2025 April 7-11: The Ark Encounter and Creation Museum Trip with the Club-Diamonds in the Rough (Five Day Trip) & Diamond Tours

 Day 1: Monday, April 7:

Hubby and I stopped at Jack's for breakfast. I ordered gravy and biscuits with Diet Coke. 

When we arrived at the club around 7:30, everyone went inside to sign in, pick up their name tags, and use the restroom.

Everyone was on the bus by 8:00 A.M., and we were on the road by 8:30 A.M.

We traveled north on Savannah Highway to Natchez Trace, getting off in Lawrenceburg. We traveled north on Highway 43 through Columbia, TN, to I-65, then to I-264, and finally to I-74, I-275, and US 27, before arriving at the Comfort Inn, room 226, located at 1610 Flossie Drive, Lawrenceburg, TN. 

We stopped at Love's in Bear Creek. The building was being repaired, so they had installed a bathroom outside. We had to stand in line outside in the cold, waiting to use the restroom stalls. (3) Loves was located just off I-65 on Highway 312. 

Grilled Cheeseburger and Tater Tots 

We stopped for lunch at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in Bowling Green, Ky. $14.92

Hubby and I split a grilled cheeseburger with tater tots and ordered a Diet Coke. 

We stopped at Thornton's gas station in Buckner for a restroom break. 

We crossed the Ohio River into Cincinnati. Dinner at Logan Roadhouse, 3720 Stone Creek Blvd. Cincinnati, Ohio.

Hubby and I ordered Grilled pork chops, a salad, creamed potatoes, rolls, and a cookie. 

We arrived at our hotel around 8:00 P.M., took a hot bath, and went to bed. 

Comfort Inns & Suites 1610 Flossie Dr. Lawrenceburg, Indiana 

Photos

7198-19 @ 12:30 P.M. Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers Bowling Green, Ky

7202-7221 @4:05 04:13 P.M. Traveling Louisville, Ky

7224-25 @4:42 Thorntons Gas Station

7227-28 @ 6:28 P.M. Ohio River Tannery Island Lawrenceburg, IN 

Day 2: Tuesday, April 8:

Breakfast at the hotel consisted of gravy and biscuits, accompanied by sausage links and eggs, and served with cranberry juice. 

We depart for the Ark Encounter around 8:30 A.M. and arrive at 10:09 A.M. 

The Ark Encounter 

Our step-on guide greeted us and instructed us on where to line up for the shuttle and when to meet at the end of the day.

We got off the shuttle at the Answer Center and were on our own for the rest of the day. 

Our first stop was to ride the carousel, where I rode the camel. 

Our next stop was the Virtual Reality Experience, where we traveled back in time to meet Noah. $30.74

We witnessed the construction of the Ark and experienced the flood alongside Noah.

We walked into the ark, which was terrific. It was filled with animals, Noah and his family, and the history of its construction. Several Diamond buses were present, making it difficult to see everything. 

We skipped a lot of the ark because we were getting hungry. 

We had a buffet meal at  Emzara's Kitchen, where I got chicken fingers, salad, slaw, creamed potatoes, and pineapple cake. $36.02

We visited the Ararat Ridge Zoo area, where we watched children ride camels. It was cold outside, so Hubby bought a cup of hot chocolate. $5.29 

Our last stop was the Answer Center, where we were entertained by Stage Song, a Christian group that sang gospel songs. 

We made a group picture in front of the Ark.

We stayed at the Ark until 3:35 P.M.

When we were leaving, someone said, "I don't have my phone," so we turned around and returned to the Ark. Our leader informed the park about the lost phone. It had been left in the men's restroom. Someone at the park retrieved the phone, which was brought to our bus. Dinner at Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, 3633 Springdale Road, Cincinnati, OH, at 5:00 P.M. 

I ordered chicken fingers, French fries, coleslaw, and ice cream. It was a huge plate, and I didn't even eat half of it. 

We head back to the hotel around 6:30 P.M. 

I took a hot bath, wrote in this journal, and went to bed. 

Photos:

7229 Breakfast at Jack @ 7:13 A:

7230-31 @ 7:45 A.M. Smoking Factory 

7232 @ 10:09 A.M. The Ark Entrance

7233-34 @ 10:36 A.M. Riding the carousel 

7235-42 11:04 The Ark 

7243 @ noon Lunch at Emzara's Kitchen

7244-46 @1:03 P.M. Zoo

7247-49 @2:25 P.M. True Song Entertainment 

7251-53 Group Picture

7254-55 Receipts

Day 3, Wednesday, April 9:

For breakfast at the hotel, I ate apple strudel and cranberry juice. 

Depart for the Creation Museum, 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg, KY, around 9:00 A.M. 

Dinosarus

We watched two 4-D Movies, and True Song entertained us. 

We visited the New Exhibit, "Borderland: Israel in the Time of Jesus," and the Allosaurus fossil exhibit.

We saw dinosaurs & Dragons, and the Garden of Eden. 

We walked through the creation Zoo, where Hubby petted the goats. We saw Kangaroos, Alpacas, goats, and other animals. We visited the Conservatory and walked through the gardens. 

We ate lunch at Noah's Cafe. Hubby and I split a hamburger and fries. We had to eat outside because the cafe was full. $25.70

We returned to the hotel to freshen up around 2:30 P.M. 

We had dinner at The Radisson Hotel, located at 668 W 5th Street, Covington, KY, around 6:00 P.M. Seven other diamond buses were also present at the Radisson. 

We were served a buffet-style meal. 

I got baked chicken with gravy, roast beef, creamed potatoes, steamed green beans, and various rolls. Each table had a large plate of chocolate chip cookies. 

All the group leaders were called to the front to showcase their work.

There was music, entertainment, and some dancing. All the Veterans were honored. 

Everyone was singing, and we sang back to the hotel. 

Return to the hotel around 8 P.M.

Photos

7256-57 @7:30 A.M. Breakfast at the hotel

7258-64 @9 A.M. Creation Museum 

7265-75 @10:22 The Dinosaur Area 

7276 @11:47 Lunch 

7277 video 

7279-80 @12:33 P.M. outside

7282-84 @2:29 P.M. Traveling 

7285-86 @6:Dinner. Dinner 

Day 4: Thursday, April 10:

Breakfast at the hotel

Leave for Cincinnati History and Natural History Museums around 8:15 A.M. 

Arrive around 9 A.M. 

We watched National Parks at the Omnimax Theater.

At the History Museum, we saw Public Landing, Cincinnati in Motion, Shaping Our City, You Are Here, and Made in Cincinnati.

You are here 

At the Museum of Natural History and Science, we saw Dinosaur Hall, the Science Interactive Gallery, The Cave, the Neil Armstrong Space Exploration Gallery, the Ice Age Gallery, the John A. and Judy Ruthven Get into Nature Gallery, Ancient Worlds Hiding in Plain Sight, Advancing Health, and the stem lab. 

My favorites were the Cave, the Ice Age, the model train, and the town buildings. There is so much to see and little time to see it all. 

Depart for the Levee around noon.

Several in our group ate lunch at  Hofbrauhaus, a German Restaurant. Hubby and I split a Munchi Sampler. $31.80

A sampling of Jagerschnitzel grilled bratwurst, and bratwurst, served with German potato salad and imported sauerkraut.

The People's Purple Bridge spans the Ohio River, dividing Ohio from Kentucky. 

The Purple People's Bridge

After lunch, we walked across the People's Purple Bridge. 

Everyone loaded back onto the bus and rode back to the hotel. Five of us rode to the nearby Walmart.

$50.91 for candy and $74.24 for iPhone connections. 

We depart for dinner at The Farm, 239 Anderson Ferry Rd. Cincinnati, OH 

Arrived around 5:15 P.M., there were several other Diamond buses there. 

We were served a buffet-style meal. I got BBQ baby back Ribs, green beans, Mac and cheese, salad, and creamed potatoes. For dessert, I had strawberry pie and Cheesecake. 

After eating, the owner's son and daughter sang several gospel songs, and we sang with them.

The owner then shared the history of the barn, Cincinnati, and the notable people who had become famous in Cincinnati. 

Returned to the hotel around 6:45 P.M. 

We've packed, and we're leaving for home tomorrow.

Photos:

7287-7387 @8:56-11:46 P.M. Cincinnati History and Natural History Museum 

7388-7409 12:04-12:16 P.M. traveling Cincinnati 

7410—7428 @12:17-12:33 P.M. Newport, KY 

7429-7436 @12:28-1:39 P.M. Hofbrauhaus German Restaurant 

7437-38 @2:35 P.M. Newport, KY

7439-7481 @2:36-2:40 P.M. Cincinnati 

7482-86 @ 2:41 P.M., Covington, Ky 

7487-97 @3:07-4:21 P.M. Lawrenceburg, IN

7499-7505 @ 5:41-6:02 P.M. Delhi Hills 

7506-7529 @7:36-7:50 P.M. Traveling Cincinnati, Addystor, North Bend, Cleves Sunset

Day 5, Friday, April 11:

We set our overnight luggage outside our room and went to breakfast.

I got gravy, biscuits, and cranberry juice.

We loaded the bus at 8:30 A.M. and began our journey home. 

We stopped at a Rest Area in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.

We stopped at Buc-EEs in Smith Grove, Ky. 

We ate lunch at Panda Express in Nashville. Hubby and I shared a large plate of walnut shrimp, broccoli, beef, and orange chicken. 

Arrive home around four P.M. 

Photos

7530 Receipts

7532-33 @10:07 A.M. Louisville, KY

7536-49 @10:2910:39 A.M. Rest Stop Shepherdsville, Ky 

7550-53 @11:04-11:11 A.M. Buc sees Smith Grove, Ky

7555 -81 @1:09- -1:24 P.M. Traveling through Nashville, TN

7582-83 @1:32-1:38 P.M. Panada Express Nashville, TN

2017 Aug 22, Day Trip to Davey Crockett Park Lawrenceburg, Tennessee

Started the morning with a free Cheese, Egg, and Chicken Bagel (breakfast) from Chick-fil-A.
We stopped at Lowes, where we checked out their Halloween displays and bought some bird feed.

We stopped to get our pool water checked at CE Pools and to pick up some more chemicals.
We stopped at Helping Hands for our weekly B-12 shots.
We ate lunch at Long John Silver's in Lawrenceburg, and then we rode to Davey Crocket Park.

We rode through the campgrounds, across the covered bridge, along with the river banks, and checked out the cabins.

Covered Bridge

Creek and Swimming Hole

We stopped to take pictures of the markers along the way.

They Passed This Way

Long time we travel on the way to new land… Women's cry…Children Cry, and men cry…but they say nothing and just put their heads down and keep on going toward the west. Many days passed, and people died very.

Recollection of a survivor of the Trail of Tears

Federal Indian Removal Policy

After the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the United States government forced thousands of American Indians to leave their ancestral lands in the Southeast for new homes in the Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). 

They traveled by existing roads and by river. Many groups left in the fall, hoping to avoid the disease and heat of summer travel, and instead faced treacherous winter weather. Thousands died during the ordeal — remembered today as the Trail of Tears.

Despite the hardships of the journey, the people of the five tribes of the Southeast established new lives in the West. They stand now as successful sovereign nations, proudly preserving cultural traditions while adapting to the changes of the 21st century.

In the 1830s, the federal government forcibly removed approximately 15,000 Cherokee, 21,000 Muskogee (Creek), 9,000 Choctaw, 6,000 Chickasaw, and 4,000 Seminole from their ancestral homes in the southeastern United States.

Federal Indian removal policy aroused fierce and bitter debate. Supporters of the policy claimed it was a benevolent action to save the tribes east of the Mississippi River from being overwhelmed and lost in the onslaught of an expanding American population. 

Opponents described its inhumanity and the tragic consequences it would have for American Indians. One thing was certain: removal freed millions of acres of desired Indian lands for use by white settlers. 

Nearly 1,000 Cherokee died during the journey westward, and up to 4,000 died as a result of the forced removal process. Remember those who traveled the Trail of Tears by walking in their footsteps.

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail 

The National Park Service works with partners to administer the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. By helping to preserve historic sites and trail segments and developing areas for public use, the story of the forced removal of the Cherokee people and the American Indian tribes is remembered and told. 

You can visit sites along the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. 

Learn more at www.nps.gov/trte

David Crockett State Park 

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail National Park Service

National Park Foundation MTSU Center for Historic Preservation

Retracing the Trail of Tears 

Thank you for visiting David Crockett State Park and the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. We hope you enjoy your outdoor experience. Please be respectful of other park visitors as well as the wildlife that you might encounter along the trail. 

The Bell Route

On October 11, 1838, 660 Cherokee led by John Adair Bell left Fort Cass (present-day Charleston, Tennessee) to begin an arduous 700-mile journey. Weak and miserable from being in removal camps, the people in the Bell detachment that passed through here banded together, staying close to a family member for the long trek.

Walk-in Their Footsteps

You are invited to walk along the same path the Cherokee traveled on the Trail of Tears in 1838. It was a cold and wet November as they trudged by, not even halfway to their destination in Indian Territory.

The Cherokee that passed through here left their home in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee with 56 wagons and 318 horses. 

The journey had already been a trying one, as they were faced with terrible road conditions that slowed their progress. Imagine how the numbers of people and wagons would have mired an already muddy road.

The Bell detachment that traveled through here lost 23 of its members along the route due to exhaustion and illness before the group of weary travelers arrived in Evansville, Arkansas, on January 7, 1839.

A Safe Visit 

The Trail of Tears interpretive retracement trail is just over 2,5 miles long one way. As you hike the trail, you will see signs indicating when you are on the original historic route.

For a safe and enjoyable visit, please:

.Pay attention to trail signs

.Stay on the trail

.Share you're hiking plans with friends or family

.Wear appropriate shoes and clothes for hiking

.Be aware of ticks, poison ivy, and snakes

.Carry a bottle of water and snacks

.Help keep the trail litter-free and leave no trace

Please help preserve the traces of the past for future generations.

Legend

Main Road through Park

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail - Retracement Trail

Shoals Creek Trail/Waterfall Trail

Connector Trails

Bike Trail

Fitness Trail 

Cabin Trail

Wayside Exhibit 

We stopped at the wild-bird sanctuary where we saw the Red-tail hawk, Red-shoulder Hawk, Two barn Owls, The Great Horned Owl, and the Barred Owl.

The museum was closed it is only open on weekends.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-tailed hawks are probably the most common hawk in North America. If you’ve got sharp eyes, you’ll see several individuals on almost any long car ride, anywhere. Red-tailed Hawks are often seen soaring above open fields, gracefully turning circles on their broad, rounded wings.

Other times, you’ll see them atop telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a vole or rabbit, or simply waiting out the cold weather before climbing a thermal updraft into the sky.

The Red-tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that sounds exactly like a raptor should sound. At least, that’s what Hollywood directors seem to think.

Whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry in movies is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk. 

Male 

Length 18-22 in

Wingspan 45-52 in

Weight 1 lb. 9oz-2 lb. 14 oz

Female 

Length 20-26 in

Wingspan 45-52 in

Weight 1 lb. 14 oz - 3 lb. 4 oz

David Crocket State Park, Tennessee 

Red Shoulder Hawk

Barn Owls

Great Horned Owl

Crockett Museum & Bird Aviaries 

Red Tail Hawk

Welcome to David Crocket State Park 

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee

In the summer of 1817, just before his 31st birthday, David Crockett entered Lawrence County with his second wife Elizabeth (his first wife, Polly, died in 1815), her two children from her first husband (James Patton, who died in the Creek Indian War in late 1813), David’s three young children from his first marriage, plus an infant boy he and Elizabeth had together. Before David and his family would leave Lawrence County five years later, two more Crockett girls would enter the backcountry world of Tennessee. Although it was a time of great danger and uncertainty, this growing frontier clan quickly and decisively made an immediate impact on Lawrence County. Just the same, the events taking place in Lawrence Count would change David Crockett and his family forever.

The man whose personality and unique humor would capture the imagination of an entire nation conditioned his winning ways not by hunting wild game or fighting Indians but through his tenure of public service, and that started here in Lawrenceburg. When David Crockett first arrived in this area, he could barely read or write with any consistency, and he was not a successful farmer. He was also fortunate just to be alive. Although he had survived the brutal Indian Wars and the loss of his wife, he had also recently suffered two severe bouts of malaria. One was so severe that his own friends reported him dead for nearly two weeks.

But despite his setbacks, what made David Crockett entirely different from most men of his time was a fierce determination that matched his impressive physical stature along with a sense of humor that worked in tandem with a real desire to help those less fortunate.

Politics finds Crockett

When the Crockett family traveled the eighty miles from Bean Creek to “The head of Shoals Creek” near Lawrenceburg in 1817, a winning environment awaited them. 

“We remained here…without any law at all, and so many bad characters began to flock in upon us that we found it necessary to set up a sort of temporary government of our own.”

In four and a half short years, Crockett became a renaissance man of sorts for Lawrence County. Not only did he provide for his growing family, but he was also appointed or elected to a series of political positions, including Justice of the Peace, town commissioner, colonel/commandant of the 57th Regiment of Militia, and member of the Tennessee state legislature. While constantly engaged with local and state politics, he and his wife also created, built, and operated a small industrial complex consisting of a gristmill, gunpowder, factory, and a distillery until a flash flood destroyed it. Unable to financially recover from this natural disaster, David and his family reluctantly moved to Gibson County (near Rutherford) in 1822 to start their news anew.

“I became so well pleased with the country about there that I resolved to settle in it. And so moved and settled me down at the head of Shoals Creek.”

We left Davey Crockett Park and rode down the Natchez Trace to the Welcome Center in Collinwood.

We were kindly greeted by the hostess, ate two sugar cookies, and drank some fresh water. I took several pictures inside and picked up several brochures.

Welcome Center Collinwood

Welcome Center Collinwood

The quilt hanging at the Welcome Center Collinwood

The quilt hanging at the Welcome Center Collinwood

We returned to  Natchez Trace and followed it down to Chislom Highway.