We went to Ohio this spring for a graduation and cabin weekend. Other than that, we didn't get far beyond the Lancaster-Lebanon-Berks county circuit. One of the things on our wish list was to go see The Ark in Kentucky. When we are at our daughter's place we are two-thirds of the way there so Leroy said we'll go to the Ark the next time we go out to Cheryl. We usually go around her birthday in October but this year we waited until November because one of her children was being baptized. That way we could roll everything into one trip.
We left Saturday morning and got there around 2 pm. In the evening they took us to Cambridge to see the Christmas light show. The streets are lined with Victorian scenes and the courthouse is covered with an elaborate lighting display which is synchronized with the Christmas music.
We were too tight to pay for a ride on one of the horse drawn carriages so we just walked through part of town until our toes were frozen and then called it quits.
Sunday was a quiet day of rest and worship. Jeremy was baptized in the morning service. They had communion in the evening but we stayed at their house.
We left at 7 Monday morning and headed for Kentucky. We used our car but Richard did the driving. He goes to Cincinnati often on the truck and knew the way. It was nice to sit in the back seat and not have to be bothered with driving.
We got into the Ark at noon and spent four hours walking through all three floors. It was off season so we didn't have to battle with crowds.
The Ark is the size stated in Genesis but the inside is the product of imagination how it COULD have been. There are some animal cages, workshops, and living quarters for Noah's family. Notice the outline of a cross on the door.
Most of the animals were models but the ones below are real--and watched very carefully.
Each couple has their own living space in the upper floor.
Noah's wife watches him catch a dove.
There are also many other displays on the flood, creation, science, and the Bible throughout the ark. A special feature was display of things on loan from the new Museum of the Bible in Washington DC. This is a Torah.
The oldest piece in the display was this Psalm Codex Leaf in Greek on Egyptian Payrus dated 150-400 A.D.
There is a small zoo behind the Ark. It was too cold to prolong our visit but it was worth it just to see this kangaroo with a baby in her pouch. It looked to me like Mama must not be very comfortable dragging that bagful of baby around.
We stopped for supper and finally got home at 10:30. It was a long but worthwhile day.
Naturally, we weren't in a hurry to leave Tuesday morning and didn't head east until about 9 am. We drove about half way home and got off the turnpike at the Somerset exit to see the Flight 93 Memorial. Again, it was off season and not crowded. The Memorial Plaza overlooking the crash site is outdoors and it was cold. The sloping wall on the left side of the walkway marks the edge of the debris field.
A boulder in the debris field marks the spot where the plane landed at a speed of 536 mph. It exploded on impact and blew down about 100 trees. Everything and everyone was blown to small pieces. What a senseless waste of 40 lives!
The walls at the Visitor's Center on the hill above the memorial indicate the path of the plane as it came down. The wall below is made of 40 individual slabs engraved with each passenger's name.
We spent another hour looking at the displays in the Visitor's Center where it was warm. Then we headed east again for the final lap of the road trip. We chalked two things off our "someday" list on this trip. And to top it off, it was an all-expense-paid trip using the gift money we got for our 50th anniversary this summer. Thanks to all who made it possible.
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