Ark

  One of our most adventurous trips with the FBC Seniors was to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.  There were a lot of folks who wanted to go.  We rented a large tour bus, and we also had our smaller church bus.  Those who had paid early got to ride in the big bus.  Those of us who didn't got to ride in the smaller bus.  That was my group.

 We set out early in the morning and ate lunch in Knoxville.  I lived in Knoxville one summer, when I was three, and my father was working at the First Baptist Church there.  I remember that the church was dark, but I enjoyed our picnics in the mountains.  Our group headed on up the road to Kentucky.  We passed by the birthplace of Colonel Sanders and the first KFC restaurant.  It would have been cool to stop, but we kept going.  We passed by some horse farms and saw them grazing in the grass.  We also passed by a bourbon distillery.  We didn't need to stop there.  We got to our hotel in Florence, KY which is right across the river from Cincinnati.  There were a lot of restaurants around the area.  I settled on IHOP.  When I walked in, there were a couple of families with screaming children.  The service was horrible, especially considering that there were so few people in the restaurant.  

 One thing to say about the church bus:  I wish I had been on the big bus.  There was very little legroom, and I couldn't get comfortable in the seat.  I tried to sleep.  I leaned against the window, but the bumpy ride caused my shoulder to hurt.  There was a Walmart near our hotel.  I bought a neck pillow for the ride back.

 The guy who was to be my roommate cancelled out, so I had a room all to myself.  I prefer a single room.  We left the next morning for the Ark.  Seeing it from the highway was amazing.  Seeing it up close was awe inspiring.  It was built out of wood and to the Biblical specifications.  It was huge.  The thought of all of those animals in a vessel like that brought the Bible story to life.  It was a lot of walking.  They had a petting zoo outside with camels, donkeys, and more.  There was also a place to pan for gold, but it was too expensive.  It was a very humid day, and I got overheated.  Thankfully, the gift shop was air conditioned.  There was also a threat for rain, as remnants of a hurricane were headed our way.  I bought a poncho at the Ark.  Kind of ironic.  We left the Ark and got back to the hotel.  I went to Jimmy John's for supper.  The service was so much better.  I took my sandwich back to the hotel and settled in for a great sleep.

 The next day, we loaded up our luggage and headed to the Creation Museum.  It had started to rain.  I was a bit disappointed with the museum.  It was geared more to children, and there was a lot of dinosaur exhibits.  One theory expressed there was that the dinosaurs were on the planet the same time as Noah, but they drowned in the flood.  Also, that the Earth was only 6000 years old.  I think scientists have proven otherwise.  

 When we left the museum, the rain was getting worse.  I had an umbrella and ferried women from the museum to the buses.  We started down the road in a driving rainstorm.  We passed by the Louisville Airport, where my father and I had flown into a long time back on my first airplane ride.  We got back to Knoxville and had supper.  That restaurant had terrible service.  Maybe because it was a Saturday night, and it was just too crowded.  We got back home late that night.  It was a good trip, and I would recommend the Ark to anyone, but not so much the Creation Museum unless you have kids.  Due to the sleeping problems on the bus, and despite my new neck pillow, both of my shoulders got messed up by trying to sleep on the church bus.  Maybe one day, I'll get them fixed.