After we left Lake Tansi on Friday at noon, we began the drive up north a few hours to where the Ark Encounter is in Kentucky. The road we were on "happened" to be the same exact road that Alvin C. York's home was on! *Sidenote to say If you've never watched "Sergeant York", you should!*
We didn't have time to tour it or explore the grounds since we were hoping to do the Ark on Friday and the Creation Museum on Saturday. I just took this quick photo by York's home and then we were on our merry way again.
I absolutely loved driving thru the mountains of TN and Kentucky.
We got to the Ark Encounter much later than I'd hoped (about 4pm), so I couldn't justify paying the full amount (it's not cheap per se) just to stay for 2 hours. We got free admission into the grounds (just not the ark) for that evening.
It's absolutely HUGE!
There was a petting zoo, and camels to ride. Gwen and Lucie both had a camel ride together.
The playground there was one of the best I've ever seen. I laughed with Dan because since having kids, we felt like we spent the majority of our vacation at playgrounds. :-) But hey, they're free and the kids love them.
This one was complete with fun stuff to climb on, tunnels, interactive equipment, and even small ziplines and swings!
The following morning when we woke up, we went BACK to the ark to actually go inside. I had been debating whether it was something we should go do or not since our kids are so small. I'm glad we went though. It was powerful! The last floor was mostly reading, but there were still neat things for children. Dan and I split up on the floors (there were crowds of people so staying together was kinda tricky). He took Lucie and I had Gwen and Eliza.
Here is Gwen, by the massive ark door.
I got lots of pictures of the inside, but most of them are incredibly blurry. When we came out, it was late afternoon (probably about 3pm). The girls were begging to go back to the playground, so we took them there and they loved it so much.
When we were finished at the playground, Dan suggested we eat at the restaurant there. We managed to get in just before they closed, but wow, it was a fantastic buffet!!! While we were there, my choice of foods has changed so drastically from when I was a child that I couldn't help but laugh. Of all things: my favorite dishes to eat there were spinach casserole and brussel sprouts!!!! If you'd known me as a child, that would make you laugh like it makes me laugh now. I was the world's pickiest eater.
For anyone like me, wondering "Wonder if its worth it to take little kids to the ark?"...etc. GO! It was really awesome. For nursing mothers, there are lovely nursing stations on each floor of the ark. There are drinking fountains all over. We were allowed to bring in our own sack lunch of PBJ's. The zoo was vey neat and they have a kangaroo area where you can walk in and be WITH the kangaroo's. You can't touch them (naturally), but they walk (hop?) on the grass right beside you.
We were staying not too far from the ark at a church property that hosts pastors, youth groups etc. They had a large facility where we stayed which was very very nice. The next morning was Sunday. We went to the Sunday School service and morning services there at the church, and then left after church to continue driving north to Columbus OH.
We stopped for lunch at a cute, fun place called Fleisch's "Big Boy". The girls loved it there and thought this little "big" boy was cute.
We went to a church in Columbus OH that evening where the people were so sweet and kind and the pastor was an encouragement! More news about that in the next few months! :-)
We stayed the night at the cheapest hotel I could find that said it served a full, hot breakfast in the morning. *insert eye roll*. It was in a bad neighbhood where Dan and I spent most of the night listening to the men next door screaming at each other, and the other part of the night fearing for our lives. Also, there were cigarette burns on everything.
You get what you pay for!!!
We survived the night, went down to get "breakfast" and there was nothing...
The lady at the counter said "Oh, let me go fill the breakfast bar up for you."
She left and came back with 3 granola bars and put them in a bowl by her computer.
haha!
Dan took all of them and I said they really should change their website since there wasn't even a semblance of a breakfast there.
Ahh well. Again, I got what I paid for. Lesson learned, Virginia. Don't be a cheapskate!
We left Columbus, and headed northeast. Since Kidron wasn't far off the beaten path, I asked Dan if we could stop there. My mother loves Lehman's store there and I thought perhaps I would as well. I did! The free samples of food were a lovely touch, and the place reminded me a lot of the Vermont Country Store, which is a huge favorite of ours. The girls ESPECIALLY loved the toy section.
While we were there, Dan bought me a big, non-stick pan! Wow...it cleans so well and is lovely! I am being careful not to mess up the finish!
We left Kidron in the pouring rain and drove up to Erie. When we got to Erie, we stopped at this lighthouse and went out to the lake for just a couple minutes. By this point, Lucie was getting very fussy (I attributed it to being in a car too long).
Then we drove the rest of the way up to Niagara Falls where we were staying the night at an Airbnb. Our airbnb host was kind enough to lend us his umbrella since it was absolutely POURING. It never really let up and rained non-stop all night and the following day.
We woke up early the next morning and drove home the rest of the way. Boy was it good to be home! It was the longest vacation we've ever had. Granted, at least 4 days of it was driving alone, but still.
Lucie and Gwen came down with a nasty case of hfmd, which I also contracted. Eliza had a mild case, an Dan was unscathed. I assume they picked it up at the petting zoo or the playground most likely.
We all healed just fine though and are none the worse for the wear.
And THAT was our 2021 vacation!
