Today’s contribution will be about our trip to the Ark Encounter, the reproduction of Noah’s Ark in Northern Kentucky. It was a memorable short vacation, for several reasons. We will simply take the itinerary as it came to us.
We began this journey in Paris, where we live, and we traveled to Terre Haute, Indiana, to pick up our friends, Dale and Arlene. The four of us first stopped at a McDonalds in Brazil, Indiana, but not before a harrowing trip through the badlands east of Terre Haute. Arlene, a realtor, knew all the back roads around Terre Haute, so she was the navigator to make sure we missed the going to school traffic in the city. This navigation was to be the beginning of three hours of back seat driving from my fellow sojourners. But we survived to skirt Indianapolis and finally find I 74, by which we managed to make a short slice through southwest Ohio and finally into Northern Kentucky.
This trip had been planned by the ladies as one to be filled with exciting experiences, with the first destination the Creation Museum, not far from the Greater Cincinnati Airport, which is in Northern Kentucky not far from Covington. We arrived about time for lunch, so after finally navigating the parking lot and the entrance, we decided to eat at Noah’s Cafe. Although prepackaged, the food was more than passable. Then came the time to enter the museum, to be transported back in time to the days of the creation. This meant that we were not going to be instructed in the minutia of evolution, although that theory was mentioned, usually with disclaimers about the “missing link” to modern man.
Beginning the trek through time, the museum was divided into the seven “Cs” of time. These were Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, Consummation. On two levels, the creators of the Museum have done a stellar job of telling their story. Using a multiple media approach, we saw figures that were as lifelike as any other museum’s displays, with several videos and artistic offerings. By adhering to the Biblical record, it made for an orderly look at what was described as God’s handiwork through mankind. By basing the Museum so closely on the Bible, it seemed to be intended for the already committed rather than to evangelize and convert the unconverted. Yet, the overall impression was one of an excellent example of an attraction that would bring in thousands of people per year, and not just evangelical Christians.
One of the concerns I had was the emphasis on the existence of dragons and dinosaurs in the narrative. Using Scripture references and a world-wide phenomenon of dragon “myths”, the organizers of this place tried to place such creatures within the framework of a 6,000 year old universe. Personally, I thought this part of the exhibit was somewhat overdone, but mine was a minority opinion.
At the end of our tour I realized that somehow my car keys had escaped the pocket in which I had placed them. Panic ensued (actually, I did not panic, for Jane had a set with her!) We informed personnel at the park about this and finally decided to just go home and hope for their return. However, our friends had returned to the car and found that the keys had magically appeared on the front seat of a locked vehicle. All was saved and minds set at rest.
We left after about a three hours tour of the Creation Museum, managed to find our hotel and checked in. In the evening we ate at an O’Charley’s restaurant, and were served by a middle-aged waitress named Jackie,who felt it her duty to entertain us. A good meal, and we went back to the hotel well-fed and tired.
But our major objective for the trip was the Ark Encounter, which we found the next morning. Hopping on I 75, we traveled south about 30 minutes to find the place. Along the way, I again endured the constant chatter about my driving, but we made it safely and without too much rancor. A huge acreage had been purchased for the recreation of Noah’s Ark. What this meant in practical terms was that the parking lot was at least a mile from the Ark itself. This problem had been solved by having shuttle buses operating in both directions, so the wear and tear on our feet was kept to an acceptable level.
At the site proper, we encountered the usual structures found in any amusement park. There were places to eat, including a restaurant named after Noah’s wife, who was never named in Scripture. They called her “Emzarah”, which was supposed to mean the grandmother (of several generations) of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Other structures were also present, which included bathrooms and souvenir shops.
And then there was the Ark itself. It was quite a sight, as the vessel was constructed on the dimensions of what God had given to Noah. Confronting us was a huge ship over 500 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high. Construction began with he clearing of the trees on the site in 2012, and the park opening was on 7 July 2016. Wide and easy to traverse were the walkways leading to the entrance to the Ark. Wheelchairs and scooters, which could be rented, were able to take visitors to all areas of the structure. After a long walk from the staging area (shops and eating places) we were able to enter the Ark, using long and gentle ramps on a switchback pattern.
It is difficult to describe the immensity of the Ark. It is built on three levels, with each level able to be accessed by the ramps built inside. Exhibits inside illustrate how Noah and his family were able to fill the Ark with not only the animals, but also the provisions to feed them. Places for sacks of grain and water jugs were close to the cages built for the Ark’s inhabitants. Other exhibits explained more fully how the flood covered the earth, showing that many different cultures the world over had “flood myths” that cannot be explained other than a world-wide event.
The third floor of the ark was given over to the living quarters of Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. Each pair had their own little apartment-like area, giving the impression that creature comforts for the humans were not ignored. During the tour of the top floor, two videos were shown, the product of some imaginative mind. These purported to be interviews of Noah by a primitive reporter before the flood, and an interview with one of the creator’s of the Ark Encounter after the exhibit opened. Although one would be hard pressed to find any reference to such in Genesis, it was an amusing take on how the “world” looked at this somewhat quixotic quest to build a giant boat in an area with no rain might seem to one of the doomed who did not believe.
All along the tour, it was made evident that those who built the Ark felt that creation occurred over six 24 hour days. Several exhibits sought to make this point and showed how those who feel that the earth is billions of years old are wrong. Included in the information was the debate between Bill Nye, the “Science Guy”, and Ken Ham, creator of the Ark Encounter. Most of the scientific community deny the idea of a six-day creation, with opinions against it sometimes being very strident.
Overall, I was impressed with the “Ark Encounter”, as it is advertised. There are plans to expand the offerings, trying to make the destination more attractive to the general public. This would be in addition to the “zip line” already in place, although I could not see what in the world would be interesting to zip over.
It seems there were some difficulties in getting all the proper zoning done and all the permits necessary for both the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. However, that is all in the past and I believe both will see increases in the numbers they welcome.
At the end of our tour, it seems the car keys I had placed in my pocket had somehow disappeared. Panic ensued (actually, I did not panic, for Jane had a set of her own, so we could get home)! We informed park personnel about the loss, and had a half hour looking at the places I had recently been. During that time, our friends had gone back to the car park, and found the keys had magically appeared on the driver’s side of the front seats. All was well, but the mystery of the rambling keys still exists!
To make the trip complete, tickets to the Cincinnati Dinner Train were obtained for our evening meal on the Saturday night before we left the Queen City area. On this train, three cars were dinner cars, and the trip through the outskirts of Cincinnati would take about three hours. My opinion of the meal is best left unsaid, so I won’t say it. However we were treated to some entertaining highlights. Since the experience was supposed to be set in the late 1940s, three ladies, dubbed the “Queen City Sisters”, travelled up and down the train, singing songs of the ’40s and ’50s. They were more than adequate, as we enjoyed their work.
But two more incidents added to the overall experience on the train. Two young men took the opportunity to propose to their dates, and both were seated just behind us in our dining car. The first was fairly ordinary, as the swain went down on one knee and pulled out the ring and asked the question. Of course, the was a captive of the moment and said “yes”. A second proposal took a little different route to the big question. This young man, in a break after the meal, began his by singing to his soon-to-be fiancee. We heard him singing “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You”, one of Elvis’ great hits. After he finished the song, he pulled out the ring, went down on one knee and popped the question. Again, it was a quick “yes” from the young lady.
Next morning we arose, checked out of the hotel and started home after a leisurely breakfast at a local Cracker Barrel. This time, though, a different driver took over. Jane drove home, and after one abortive attempt to back seat drive, I settled back, shut off my hearing aids and slept most of the way.
But the ride home was not without incident. Making one of our stops at a convenience store to stretch our legs, Arlene noticed a large dent in the bumper area of our almost new car. Somewhere on a parking lot someone had hit our car and left without even a “have a good day”. When we arrived home, we contacted our insurance carrier, contracted with a collision repair shop, and by Friday, had everything back to normal. Because the place dented was made of plastic, replacement parts had to be obtained, and by the time all was over, it cost us and State Farm a little over $2400.
In retrospect, the trip was fun and quite informative. If you are looking for a short weekend trip, you could do a lot worse that booking tickets for the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter.