Dry Ridge - Day 3

October 4, 2019

We went to see the Ark today. Please understand that my comments are probably not as positive as they should be; I felt lousy most of the morning. I started some new oral diabetic meds over a month ago and they have dramatically reduced the amount of insulin I need. We, my Doctor & I, keep adjusting the dosage down but I am still having occasional problems with low blood sugar. Plus I was tired because I didn't sleep well last night. (A 16 ounce Dr Pepper at the Ark finally got by blood glucose back to a comfortable level.)

I plugged the Ark address into google maps and we headed out. The GPS said it was further south of the campground, 17 miles, than I remembered when I checked at home, but I just figured it was my faulty memory. When we knew we were within a couple of miles of the turn I stopped looking at my phone and looked for a sign, Kathy was driving. Finally I knew we had passed it. I checked Google maps and sure enough, we were a couple of miles past the turn. We did a U-turn and headed back. When we got to the turn there was no sign, but we saw a lot of traffic, including motorhomes, coming back out of the area. We headed in and after half a mile hit a construction gate. Google had routed us to the closed construction entrance. We had no problem turning around and going back out but the people with the motorhomes towing cars probably had to unhook their cars so that they could turn around. There was LOT of traffic that had been routed to the construction gate. We managed to find the right entrance and get parked.

See the little "building", far in the distance, in the center of the photo. That is the Ark.

 In the above photo note the logs at the far edge of the parking lot. I zoomed the lens on the camera and below you see the same logs and the Ark. It was a LONG walk. Not really, you boarded a bus at the edge of the parking lot and it took you up to the Ark complex.

The Ark from near the bus drop off point. The Ark is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet tall. It is the largest "timber frame" structure in the world.

 There were long, switchback, ramps in the center of the Ark to get you from floor to floor. They wrapped around a central, slot corridor that ran from the bottom of the Ark to the top. The photo below is looking up towards the top. The top is enclosed but there are windows down the upper walls. The windows let in a lot of light.

 The photo below is looking down the central corridor from the same landing.

The Ark is interesting and there is a LOT of information to look at as you walk the floors, but overall I was disappointed. We watched part of one movie about Noah being interviewed by a non-believer. I thought the Noah character came across as being "cheesy", just my impression. Also, the information along the Ark walls strongly pushes the "young earth" theory, that the Earth is only around 4,000 years old. Some very good scientists back this theory. Whether the Earth is 4,000 years old or millions of years old doesn't make any difference in my belief that there is a God who created it, and us.

In terms of construction the Ark is not a boat. It is a timber frame with interior and exterior dimensions similar to what people think the Ark might have been (the exterior dimensions are recorded in the Bible).

I was expecting to see some fantastic, historic woodworking joinery, instead most of the joints were made with modern steel connections and bolts. I would have to do some research but I don't think men had knowledge of how to work iron during the time of Noah. The size of the some of the timbers is pretty awesome.

Another negative for me was the crowds. It was Friday, and school was in session. On the way out I noticed that the parking lot was less than half full. The crowds in the Ark made it very difficult to try and read the information posted along the walls. I can't imagine what it must be like on a weekend when school is not in session.

After leaving the Ark we had lunch at a buffet on the grounds. The food was good and at $11 per person (seniors), including drinks, it was a great deal for an all you can eat/drink buffet. We sat on one of the exterior balconies.

 Our view during lunch.

Goodbye Ark. It was finally cool today. When I got up this morning it was a lovely 64 degrees in the trailer. A light jacket definitely felt good outside.

Back at the campground I took a much needed 3 hour nap. WiFi service doesn't reach our campsite so Kathy went up to the office and spent some time catching up on the Net.

After my nap I was doing some reading and came across Luke 10:20, The 72 disciples had just returned after being sent out to pave the way for Jesus' visits to outlying communities. He had given them great power before He sent them out. When they returned Luke 10:17 says, "The 72 returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" Luke 10:20 is part of Jesus' reply, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

We are all sinners, and will all continue to be sinners as long as our earthly bodies draw breath. Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Even though we still sin occasionally, we who have accepted Christ as our Lord are given the free gift of eternal life in heaven. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I, as someone who has accepted this free and glorious gift, need to spend more time being thankful for it rather than being concerned about earthly issues. It is the most wonderful gift that I will ever receive.

Tomorrow it is on to the Creation Museum.

May God bless you and yours.