To kick off the celebration of Grandmother Ginny’s 98th birthday, Dad and Janice asked if I would care to join them in a cross-country adventure. They along with Levi would be driving to Elizabethton for an overnight stay. The following day they would pick up Grandmother and Phyllis and they would join their road trip making their way to Lexington, Kentucky for the evening, before proceeding to their final destination, the Noah’s Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky.
After this whirlwind adventure, Grandmother and Phyllis would spend several days, relaxing and visiting the Farm. How could I possibly resist traveling and hanging out with my favorite folks?
Wednesday, May 23
Our big Noah’s Ark adventure begins today. Bright and early, Terry drove me to the Gallatin exit to meet up with Dad, Janice and Levi. Since we were technically on vacation, we chose to indulge ourselves with breakfast from the McDonald’s drive-thru before hitting the road.
We made really great time talking, laughing and catching up without even having to make one pit stop. Surprisingly, we cruised right through Knoxville to I-81 and were just a mere 12 miles from the Johnson City exit when we came to a dead stop. After traveling one solitary mile in an hour, we realized that the entire interstate was closed and traffic was being funneled through Jonesborough. So, with an adventurous spirit, we took the road less traveled admiring the rolling countryside and beautiful, historic downtown Jonesborough.
Since this reroute completely altered our arrival time from 4pm to 6pm, we met up with Grandmother Ginny and Phyllis for dinner at the Outback in Johnson City. After a day of traveling we were ready for grub. Dad ordered a T-bone pork chop, Janice had a house salad with a sweet potato, Grandmother went with a wedge salad with bleu cheese and a lobster tail with baked potato, Phyllis decided to go with steak medallions with a baked potato, Levi set his eyes on baby back ribs and fries while I supped on grilled shrimp.
Since Dad, Janice and Levi were staying at a hotel in Johnson City, we said our goodbyes in the parking lot while Grandmother, Phyllis and I headed back to Elizabethton. On the way back, Grandmother mentioned she that hadn’t been able to find a wrap skirt or a skirt that buttoned down the front to wear to the pool so we stopped at Peebles on the way home. While I ran in to see if they had anything I thought Grandmother would be interested in trying on, Phyllis ran into Ingles to grab a pint of milk. Two birds, one stone. Alas, Peebles did not have anything so we’ll just call that a bust.
When we arrived back at Grandmothers, Hannon, Carla and Johnny Mills son, was waiting in the driveway so he could discuss the flowers and ground cover he would be planting for her tomorrow. Phyllis went on her merry way to continue getting ready for the trip while I helped Grandmother pull together a few more ensembles to complete her packing.
To end the evening, Grandmother and I sat in her bedroom room and watched the tail end of the 1934 black and white classic movie, “The Thin Man” starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Powell and Loy made 14 movies together and “similar to the perfect marriage of gin and a splash of vermouth, they were an exemplary blend of sophisticated charm, subtle wit and affection“.” (Classic Hollywood Bios) My favorite character had to be Asta, a wire fox terrier that stole every scene. We enjoyed the movie so much, we watched the beginning of “Another Thin Man” before having to call it a night.
Thursday, May 24
By the time I got up, showered and dressed, Grandmother was already ready for the day. While awaiting the arrival of Dad, Janice, Levi and Phyllis we had a quick bowl of Corn Flakes to start our morning then handled a few last minute housekeeping details you always make before traveling.
Much to our mutual delight and surprise, Grandmother and Phyllis had arranged a cornucopia of beautiful gifts on her dining room table. It was a giant celebration of multiple birthdays. Dad and Janice received a wooden sign, a wooden crate that read “Come Sit n My Porch” filled with artificial summer flowers, a book on Ridgewood barbecue, a huge, coffee scented candle and beautiful cards.
Even though my birthday was still a month away, Grandmother and Phyllis were kind enough to think of me. They gave me a kitchen hand towel with a summery lemon, two decorative, iron birds with baby birds at their feet, and two decorative glass vases.
Not to be left out, Levi also received “happy’s”, a paddle ball and a water gun for the pool.
A table full of beautiful birthday gifts and happy’s.
Once the car was loaded, I climbed into the very, very, very rear of the SUV while Grandmother, Phyllis and Levi occupied the back seat. While Dad drove his posse, Janice navigated the way to our first destination, Lexington, Kentucky.
Along our way we passed through Gate City, Virginia. Phyllis shared with us that in her junior year at Milligan, she and her friend Carol, worked at Aunt Esther’s (Grandmother Carrie’s sister) department store. Phyllis was so unnerved by Aunt Esther that whenever she would come to visit, Phyllis would have Carol hide her in the walk in freezer. That’s just hilarious!
On our journey we passed through Hazard, Kentucky, setting of the fictional television series, “Justified” and home to the scurrilous Boyd Crowder and U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens, a lawman not afraid to bend the rules. Hazard was a small coal town that had seen better days but you could tell they were making strides to beautify their town.
We made a quick pit stop in Pineville, KY where we topped off the tank with gas, hit the bathrooms, and grabbed snacks before arriving at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort and Spa in Lexington, KY. When we finally arrived and were unpacking the car, Phyllis realized her phone was missing. It dawned on me in the midst of searching the car, that I had picked up a phone off the counter at the gas station. I showed it to the clerk and we both thought it belonged to the gentleman who had been in front of me had already departed. Little did I know I was holding Phyllis’ phone in my hand. I phoned the gas station and talked to the manager and he agreed to Fed Ex her phone to Dad and Janice’s office. They were super nice and helpful and Phyllis was relieved to know where her phone was and that she would receive it in a day or so.
Once we were all checked-in at the resort, Grandmother and Phyllis decided to relax in their room until dinner, while Dad, Janice, Levi and I explored the resort even picking up a few clubs to put on their green.
We all met downstairs for dinner at JW’s Lounge. It was very casual and everything we had was delicious. After our meal, Grandmother and Phyllis again retired to their room while Dad and Janice took Levi to the pool. They decided since I was the young buck and they had paid their dues, it was my turn jump in the pool. So I donned my swimsuit and Levi and I splashed and played while Dad and Janice kicked back in their lounge chairs.
As the evening waned, Dad, Janice and Levi headed to their room to call it a day. I wrapped myself in a towel and grabbed a caramel latte from the Starbuck’s in the lobby and went upstairs, changed and knocked on Grandmother and Phyllis’ door. Phyllis was introducing Grandmother to the 2011 movie, “Captain America: The First Avenger”. I love this franchise and Chris Evans is the perfect Captain America. I hopped on Grandmother’s bed and that’s how enjoyed the rest of the evening together. Bliss.
Friday, May 25
After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we headed down the road to experience the Ark Encounter, the life-size recreation of Noah’s Ark in Williamstown, KY. The Ark is comprised of the imagining of how hundreds of animals could be contained and maintained and how Noah and his family may have lived day-to-day. It was beautifully constructed with interesting exhibits and dioramas and easy to navigate with plenty of places to stop and rest along the way. Towering seven stories and measuring the length of one and a half football fields, it touts itself as the biggest timber frame structure in the world. It is quite an impressive feat of engineering. Here are some interesting facts from Woodworkingnetwork.com:
…The Ark Encounter was engineered and built using exact biblical measurements, requiring over 3.3 million board feet of timber to construct it, and fitting over 16,000 people simultaneously. The Book of Genesis describes Noah’s Ark as 300 cubits long, its width 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits.
In an effort to employ techniques used in the ancient time the Ark was said to have been constructed, one hundred Amish craftsmen built the replica using ancient timber framing techniques, such as manually bending the wood for the rudder rather than steaming it to make it more pliable. Most of these techniques were utilized, but some had to be altered to adhere to modern building codes…
A length of 20.1 inches was chosen for the biblical cubit. This produced plans for an ark measuring 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high. The 3.3 million board feet of wood was harvested from as far away as Oregon and British Columbia.
The ark contains 132 bays for animals, each standing about 18 feet high.
Catching a bus to the exhibit.
Goofing off before heading to the Ark.
Janice and Levi reading about all the different animals on the Ark.
After what felt like 40 days and nights of walking, we were back on the road and finally arrived to the sanctuary of the Farm. Terry couldn’t make the trip but met us all in Gallatin and was there when we arrived. Jill had prepared an amazing spaghetti dinner for us all with homemade shortcakes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. We were all tired and road weary and this definitely nurtured our souls. When we could finally pull ourselves away from the table, we walked around the Farm and Phyllis and Grandmother were able to see all the changes and everything in mid-spring bloom.
Thanks to Dad and Janice for planning such a wonderful trip! I’ll never forget it.
