WKRP in Cincinnati

We made it to the eastern time zone!  Hooray!  That one little hop means a lot of changes in our daily routine.  Now that we're here, Jeff doesn't start work until after lunch and works until 8 or 9 at night. We've had to shift everything around, but it's been a good change.

Our stop near Cincy was meant to be pretty relaxed as far as activities and outings.  The only items on the docket were to visit the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter, and to spend time with a friend from high school, Laurel.  I had a few morning hikes planned as well, but that's about it.  In the end, we were able to do these things and a few others, and enjoyed ourselves so thoroughly that we were reluctant to leave. 

Indian Springs Campground was the perfect basecamp for exploring the area.  In addition to this gorgeous view, the park was totally our speed in terms of:

• price
• location
• nature surroundings
• great cell service
• clean, affordable laundry facilities
• shopping close by  

It checked all the boxes, which is rare to find.  Our space was on the lake and frequented by ducks, turtles, and birds. They offer paddle boats to their guests, free of charge, which we enjoyed.  Jackson liked to stand up in the paddleboat and walk around, like he was the captain of a ship.

Maybe the thing here that delighted us the most are the fireflies that visit every evening!  We quickly got used to them, but the first night, friends, we flipped our biscuits.  I have wanted to see fireflies since I was a little girl, and I wasn't expecting them.  I was surprised to look outside and see these amazing twinkling lights!  The kids and I rushed outside and walked along the lake, just being total geeks about how incredible it was.

You might be thinking, "They're just fireflies."  But I say, you can have Disneyland and I'll take an evening walk around the lake with my kids, surrounded by floating lights.  Jackson and I looked at one another at one point and both spontaneously began singing, "And at last I see the light..."  I'll remember it forever.  It was just that magical.  

The campground is right on State Line Road, which means that every time we left, we crossed a border into another state. We crossed more borders in those two weeks than we probably will in the rest of this trip combined!  For any shopping, we were in Indiana.  For Creation Museum and Ark Encounter, we landed in Kentucky.  For hiking and other attractions, Ohio was the place to be.  It was pretty disorienting for us, to tell you the truth!  Often, one of us would stop and ask, "What state are we in?!?"  But we really loved all three states!  The people who live here are genuinely friendly and the landscape is just beautiful.

We noticed another neat change about these more eastern areas:  There are charming old towns everywhere. Driving through Lawrenceburg, Indiana, I thought, "This is what I have always pictured the eastern states as being like."  It's not as dramatic as Boston or Philadelphia, of course, but there are so many old buildings and older homes that have been remodeled to maintain the style, and it gives off a quaint feel, one that makes me want to walk down the street after dinner to say hello to the people sitting on their porches.  (It really feels like people here still sit on their porches in the evening.)  I love the atmosphere and expect we'll see more of it as we continue to travel east.

Normally when we travel to a new area, the first thing we do is look for great hiking opportunities.  Visiting attractions is a good way to get to know a region, but we have found that an even better way is to hike through it like a local.  We look for less-known places, unique sites, and as I mentioned, local favorites.

One morning, we hiked in a preserve near Cincinnati, Cincinnati Nature Center.  There are labeled hikes all around this property, all easy to navigate.  The trail we chose went in a loop, into the woods behind the education center.  This was perfect for a morning hike, short but beautiful.  The one thing we didn't love were all the spiderwebs blocking the trail!  We laughed and took turns being in the lead.  The person in the lead had to take one for the team and forge through the webs.  It was an adventure!

Driving from Kentucky to Indiana--I think!  It's hard to remember which state we are in at any given time.

We only had the weekend to check out the ark and the museum, and decided to do the ark first since it was farthest away from where we were staying.  The location was easy to find, and parking was plentiful, if not a bit overpriced at $10/vehicle.  After a quick shuttle ride from the parking lot, we were set to check out the ark!

First impression: It is massive.  Bigger than we anticipated.

Lots of rails to keep crowds moving in an orderly manner.  Crowds were thick and lines were incredibly long, which is always the biggest drawback of being a Saturday tourist.

The displays of crates and watering jars were interesting, giving an idea of how the ark might have been structured and managed.  Before our visit, I hadn't considered this much.

Made it out of the more congested areas and into a main corridor.

We visited the Creation Museum the next day.  I forgot my camera (gasp!), so only got a few snapshots on my phone.

So, our take on the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter.  Or, what you should know if you're thinking about visiting.  

• Don't go on the weekend.
• Don't go in the summer.
• Don't go if you expect to get a lot when you spend a lot.

The experience was fine.  The structures are fine, the exhibits are fine.  You can tell that they worked really hard to make it nice.  They cover the topics of creation, some biology, and the story of Noah. But for us--and because our kids have always homeschooled with Christian curriculum and know this stuff like the backs of their hands--it felt like a kiddie ride at the fair. We were expecting a big roller coaster of a ride, if you know what I mean.  And I feel that the cost and hype lead people to believe that they will be getting a big roller coaster of a ride.  That was the kicker for us.  Admission to these sites amounted to an obscene amount of money. Truly.  It was by far the most expensive thing we have ever done, but it was not the most valuable.  So the cost vs. value ratio was way off.  But we agreed that it would be great for people who aren't familiar with the Biblical story of creation, or new believers.

Megan and I got to steal away for a mother-daughter art gallery visit on a different day. Cincinnati Art Museum is really amazing. We were happy to be there by ourselves because it meant that we could stay as long as we liked!  We stayed until nearly closing and still didn't get to see it all. Seriously awesome museum!

Cuneiform tablets from Persia.  When the kids were little, we made cuneiform art during our first round of Story of the World.  It was neat getting to see the real deal!

I want to do more of these one-on-one outings as we travel.  It feels so special!

Out on the lake with Jackson again.  He does not get tired of this activity!

He liked the way the water looked, so he took a picture.

I liked the way he looked, so I took a picture.

As I mentioned before, I spent an evening out with Laurel while we were here.  Emily instructed us to send her a picture, which we obediently did:

What's that you say?  She didn't mean that she wanted a picture of our desserts?  Oh!  Whoops.

We had a great time.  We enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Flipdaddy's and, as old friends do, we talked nonstop.  Afterward, we went to dessert and talked more and stood out in the parking lot and talked until the sunset told us that it was time to say goodbye.  We realized that we have been friends for 21 years, and I'll tell you what, these kinds of friendships are one of life's jewels. When I cross paths with Laurel or Emily or Kathy, it's like no time has passed at all. It doesn't matter how many years have elapsed since our last meeting.

We visited a state park in Kentucky and it was really cool, but I really have more to say about the drive there!  Google Maps took us on a rural highway the entire way, which led us through the most incredible farmland, with ponds everywhere and rolling hills and animals and super cozy farm houses and it was just the best drive I've taken in forever.  It was the first time since we left Oregon that I thought, "I could live here."  (Later, when I stepped out and felt the 85 degree humid air, I questioned that thought).  Jordan said, "Even if we don't end up finding our destination today, this drive will still have been worth it."  I agreed!  I had no idea how wonderfully beautiful Kentucky is!

Such a great many fossils have been found at this site, and are still being found.  Scientists think that the number of bones found here are a result of the animals being drawn to the area by the sulfur springs, which would have been like a big salt lick to them.  They have quite a few of the fossils on display inside the visitor's center.  It's kinda cool to compare the size of your tibia to a mammoth's!

And then to the trail for a walk in the heat with no water, because we're hardcore (or not very bright.)

The Kentucky woods are much, much different than anything I've seen.  We saw big brilliant, neon green beetles and trees covered in spikes!  Plus there were a lot of plants and flowers we weren't familiar with.

So that's what we've been up to this past few weeks.  We have a short stopover a few hours from here for the weekend, then we're planning to move north for the work week.  But plans can change, so I'll keep you posted!