Our First 5th Wheel Trip: Maysville, Kentucky Flood Walls and Greenup County Veterans Memorial

There are several towns along the Ohio River that have had murals painted on their flood walls.  We have visited the ones in Portsmouth; but, wanted to see some in other towns.  I had read about a small town on the Kentucky side of the river that had murals which told the history of the town. One afternoon, after visiting Ron's mother, we drove down to the town of Maysville, Kentucky.

One of the first murals has images of Rosemary Clooney on it. Evidently,
she started her career performing at a theater in Maysville.

The rest of the murals told the history of the area beginning with the time it was
a hunting ground for Native Americans. 

The town grew once it westward expansion began. One of the first ferries across the Ohio River was located at Maysville. 

As a result of the ferry, the town grew and many notable historic people traveled through the area.

The town eventually grew into a shipping port, to allow movement of goods. 

Eventually river boats began to transport people up and down the river, stopping in Maysville.

 Not only did the town have flood wall murals, they had several large quilt blocks mounted on the sides of buildings in town. The town itself was quaintly beautiful and very well cared for. Luckily, we were there on a Sunday afternoon and most of the business were closed. What a novelty!! As a result, there were very few people out and about; mostly people walking their dogs or enjoying the beautiful weather. We couldn't have picked a better day to visit.

There was a cute little park near the flood walls. There were people taking senior pictures there so we didn't have a chance to walk around in it. 

We did attempt a selfie beside the park. I'm not good at this type of photography.

One of the best examples of preserving the history of the town, was this building. It was originally a high school; which was turned into condominium style apartments. 

Most of the homes are built side by side, with alleys running behind them. The town was amazingly well cared for. 

This is one of the older homes in the town. I just loved the mosaic on the sides of the home.

The largest buildings in town were the churches! I neglected to take notes about which denominations they were, but they were all beautiful.

The is the theater shown in the mural. It is currently under renovation and the only performances being held at this time are for fund raising. 

This is a picture of the down town area where most businesses are located. 

 Another quick stop we made was at a memorial located outside the town of Greenup Kentucky. It is in an odd location; along the side of a state highway at the bottom of a hill facing the Ohio River. There is absolutely nothing else in the area so it just seems strange that this memorial is just sort of stuck in the middle of nowhere. Don't get me wrong; it is a really nice little memorial and well maintained. When we stopped, there was a family visiting and they happened to notice that Ron had his retired Army hat on. They graciously thanked him for his service, and politely listened as he told them, "I used to work on a tank just like this one."

The last picture is of a Veteran's Cemetery that was right next to our campground. I hold a special place in my heart for these; especially since Mom and Dad are buried at the one in Killeen, Texas. It is heartwarming to know that our nation appreciates the service of our armed forces.

Our First 5th Wheel Road Trip (part 2 Ark Encounter)

The goal of our very first solo RV road trip was to get to Ohio for a memorial service, and do some sight seeing while we were in the area.  With that goal in mind, our route to and from was planned so that we would stay overnight in KOA campgrounds that had pull through sites. That way, we could remain hitched to the truck and be hooked up to water, sewer, and electric.  The next morning, we could just unhook from utilities, dump tanks, and head on our way.  For the most part, it was a good plan for our first trip. Eventually, we want to be comfortable enough to just start driving and find places to stay when we are ready to stop for the night. That thought still intimidates me a bit! But, we'll get there... right???

Since my previous post was about the memorial service and spending time with family, this post is intended to record some of the experiences we had while visiting in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Several years ago, I had read an article about an organization that was building a life-sized ark somewhere in Kentucky.  When planning this trip, it was at the top of our must see list.

The ark is located in Williamstown, Kentucky, which is between Cincinnati, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky  We drove for about 2 1/2 hours from our campsite in Argillite to get to the ark. My cousin, John, had told me you could see it from the road if you knew what you were looking for. Unfortunately, I can't do a lot of "looking" while I drive; and, Ron is almost as blind as a bat so he never saw it either.

Ark Encounter is located right off an interstate so getting to there is really easy. We went on a Monday morning in the early spring so there were no crowds.  The entire facility in simply fascinating; regardless of whether or not you believe in the Bible.  Many, many exhibits have scientific facts to substantiate the events that took place, and prove that what Noah did was NOT impossible by man's standards. I highly encourage anyone who has the opportunity to go, to make the trip.  Nearby, there is a Creation Museum, which Ron and I chose to skip because I didn't know if his knees would handle so much walking.

At the entrance to the ark, there is an attendant that
will take your picture for you! We haven't mastered
selfies.

There are several life-sized topiary animals as you enter the
grounds.

The patina of the wood has started to change due to the weather.
It looks almost silver where the sun hits it.
The interior is still a more natural wood color.

There are no stairs inside the ark. You walk from one
level to another on wide ramps with a slight incline. 

This is one example of the feeding crates.
Small animals would be placed inside the crates. Food and
water were provided through the clay pots and
wooden boxes on the exterior.

Fresh water, oils, and grains were stored in large,
clay pots. There were also cisterns on the top
for collecting rain water.

Many scenes were built throughout the ark
to tell the story from the Bible; and, some
depicted daily life on the ark.

The center of the ark was open to allow light
to travel to each level.  

However, the passage ways were still very dim.
There were electric lights on the walls
built to look like oil lamps.

There is a LOT of reading to do. Most areas had
large diagrams and typed information to read. At first,
I thought it would have been nicer to have small
computer screens and audio to listen to. But,
after being in the ark for a while, listening to the whispered
voices with background music, I realized audio presentations
would have interfered with the reverent atmosphere.

Another shot of the ramps that take you from
one floor to the next.

Another depiction of daily chores that
kept Noah and his family busy each day.

One of the cages that represented where the
animals traveled. One interesting note: the animals
were modeled after fossilized remains that
are believed to have come from the time frame of
the actual flood. Thus, there were many unusual
looking animals that are now extinct.

The builders created separate living areas for each
of Noah's sons' families.

This is a depiction of Noah releasing the dove each
day to see if the waters had receded.

In addition to the displays, there is a theater at the end of each level. The films tell the story of how the developer funded and built the encounter. There are also numerous benches so anyone with mobility issues had plenty of places to rest.

When we left the ark, we discovered that there are several attractions on the grounds. They have a zip line set up on one side. There is also a petting zoo, vendors market, and monument walk. Because we were there during the off season and on a week day, many things weren't open. We did go to the all you can eat, buffet/cafeteria for lunch. The food was absolutely abundant and so good! The price is very reasonable as well. Ron and I ate for less than $30.

There was every salad you could imagine available.
None of it tasted like it was mass produced. It was
all fresh and delicious.

Ron stuck to his meat and potatoes favorites. He
said it was great; but, the man likes Spam so.....

I'm so glad we were able to make it to the Ark Encounter. We would love to take the grands so maybe we will add it to a family road trip itinerary one day.