• JomarT
  • Hannah T
  • Brian Tussing
  • JomarT
  • Hannah T
  • Brian Tussing

Kentucky Ark and Parks

Et 12-dags eventyr af JomarT, Hannah & Brian Læs mere
  • Start på rejsen
    26. juli 2025

    And so it begins...

    26. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    On Saturday morning, we piled in the van and began the 8 hour trek to Dry Ridge, Kentucky. Brian and Zach managed to engineer a cargo roof rack on top of our van. We bought it used but we didn't realize that it didn't come with the mounting equipment. Brian, ever the engineer, went to a tractor supply place and found brackets that would work. A few tweaks of some hoses he had in the garage, and we he and Zach had it mounted and ready to go.

    The one thing we are looking forward to on today 's long drive is a stop at Culver's. It's been a while since we enjoyed artery-clogging Butter burgers, fried cheese curds, and milkshakes.

    Our Vrbo house rental is in a quiet subdivision in Dry Ridge Kentucky. We took a quick walk around the neighborhood to stretch our legs before hitting the hay.
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  • So many signs...so few bison

    27. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ 🌩️ 88 °F

    On our 3 mile hike, we took the detour to try to find some of the bison herd. It's really hot and humid here today. We walked around the gravel trail desperately in search of those magnificent beasts.
    Hannah was the first one to spot the small herd coming into view at the farthest corner from our location. Zach sprinted around the loop trail and was rewarded by being able to see the bison up close and capture some great photos.
    There were bison signs everywhere, so anticipation was high. We were so thrilled that we finally spotted them.
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  • Big Bone Lick State Park

    27. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ 🌩️ 88 °F

    After a restful night's sleep and a relaxed breakfast, we headed to Big Bone Lick State Park. This beautiful area is known for a few things:
    1. It's the place where animals would come to lick the minerals (salt and sulfur) that dried on the banks. This made them easy to hunt. Thus, there are lots of big bones here.
    2. Lewis and Clark came here and gathered bones for Thomas Jefferson. When those bones were analyzed, the animal "mastadon" was named for the first time.
    3. One of the few remaining herd of bison live here.
    We hiked 3 miles through some beautiful trails, and we even found a swinging bridge. It's really hot here, and I must admit, we enjoyed some post-hike air conditioning in the visitors center.
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  • Rabbit Hash Kentucky

    27. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ 🌩️ 90 °F

    Rabbit Hash Kentucky is a small town about 20 minutes from Big Bone Lick State Park. We decided to visit because
    1. The General Store dates back to 1831.
    2. The General Store has live music, candies, soaps, clothing, and Ale 8 Ginger Ale.
    3. The town is on the Ohio River.
    4. The mayor is a dog; a Bluetick Coonhound named Boone.
    This place was so quirky and fun. We drank Ginger ale, enjoyed the river view, and browsed cutesy, little shops.
    Our big claim to fame is that we met the Ambassador of Rabbit Hash. He is a beagle named "Jack Rabbit". He is called an ambassador because he came in 2nd place in the 2024 election. Jack definitely has our vote in 2028! Lol!
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  • Who Dey!!!

    28. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    On Monday morning, we got the chance to attend a Bengals training camp practice. We hadn't planned this, but when we drove through Cincinnati on Saturday, we got the idea to check into it.
    It turns out that the practice camps are free and open to the public!
    We arrived at 9AM and got in line with the rest of the fans. We were going through the gate by 9:30 and were given Bengal- themed cooling towels!
    By 10 AM, the players took the field.
    We got to see all the players so much closer than if we had bought tickets to a regular season game. It was so cool...and yet so hot.
    Brian picked great seats. When Joe Burrow and company lined up to run some plays...they were right in front of us. They ran about 10 plays and then the rain hit and the players hustled off the field....the practice was over. We ended up seeing them practice for about an hour. It was a great morning!
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  • Newport aquarium

    28. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    We drove across the Ohio River to the Newport Aquarium. We had not been since the kids were quite young.
    It's one of our favorite aquariums.
    We all have a new favorite sea creature: the Shark- Ray. These guys are so cool and loved to show off in front of the crowd.
    The aquarium has a lot of overhead glass tunnels . It's so unreal to have the fish swimming over you.
    Exhibits included an albino alligator, jellies, sea horses, frogs, geckos, snakes, and several touch tanks. Our time ended with my favorite...the penguin exhibit. The other great thing about the aquarium is that it was indoors and air conditioned.
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  • Screaming Eagle Zipline

    29. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    On Tuesday morning, we headed to Williamstown, Kentucky, to go to the Ark Encounter. We had made reservations for the Screaming Eagle Zipline at 10;30, so that was our first stop.
    After a brief safety lesson, we were off for our two hour adventure. We ziplined over the beautiful canopy of trees in the area. We began and ended in view of the ark.
    They took pictures for us as we could not take our phones with us.
    It was so much fun!
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  • Noah's Ark

    29. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    The Answers in Genesis ministry has spent over a decade constructing a life-size model of Noah's Ark. They used the account in Genesis and researched the technology that existed in that day to be as accurate as possible.
    The ark is HUGE!! It's so impressive that Noah and his family were able to accomplish that project without modern tools. It just made us realize how many miraculous events led up to the completed ark.
    They even showed how Noah and family might have fit all the animals in the ark...plus supplies and living quarters.
    It was truly amazing!!
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  • Ararat Zoo

    29. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    Outside of the ark is the Ararat Zoo.. They have an interesting and odd collection of animals at this zoo. We were under a heat advisory, so we possibly did not enjoy the zoo as much as we would have on a 75-degree day.
    There is a picture of a Llama that captures our sentiment at that moment.
    Overall, though, we enjoyed it.
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  • Carousel and Emzara's Buffet

    29. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Our plan for the day was that we would eat breakfast at our house, then have trailmix as a quick snack after ziplining and not eat a real meal until 5pm. We followed this plan and worked up quite an appetite. After we had toured the whole ark and the zoo and took a quick ride on a very unique carousel, we were quite hungry.
    We ate at Emzara's Buffet. (Emzara is the name they have given to Noah's wife...she is not specifically named that in the Bible)
    Whatever her name was...her food was great! We all desperately needed green veggies, so this was one of our healthier food choices over the past few days.
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  • Trail Ride

    30. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    We checked out of our rental house, packed up all our belongings, and headed to the Kentucky Horse Park.
    It was a beautiful day, and Hannah and I decided to take a trail ride around the Park.
    Hannah rode quarter horse named Charlie and I was on a Tennessee Walker named Skybax.
    They were both very good boys and did not try to eat grass or do other naughty horse behaviors. Although Charlie may have followed a little too close to his girlfriend at times.
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  • Kentucky Horse Park

    30. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    We are still under a heat advisory, so we split our day between looking at actual horses outside and touring the International Horse Museum in the air conditioning.
    We watched the Champion showcase where they brought out famous retired race horses. We also took a trolley ride around the grounds. The trolley was pulled by a Suffolk draft horse named Punch and a Belgian draft horse named Manny. So fun!Læs mere

  • Canopy 7 Treehouse

    30. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    After leaving the Kentucky Horse Park, we headed to our next rental home. It's in the "town" of Rogers, KY and is beautifully in the heart of the Daniel Boone National Forest and the Red River Gorge.
    It is technically a treehouse because it is up on stilts in the middle of a forest.
    It is so adorable. There are 3 levels: the main floor with the kitchen and master bed and bathroom, the loft with 2 twin beds and the basement with a family room and another bathroom.
    After unloading, Hannah and I "hung out" in the hammocks.
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  • Gorge Underground Kayak Tour

    31. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Bright and early Thursday morning, we drove to The Gorge Underground Kayak adventures. We took a tour in which we paddled kayaks through an underground lake.
    The cave is an old mine that sat abandoned for decades. In 2014, this tour company bought the mine and turned it into this kayak adventure.
    The cave is 50 degrees, and the water temperature is 40 degrees.
    We were given a helmet with a light on it so we could see where we were paddling.
    The guide used a SUP (stand up Paddle board) and she would stop at various places along the way and give us some fun and educational facts.
    Several places had some low lighting, but a lot of the cave was dark.
    It was a very cool experience!
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  • Kentucky Reptile Zoo

    31. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    After eating at a local restaurant, we stopped at a small reptile zoo. This one had quite a few venomous snakes, but the zoo works with several research facilities. They donate the venom for research using chemicals in the various types of venom for drugs that help to treat lupus, cancers and heart disease, to name a few.
    For a small zoo, they had some pretty cool snakes, gila monsters, alligators and turtles. We finished touring the zoo right as the rain started.
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  • Natural Bridge State Park

    31. juli, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    After kayaking, we headed for Natural Bridge State Park, which was only about a 6 minute drive.
    The hike up to the bridge was quite strenuous. So. Many. Steps.
    Also, the final steps leading up to this beautiful arch were quite steep and VERY narrow. *see video
    However, it was worth all the steps for the gorgeous view! It was breathtaking!
    We continued on a Ridge trail until we found another beautiful overlook called Battleship Rock. The front rocks are curved like the bow of a ship.
    Another incredible view.
    The trails that led back to our van were lovely but uneventful except for... The Eye of the Needle staircase. Descending those steep stone steps was quite perilous. A couple of times, I just sat down and scooted down them on my bottom. I am not proud of that, but I didn't want to fall.
    It's still really humid here, and we were all a sweaty mess when it was over.
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  • Gray's arch

    1. august, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Our big hike eventually brought us to Gray's Arch. This is another beautiful natural arch in this part of Kentucky. I think this is my favorite of all the hikes we have done on this trip. The cool weather helped bring this to the top of my list!
    We also saw a copperhead snake. There were those in our group that were more excited by this than others.
    Still a great hike!
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  • Kentucky's Tropical Forest

    1. august, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    We began our Friday with a drive into the Red River Gorge. We took a 4 mile hike through beautiful woods and fascinating sandstone formations. It was a beautiful morning. The temperature was hovering around 70 degrees, and the humidity was lower than we have had in over 3 weeks. We saw so many amazing views from bluff overlooks and the foliage looked almost tropical at many points of the journey.Læs mere

  • Pilot Knob Hike

    2. august, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    Friday evening, we did laundry, built a campfire (sort of), and soaked in the hot tub. We love the hot tub after a day of hiking. Our muscles are feeling great.
    Saturday morning, Brian and I re-packed our bags, and we headed to the Lexington Airport. I am going with Brian to Wisconsin for a business trip and Hannah and Zach will drive the van home on Sunday.
    On our way to the airport, we stopped at Pilot Knob to hike to the top of this mountain. It is the spot where Daniel Boone first saw the land of Kentucky and fell in love with it.
    The hike was short and strenuous, but was well worth it. The views were phenomenal! We see why Daniel fell in love. This was a great last Kentucky hike!
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  • Lime Kiln Hike

    3. august, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Saturday night, we landed at Green Bay Airport and then drove down to Appleton. On Sunday morning, we drove to High Cliffs State Park to walk along Lake Winnebago. The Canadian wildfires are still raging, so the visibility is greatly reduced. There is a moderate air quality alert today , so it's actually better today than it has been earlier in the summer. You can see the haze on the water in our pictures.Læs mere

  • Road America

    3. august, Forenede Stater ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    After a brief hike in Appleton, we drove down to Elkhart Lake to watch the IMSA car races.
    The Road America track is very beautiful, but also very long.
    We thought we walked around all of it, but we realized there was a whole section of the track that we did not see.
    It was very hot, and we kept walking from one shady spot to the next and drinking lots of water.
    The course is very fan friendly: you can walk along pit row and see the teams up close, and there are tons of different viewing areas you can walk to.
    We were sweaty and tired when it was over, but we were glad we got to experience this iconic track.
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