Since our last update, we have been to Kansas, to Kentucky, to Illinois, to Kansas City, to Arkansas, to Texas, back to Arkansas, back to Kansas City, back to Kansas, to Oklahoma, back to Arkansas, back to Kansas City, back to Arkansas, to Louisiana, to Mississippi, and now we are in Florida. No wonder we are tired!
First, to Kansas. We traveled to our hometown to see our parents and to enjoy a family picnic celebrating the safe return of Cy’s cousin from a tour of duty in the Middle East with the Kansas National Guard. We are grateful for family members and friends who sacrificially serve (and served) our nation and our communities. As we approach this coming election, we pray that the sacrifices made for our country’s freedom in the past won’t be lost at the ballot box.
From Kansas to Kentucky: As one of the first cold spells of fall moved into the Plains States, the weather forecast was warm for Kentucky. We camped at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site near Covington, KY. Big Bone Lick was the site where early explorers found elephant bones in 1739. In 1807, William Clark spent three weeks there on an archeological dig for President Jefferson. Now, the park has a bison herd and several hiking trails. While we hiked a little, we did more touring on our motorcycles of scenic backroads. Since we were in Kentucky, we decided it would be a good time to visit the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum. The Ark Encounter is a monumental place and worth visiting. The true-to-Biblical-dimensions ark demonstrates scientifically how Noah, his family, and all of the animals could live on the ark with enough food and water for the duration of the flood. The engineering of this replica ark is impressive. The Gospel was presented clearly, reminding visitors that just as in the days of Noah, so it will be when Jesus returns. Jesus repeatedly says, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” We pray people are hearing the good news of Jesus and responding with humble hearts. The Creation Museum was impressive too. The days of creation and the fall of man were depicted in life size dioramas. We even got to attend a session with Ken Ham, the founder of Answers in Genesis, which is the organization behind the museums.
After Big Bone Lick, we moved camp southeast to Fort Boonesborough State Park. Daniel Boone and his men established this fort in 1775 as Kentucky’s second settlement. The fort has been recreated so we spent a rainy Sunday afternoon there. We met a gunsmith who makes flintlock guns by hand with the same tools used in early America. Impressive! We also chatted with the blacksmith who fled corporate America to learn blacksmithing and eventually wants to become the fort’s gunsmith. While we chatted, he fashioned an iron hook that he kindly gifted to us. We use his kind gift in the trailer to hang our rain jackets.
While in the area, we discovered Ale-8-One soda crafted in Winchester, had a great meal at Carson’s Food & Drink in Lexington, and hiked up to the Natural Bridge and down into Devil’s Gulch. As we traveled to our next destination, we stopped by Buffalo Trace Distillery. All the tours were full but we enjoyed seeing the historic buildings. As we walked the grounds, the scent in the air changed from raw wet grains to the syrupy sweetness of bourbon.
Kentucky to Illinois: We camped at Gun Creek on Rend Lake. This peaceful campground was a great stopover on our way back to Kansas City. We stayed a couple days and rode the flat, straight roads of southern Illinois.
We went back to Kansas City for some appointments and to continue our land search. Smithville Lake has become our favorite place to stay when in the area. The weather turned chilly while we were there so we made a necessary purchase: a heated mattress pad. Having warmth soak through our chilled bones at the end of the day is lovely. Even if the air in the trailer is chilly, we are toasty in our snuggly bed. Although we continue to watch the real estate market and have looked at several properties, we have yet to find what we are seeking. We trust that God will provide land for us in His timing. Until then, we are Chasing Sonshine.
To be continued. Hopefully soon. Who knew our camp life would be so busy!
Lesson Learned: We need to blog more often.