included the GPS Coordinates of the site. In 2006, I started continued the Largest with the World's Largest Too page. Stay tuned, I am planning on the World's Largest Strawberry this weekend.

This is by far the most visited page on my website. People stop in from all over the world. I would love to hear what brought you here and where you are from. I once had an advertising agency even ask to use some of the photos. How cool is that? Please drop me a note by visiting the Feedback Page and making a few comments.

	Largest Goose Sumner, Missouri I'm glad it's not real. This would definitely be a nuisance on the golf course. As a footnote, the second largest goose is located in Wawa, Ontario (See Lake Superior Tour). GPS: N39 39.168 W93 14.792		Largest Rocker Amana Colony, Iowa Not the world's largest, but the largest in Iowa. This was one big chair and it makes me look like a kid. I guess the "kid at heart" shows through. GPS: N41 48.336 W91 57.616
	Highest Highway Colorado Springs, Colorado The road to Pike's Peak is the second highest highway in the world. There is only one other road, somewhere in the Himalayas at more than 18,000 feet. However, this road is definitely the World's Highest Toll Road (but you don't see that advertised anywhere). GPS: N38 50.434 W105 02.648		Highest Highway Colorado Springs, Colorado This is a view across the gift shop and a storm brewing. The summit was closed the previous day due to a snow storm and I heard it closed later the day I was there. I am so lucky to have the weather work out here. It is said that a storm can come up from nowhere to engulf the summit. Sheeez! I better get out of here, I'm only on two wheels.
	Largest Driller Tulsa, Oklahoma I thought it would be the largest T-shirt too. It's on the driller for the county fair. But, somewhere in England, they constructed a huge T-shirt. If you look to the lower left, you will see the unclaimed largest oiler (penguin). Behind the driller is the largest free span structure (see note elsewhere on this page). GPS: N36 08.006 W95 55.885		Largest Free Span Tulsa, Oklahoma "Free span" is an area without columns. Unless you are an engineer, this picture has been generally acknowledged as one of the most boring of the collection. Well, lets be honest, even if you are an engineer, its hard to appreciate this "largest". GPS: N36 08.006 W95 55.885
	Largest McDonalds Vinita, Oklahoma Well, this one may be in dispute. It seems there is a McDonalds in Romania or the former Russia that claims to be larger. Don't bring up the subject to the folks in Vinita as they take pride in this attraction.		Largest Porch Swing Hebron, Nebraska Wouldn't you think they would have the sense to put it on the largest porch? GPS: N40 10.011 W97 35.447
	Largest "M" Near Platteville, Wisconsin Come out in the spring for the annual white-wash day where UW Platteville students white-wash the rocks. GPS: N42 45.878 W90 24.491		World's Largest Bull Audubon, Iowa "Albert The Bull" Now that's a lot of bull! GPS: N41 42.760 W94 55.575
	Largest Corn Stalk Shelby, Iowa Right along I-80 at the Shelby exit is the world's largest corn stalk. Where else but Iowa would you expect to see this one? GPS: N41 30.027 W95 27.123		Largest Covered Wagon Milford, Nebraska These people did not really claim to be the largest, but as long as it brought a tourist or two by, they were ok with that. GPS: N40 46.247 W97 02.720
	Largest Coffee Pot Stanton, Iowa The former hometown of "Mrs. Olson" of the Folgers Coffee fame. This coffee pot was created for the 100th anniversary of the town and were honored by the return of Mrs. Olson for the parade. GPS: N40 59.010 W95 05.786		Largest Coffee Cup Stanton, Iowa For you purists out there, this is not working coffee cup. Ok, but I would vote for calling this the largest because its more fun to look at than the real largest cup. Let some other city come and challenge them for it. GPS: N40 58.377 W95 06.051

Other Sights Along the Way

	The Bone Zone Madrid, New Mexico This area is full of artisans of all strips. You can find them using all sorts of media to do their work, including this artist who used bone as her medium. Talk to the artist, you won't forget her. I visited the Bone Zone to see the Bone Motorcycle. It's up on the roof of her house. If you get a chance, I strongly recommend heading through the countryside of Santa Fe. GPS: N35 25.561 W106 08.100	Captain Kirk Birthplace Riverside, Iowa This is not a "largest", but I had to stop as long as I was going by. The official marker is behind a beauty salon. The owner is pretty cordial about people walking around the backyard. To get to the marker, you'll need to look hard between the downtown buildings. GPS: N41 28.775 W91 35.102
	National Route 66 Museum Elk City, Oklahoma There are a gazillion Route 66 museums across the country. This is outside the Official National Route 66 Museum. In front of the museum there is a half block of movie set type historic looking buildings for your photo op pleasure. GPS: N35 24.701 W99 26.277	Route 66 West of Elk City, Oklahoma I decided to take a few of the strips of Route 66 left. Some day I would like to take the trip from one end of Route 66 to the other. At least as much as is remaining. My Kawasaki Voyager XII, Prudence, is the motorcycle that takes me cross country.
	Grave of Smokey Bear Capitan, New Mexico Halfway between Roswell and Trinity lies the little town of Capitan, New Mexico. Here they laid the real Smokey Bear to rest. Off in the distance lie the Capitan Mountains where the bear was found as a survivor of an immense forest fire. He was smokin' and hence the name. GPS: N33 32.736 W105 34.390	Spiral Staircase Santa Fe, New Mexico As featured on Ripley's Believe It Or Not, this "miraculous" staircase has no visible means of support. But, the church (Loretto Chapel) sure knows about support. It costs a few bucks to get in to see the staircase and then the exit door leads directly into a gift shop that puts Wahl Drug to shame!! GPS: N35 41.160 W105 56.266
[No Photo]	Sonic Bridge Tulsa, Oklahoma I prefer to think of it as the Sonic Center of the Universe. There is this strange and wonderful place in downtown Tulsa where you can hear a pin drop. Even the slightest whisper is loud and clear. GPS: N36 09.396 W95 59.483	Plow In The Tree Exira, Iowa Just a few miles south of Audubon is a wayside with the famous "Plow in the Tree". There are several stories, but the one I like is the farm boy who leaned the plow against a tree and went off to WWII. He never came back and the tree grew around the plow. GPS: N41 35.242 W94 53.420
	Very Large Array 50 Miles West of Socorro, NM The World's Largest Array of Radio Telescopes is The Very Large Array, or VLA. The VLA is where they do radio astronomy. I was surprised that the radio astronomers are no where to be found! They sit in Socorro, New Mexico 50 miles away and look at data streams from the site. GPS: N34 04.393 W107 37.645	Very Large Array The VLA is a series of 27 radio telescopes, 82' in diameter, set out on three radial railroad tracks. I think each track extends eight miles from the central facility. GPS: N34 04.393 W107 37.645
	Very Large Array	Very Large Array