Day 8 Monday October 4, 2021 We arrived at the Ark Encounter right at 9AM when they open. Lena had a free ticket but I had to purchase one, plus pay $10 for parking. When we were at the Creation Museum a lady approached Lena and asked her were we going to the Ark Encounter as she had a free ticket she wanted to give away. She had volunteered at the Creation Museum last year and they gave her a free ticket to the Ark Encounter that she had not used and it expired today and she could not use it. So she saved us $42.
We boarded the shuttle bus that takes the people from the parking lot to the Ark Encounter facility. It is about ½ mile from the parking lot. The couple from Texas we met yesterday had told us about the Truth Traveler Virtual Reality Experience so we paid extra to do that. You set in a recliner type chair and they put a virtual reality headset on you. You are transported back to the time of Noah and the building of the Ark. Your chair moves and vibrates and you feel like you are on a moving vehicle. A unique experience for us.
Then we walked over to the Ark. It is HUGE. It is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high and has 3.3 million board feet of timber and is the largest timber-framed structure in the world. The wood is Englemann Spruce, Douglas Fir and Radiata Pine and Bamboo. There are three decks plus the ground level. It is impressive to say the least. Most of the interior was built much like the original Ark based on Biblical fact. Of course it not exact because this Ark was built to accommodate tourist visits. The exhibits and everything inside is extremely well done to the point Noah and his family (three sons and wives) are almost life like not to mention the animals and other items, cages, food, etc.
We left the Ark and went back to Answers Center to watch the video The Building of the Ark Encounter. The story behind the construction of the Ark Encounter is quite amazing. It sits on a 800 acre parcel of land that was bought from two families. One thing we found interesting is three Amish men that are masters at building timer frame structures were hired to head up the part of the construction that dealt with the large timbers used in the Ark. Amish are know for their skill in building with wood.
For lunch we went to Emzara's (Noah's wife's name) for lunch. They were serving all you can eat buffet for $14 (for seniors). Again we were pleasantly surprised how good the food was at a tourist attraction. Some of the best fried chicken and tender roast pork we have ever had and the dessert was yummy.
After lunch we toured the onsite Zoo. They had a much larger assortment of animals than the Creation Museum.
After the zoo visit we went back to the Answers Center to listen to a 60minute talk by Karina Altman entitled How Did All the Animals Fit on the Ark. She gave a very good talk and explained how Noah accomplished that amazing feat. We purchased two DVDs about the Building of the Ark and one titled In Six Days.
We had a wonderful experience and walked 3 miles during our visit so we were glad to get our shoes off when we got back to the motorhome about 5 PM.
Day 9 Tuesday October 5, 2021 We found a coffee shop a few miles away so went there for a Latte and muffin. Then we drove into the historic district of Georgetown to look around. They have some really interesting large old buildings on Main Street and some very large private brick and stone homes coming into the old part of town. The town was incorporated in 1790.
Then we stopped at a quilt shop and got map for a Barn Quilt Trail that is a few miles outside of town. We saw some really pretty countryside while out taking pictures of the barn quilts.
We had planned to take the visitors tour at the local Toyota Plant that is just a few miles from the campground but they had canceled all tours for now because of COVID. This is the largest Toyota plant in the United States. Per their website they employ 7,000 people and finish a new Toyota every 55 seconds. That is hard to imagine. We rode around the street that borders the plant and it is huge.
Day 10 Wednesday October 6, 2021 We didn't do much today except go to Walmart for a few groceries and relax and read. We got a lot of rain late in the day and through the night.
Day 11 Thursday October 7, 2021 We thought the rain was going to mess up our plans for today but it was a beautiful slightly overcast day until about 6PM when we got a light shower of rain. We stumbled on to a small bakery/coffee shop in downtown Georgetown on our way to the Kentucky Horse Park. We got to the park and paid our parking and entrance fee in time to take the short horse drawn trolley ride around the park. One young lady was driving the two draft horses that was pulling the trolley while another narrated the trip. I always thought people from Kentucky spoke slowly but not the young lady that was narrating the ride. We didn't understand hardly anything she said.
After the trolley ride we walked through some of the horse barns until 11AM when we went to the Hall of Champions Show. Two handlers brought out three champion horses that are now retired from their particular type of racing. There was also a lady that showed some short videos of the horses races and explained a lot about their breed and personalities. They were beautiful horses. Several of the horses that are kept here are retired race horses and several that have died are buried on the grounds and there are plaques with a brief history of the horse.
Then we toured the International Museum of the Horse before going to the Parade of Breeds Show. The museum had a lot of information about horses and the different breeds and their uses over the years.
At the Parade of Breeds Show, four different breed of horses where brought out into an open paddock, three were ridden with ladies dressed in costumes that represented something of the history of the horse breed. One horse was lead out to the paddock but not ridden. We are not sure why except maybe if ridden the rider's costume would have covered the different colored markings on the horse. At the end we were allowed to go up to the fence and ask questions and pet the horses.
The park has 1,200 acres of land and several buildings plus a large campground. For an extra fee you can take a 30 minute trail ride and the young kids can do pony rides around a paddock.
We departed about 2PM and headed to Cracker Barrel for a late lunch since we had nothing to eat except a pastry all day and we had walked over two miles around the park. About a mile from Cracker Barrel we had to stop at a stop sign and there was a young man there holding up a sign wanting a hand out. We both said with all the businesses advertising for workers and help wanted signs everywhere he could surely find a job if he wanted one. When we got to Cracker Barrel a mile away they had Help Wanted signs all over the place, even in the restrooms. In contrast our waiter was a young man that was working at Cracker Barrel and also going to college. Wonder which one is going to make a mark on the world and better himself. I bet I know.
We were glad to get our shoes off when we got to the motorhome and relax.
Day 12 Friday October 8, 2021 We got almost everything ready to leave and when I tried to start the engine an error message came on the dash screen. After trying a few things it finally cleared and we were able to leave. It seems like some of the electrical systems in the motorhome got confused. I don't know if moisture from all the rain we have had in the last couple of days contributed to the event or not.
Interstate 75 in Kentucky is a pretty good road but as soon as we crossed into Tennessee that changed dramatically. Lots of pot holes in the road. We stopped for fuel after after driving about 180 miles this morning. We don't have to stop as often in this motorhome since it holds 150 gallons of fuel. I pumped 115 gallons. That is the first time we have had to get fuel on this trip for the motorhome. The trucker (Teddy) that was parked in the lane next to us teased me and said he needed to use my fuel card so he could fill up his truck since he only needed about 160 gallons. I told him I needed almost that much. He had a sign on his truck under his name that he was a 3.5 million mile safe driver.
We got a little bit of rain but not a downpour as we continued on our way. The drive through the mountains on I40 in North Carolina was pretty. The leaves have started changing colors for the Fall.
We got to our destination, Tom Johnson's Campground in Marion NC right at 3PM. We normally try to be at our destination for the day by 3PM. I checked in and we setup in site 23. We have stayed at this campground numerous times. We came here for several years to attend the NC Bluegrass Festival in August. We will be here four nights. We hope to do some “leaf peeping” on Saturday and Sunday up around the Blue Ridge Parkway.
We were rather tired after getting setup so we drove into the edge of Marion to eat supper at the Country Barbecue Restaurant. We have ate here several time in the past. Their food is good, large portions and very fast service.
Day 13 Saturday October 9, 2021 We drove up hwy 221 to the Blue Ridge Parkway to do a little “leaf peeping”. The leaves are beginning to put their Fall colors on. We went to Linville Falls to check out the waterfall. It seems we are not the only ones out “leaf peeping”. The parking lot was full. The hike up to the lower part of the falls is about ½ mile, not too bad. With all the rain they have had here in this area we knew there would be a lot of water coming over the falls. It was really pretty but lots of people trying to get good photos but I was able to get a few.
We left the falls and did a leisure drive South on the parkway. A really pretty drive. We have not been in this area of the Smokey Mountains this time of year in a long time. As we always do when we are in this area around lunch time we stopped at Switzerland Cafe in Little Switzerland, right beside the parkway. It was really busy as it usually is but we were able to get a table in about 10 minutes. The food here is always good.
After filling our stomachs we drove down the mountain on the very curvy 226A hwy down to hwy 221 and onto the campground.
Day 14 Sunday October 10, 2021 Again we drove back to the Blue Ridge Parkway on hwy 221 and headed to the Linn Cove Viaduct. The elevation there is a little over 4,000' so we thought the leaves may have changed a little more in that area. The Visitor Center there was closed so we hiked up the trail that runs under the viaduct to a point where you are on the opposite side of the road and just above the level of the road. Lots of people doing the same thing.
We drove on North on the parkway and were amazed at the number of people parked along the parkway in many places that are not parking lots. They were parked all over the shoulder of the road. All just enjoying the beautiful colors of the leaves. The weather could not have been more perfect for leaf peeping. We went on to Julian Price Campground where we camped several years ago to see if any changes have been made. It look like they have done a little bit of street improvements and cleaned some of the mold off the picnic tables but they have not done anything to make the sites any larger for today's larger campers. It was mostly tent camping.
We got off the parkway and headed back to the campground via hwy 221 to try and avoid some of the traffic on the parkway and see some different scenery. We stopped along the way at a Italian restaurant and got a really good pizza.
Day 15 Monday October 11, 2021 A service technician from Tom Johnson's Service Center is supposed to come to our site this afternoon to perform the annual service of the hot water heating system on the motorhome. We rode up to the camping store to browse around but didn't find anything we couldn't do without. Resting and relaxing was the agenda for the remainder of the day.
Randy, the mobile RV Tech came and did the annual service on the Aqua Hot. I watched him closely and he told me each step what he was doing and showed me a few tips, so I might try doing it myself the next time.
Day 16 Tuesday October 12, 2021 We were supposed to get the State Safety Inspection this morning before we departed but their computer they use for that was not working. So we ate breakfast in TJ's Cafe and then departed for Tanglewood Campground in Clemmons. We have stayed here many times. It is a nice campground and is a convenient stopping point on our way home.
When I plugged in my power monitoring system to the power pedestal it was showing low voltage on one leg of the power. We notified the Campground Host and they did what they could and called for a park maintenance man to come check it out. When he came 2.5 hours later of course the problem had gone away. Oh, well at least we have electricity for the night.
Day 17 Wednesday October 13, 2021 We departed for home at 8:45AM. We stopped near McGees Crossroads at Bojangles for lunch and then continued on our way. We stopped at a State Inspection shop outside of Wallace and got the motorhome inspected for our registration renewal. We arrived home safe after a great trip of over 1,300 miles and 16 nights.
