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

 Day 1: Monday, April 7:

Hubby and I stopped at Jack's for breakfast. I ordered gravy and biscuits with a 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 PROVEST, FIRST CLASS CHARTER, Lawrenceburg, TN. Our driver was Debra, and we were on the bus by 8:00 A.M. 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 an outdoor bathroom. We had to stand in line outside in the cold, waiting to use the restroom stalls. (3) Love's 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. We had 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 to 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, sausage links and eggs, and cranberry juice. 

We departed for the Ark Encounter around 8:30 A.M. and arrived 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. 

Next, we went to 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 and brought it 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 headed 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 ate 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 departed for dinner at The Farm, 239 Anderson Ferry Rd. Cincinnati, OH 

I arrived around 5:15 P.M. Several other Diamond buses were 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 joined in.

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 to 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, Addyston, 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-ee's 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. 

Arrived 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-ee's 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

2025 Mar 25, Cooks Museum, Delano Park Wheeler Wildlife Refuge adventure with the great grandkids (Day Trip) Ava & River

Cooks Museum 

Cooks Museum

Today we rode to Decatur to visit the Cooks Museum.

We stopped to take a few pictures outside and inside.

The first thing River saw was the very tall, scary, big brown bear, which frightened him, so we hurried past it. 

The hallway was filled with school children, so we walked past them to the next area.

River didn't like the cave or the alligator. He kept saying he wanted to see the fish. 

We visited the fish aquarium, which has a 15,000-gallon saltwater tank. Two scuba divers were cleaning the tank. We saw Moon Jellyfish, Coral, and Nemo. 

In the forest area, River and Ava climbed into the Big Tree, and we checked out all the birds and listened to them.

They both enjoyed the "Wonderful World of Bugs," where they saw bugs of every size and shape, including butterflies and cockroaches.

We returned to"Looking UP," which he liked very much. He especially liked the big blue ball that encompassed the Earth's core. 

Earth

They both tried to pick up the meteorite, but it was too heavy for either of them to handle alone. 

They both enjoyed the Foundation area, playing with the kinetic sand and creating an erupting volcano, mountains, and a flowing river. They also wanted to touch the different rocks.

After a couple of hours at the museum, they were ready to run and play at Delano Park. 

The park was filled with children, all bursting with energy. We didn't stay long because it was nearly lunchtime, and everyone was hungry. 

We were going to OH' Bryan's in Hartselle for lunch.

Eating Lunch 

No one wanted the same thing

We stopped at Taco Bell for some cheese roll-ups and Sprite for River.

We stopped at McDonald's for a cheeseburger, nuggets, and fries, plus a Dr. Pepper for Ava. 

We stopped at O'Bryan's for our meal. I ordered a kids' grilled chicken finger meal with sweet potato and unsweetened tea. 

Hubby ordered a Delmonico steak, accompanied by a sweet potato and the salad bar. 

Our last stop before heading home was Wheeler Wildlife Refuge.

We walked through the museum, examining the various wild animals and birds that might be found in the park. Then we walked to one of the outside buildings with telescopes. There, the kids saw ducks, geese, and lots of turtles. 

One of the rangers stated that Alabama has the highest number of freshwater turtles in the world. 

Wheeler Wildlife Refuge 

We began our journey home near the old Paper Mill. Hubby said one of our tires was losing air pressure. 

We watched the pressure steadily drop. Hubby said, "When it gets down to 8, I will have to stop and change the tire." 

We reached the Wheeler Dam with the pressure almost at 8.  

We finally arrived at the gas station, where Hubby inflated the tire. 

We made it to Killen Tire just before they closed. They plugged the tire. The technician said we had run over a huge nail. 

Like in a good story, we ended up with our day of drama. 

7016-7033 @ @10:08 A.M. Cooks Museum 

7034-7062 @ 11:59 A.M. Delano Park 

7063-7070 @1:31 P.M. OH's Bryan's Restaurant  

7072-7084 @ 2:54 P.M.