A Slice of Life
Bill Lites
Day 13 (5/28/2022)
After a quick breakfast this morning, I headed southwest 30 miles on I-75 skirting Cincinnati, OH, where I picked up I-71. I had wanted to visit the Creation Museum, but it was too far out of my travel route so, I just continued south another 30 miles on I-75/I-71 to where I visited the Ark Encounter located in Williamstown, KY. I had hoped to beat the crowd, if possible, but there were lots of people already waiting in line to buy tickets by the time I arrived at the attraction.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
The wait to purchase a ticket was short, and the agent gave me a ‘Double’ discount for being a Veteran and over 65 years old. I was pleased with that start of the day. However, the wait for the bus to the Ark entrance was another story. It was like being at Disney. The lines went back and forth forever, it seemed. Once we arrived at the Ark, I was blown away by the size of the thing. At 510 feet long, 85 feet tall, and 51 feet wide; it is huge! They told us it took 3.3 million board feet of lumber, 1000 workers, and six years to build. This photo doesn’t begin to show the size of the Ark, as it is far behind me. Just try to see the people down near the right end of the Ark. You can hardly see them for how tiny they are by comparison!
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
It was a pretty good walk from where this picture was taken, where the bus dropped us off, to where we actually entered the Ark. There was a sloping ramp for wheelchairs on the outside, and elevators for those who needed them at the main entrance. Then it was one long ramp after another to reach the first level.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
The Arc was divided into three levels. The first, or lower level, was specifically designed for, and held, models of large caged animals. I never did see where they would have kept the really big animals, like the elephants and giraffes. The cages for these animals emitted very realistic sound effects of the various types of animals. Food storage bags for these various animals were arranged, floor to ceiling, on the other side for easy access.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
Tons of animal food storage bags gave the impression that it took a hugh amount of food to keep all those animals fed. It was amazing at how organized the animal cages and food storage bags were. I guess it needed to be that way in order to be able to take care of that many animals for a long period of time.
The second, or middle level, held the smaller animals, reptiles, and birds. There were also sound effects of the many various types of birds. Food storage containers for the many types of small animals and birds lined the walls from floor to ceiling on this level also.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
The top level was set aside for living quarters, food preparation area, and workshops for Noah and his family. There was a large amount of food containers and clay oil jars lining the walls. Many of these items were located close to the food preparation area for ease of access.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
I would have thought that food preparation for Noah and his family was the least of their problems. My guess would be that feeding and caring for all those animals would have taken up most of their time every day.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
The Bible doesn’t mention that God told Noah how long he would be in the Ark. Noah must have planned for a long voyage, or, he was used to a very comfortable living, as the family living quarters were quite luxurious for the ‘zoo boat’ they were in.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
And of course, Noah needed to preserve as much history as he could for future generations, so there was a library, or study, of sorts. This room was filled with scrolls, charts and writing materials for Noah to record the past history, his experiences in the Ark, and the New World he and his family would find at the end of their voyage.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
And, of course, there would always be the need for a workshop, to make repairs to any part of the Ark as the need arose. You know, like broken animal pens, leaks on the boat’s hull, and other such mundane tasks.
Photo Credit: Bill Lites
There was a lot to see and read on each level. I didn’t read everything and only spent two hours going thru the Ark. A person could easily spend the whole day in the Ark and the other things that are a part of the Ark Encounter attraction, such as the Ararat Ridge Zoo and even a camel ride if you dare.
Photo Credit: https://arkencounter/ararat-ridge-zoo
—–To Be Continued—–
Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing. He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville. Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.
One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is: John 10:10
Old Things R New 