The Train, The Train...

Today we took Papa for a road trip.  We drove to Stearns, Kentucky to right the Big South Fork Scenic Railway.  Claude and I rode this several years ago and we felt it would be a great destination for Papa.

I researched on-line a couple of weeks ago and picked a date that would work for Claude and me as this trip would take all day.  The only time to ride the railroad today was at 11am. Their information said it was 2 1/2 hours from Lexington.  Papa is about 20 minutes from Lexington.  We are about 20 minutes from Papa.  Allowing for getting us breakfast at McDonald's as we drove in and time to get Papa in the car and get his garbage to the street, we determined we should leave our home at 7am so we didn't have to rush.

All went according to schedule. We took the roads to get there indicated in the directions portion of the website so we would be on their schedule and we would be the 45 minutes early we were told to be there when I called.  With all that thought and planning we arrived way early and could have left Sadieville at 8am and still been okay.  Knowing this would be a hard day on Papa's back, we rolled the car windows down and let him sit in my car where the seat supports him a bit and give a rest to his back.

When the time was right, we left the car and headed to the office to purchase our tickets. They have a group playing old country music 30 minutes before departure time. Papa found a seat at the front and enjoyed the music.

When the people started to move toward the door to board the train, Claude went ahead to find us seats. I stayed with Papa so he could sit in the rocker as long as possible.  Soon all the people were gone except Papa.  He told the group that they had not done the song he expected them to sing.  The song Papa thought he would hear is titled "Kentucky". He and I used to sing it at the nursing home and it is Papa's all time favorite song about Kentucky. They found their key and started to sing.  Papa then took himself to the microphone and joined them. Geez!!  I know he really misses being able to sing and play like he used to. It is very hard for him to lose those skills. The group was surprised but kind and let him sing his high tenor.

After he sang, I told him we needed to get on the train.  He came right along and we found Claude in the car without any windows.  Yeah!  This is so much better for quick picture taking.  The seats swivel so you can face any directions and they leaned back so Papa could get relief for his back.  Papa in place, train ready, off we went.

The trip is a 7 mile ride down into a gorge. Once in the gorge you disembark the train for about 1 1/2 hours.  This is the location of the Blue Heron Coal Mine.  The mine was used in the 1930's and 1940's and no longer is in use.  They have built 'ghost' buildings around. These are steel frames on the spot where a building would have been. They have tin roofs. Inside are buttons you can push for an audio of what the building was used for and displays of what would have been in that building. 

Here are some pictures of the trip down to the gorge.

 

 

 

 

Papa was not capable of walking all the places one can walk while at the mine.  We let him set the pace. We found a loop up to the old mine entrance and followed it. It was up a hill so we went part way, entered a ghost building and sat on a bench for a break until he was ready to go a little further. 

At 12:35 they had a special little program.  A park ranger came and talked to us about how the town and mine would have operated when it was active. The program was at the entrance to the mine.

The ranger had two types of head protection and a lunch pail. One of the head protections was simply a canvas cap with a light on the front.  The light was one Papa had been telling me about when we took our last drive a few weeks ago.  He explained that there was a container and you put a rock of some material in the container. Then you put water on it and struck a flint.  This ignited and caused a flame to come in a reflector which projected light. It is the precursor to a lighted helmet of today.  Papa says they wore them at night when they went hunting.  The park ranger said they were really a torch on the head of a miner in a place that could send gas and explode. Hmmmm...

The lunch pail was a very efficient item. The pail the ranger is holding in the picture would have boiling water put in the bottom. The piece on the top rail of the fence at the right would go in next and it would contain the lunch item that needed to be kept warm. On top of this the tray in the middle on the top rail of the fence would be place with a piece of cornbread in it and utensils needed to eat.  The lid would go on top.  As the day of work wore on, the water would cool and would them be used for drinking water. Very handy and important item for a miner.

The park ranger then asked a young boy to come to help him.  He asked us to imagine the vein of coal was the height of the top rail on the fence.  He had the young man crouch down as far as he could and stay there.  It didn't take long for the young man to get very uncomfortable.  The point was the miners had to work like that to clear the dirt from under the vein of coal so the vein would fall and they would pick at it and get it ready to go in the coal car.  They would be paid 35 cents per ton of coal. The car would hold about 2 tons of coal. All this was done by hand. Sometimes the veins were so low a miner had to lay on his stomach to work.

After our tour of the mine, we went back to the station and listened to the musical group again. Then we boarded the train and the engine pushed us up out of the gorge and back to the train station.  Claude drove us back to Whitley City where we enjoyed a nice lunch before heading home for the day.

It was a beautiful day and very nice to be out in the fresh air.  We wore Papa out.  He was happy to be home.

Horses and Cake...

We got home from New Hampshire at 1:30am Saturday morning.  We were in bed asleep by 2am.  We didn't get out of bed until 11am.  Then we started the laundry and tried to get ready for the arrival of the Mini's, our two youngest grandmonsters.

Claude and I went into Georgetown and had dinner. Then we visited Papa until Andie and the Mini's joined us at his apartment.  I got in Andie's car with our destination being the Kentucky Horse Park. Claude went to the grocery store to purchase groceries for the weekend.

The Kentucky Horsepark has a freebie evening every year from 4pm to 8pm.  There are activities for the kids and this is where we were taking Hayden and Bailey.

Thinking the activities were in the part of the Horse Park we normally visit, we visited them first.  Hayden tested the length of his stride if he were a race horse.

Bailey watched horses train in the big field with a track around the outside.

While in route to the Kids Barn, we paused at the big chairs for a picture of Hayden and Bailey.  Then they posed for pictures in the big basket. They are pretending to be Easter eggs.

In the Kids Barn they tried lots of things.  These pictures are of Hayden measuring to see how many hands high he would be and Bailey trying her hand at driving a carriage.

The next barn over is where the horses for the police are kept.  These are a cross breed from the draft horses.  There were two policeman getting mounted for the evening. Bailey is petting one of their horses.

We followed the crowd over to a field by the open stadium.  This was where all the kids games were located. Bailey made a horse and had her face painted like a cat. We watched the cloggers. Bailey tried her hand at the horse obstacle course. I'm sure it has a more technical name but I surely do not know it. We got the kids something cold of their choice. Bailey had ice cream and Hayden had a snow cone. I got a kick out of how Bailey put her horse in her clothes so her hands were free to eat her ice cream.

 

 

We finished our visit at the open stadium where there would be a horse jumping competition. This was also free.  Andie and the Mini's watched them make kettle corn and Andie purchased some to eat while we watched the competition.  It was great fun to watch those beautiful animals go through their paces.

When we left, we were fortunate to run in to a cart that volunteered to take us to the parking lot to our car. Yippee!! 

Sunday I went into Georgetown to church and choir practice.  I picked up Papa and Tiny before I came home.  Surprise when I entered the house.  All around the island in our kitchen were the Mini's and Andie and they had been very busy.  They made turtle cupcakes for me for an early birthday celebration.  

 

We enjoyed the rest of Sunday and a good part of Monday with the Mini's and Andie.  So nice to have them visit. Love family times.

Travel We Will Not Take For Granite...

Yep, I spelled Granite correctly. We made a trip to the Granite State, New Hampshire, last week. Claude's brother, Cordell, and his wife, Julie, are serving a six month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there.  They are serving at Zion's Camp on Lake Onway in Raymond, New Hampshire. They invited us to come and spend a few days with them.  We flew out of Louisville on Southwest Airlines Tuesday in the late afternoon and arrived at Manchester, New Hampshire after a change of planes in Baltimore, Maryland after 10pm.  We had a hotel room in Manchester and went directly there for a good night's rest so we would be ready to play for a few days.

Wednesday morning we had a leisurely morning getting ready and left for Raymond about 9:30am.  Cordell and Julie had given us directions into the camp and to their spot.  We did place one phone call to be sure we were headed to the correct spot after we got into the camp.  They have their trailer all set up and are living quite nicely.

Zion's Camp was originally a Boy Scout Camp with some buildings built on it and a nice dining hall. The Church purchased it from the Boy Scouts with the intent it be used as a camp for the Young Women in the local stakes to each have a week long camp there over the summer.  It needs lots of maintenance and Cordell and Julie help with that and lots of other things this summer.  Before and after the Girl's Camp season, Zion's Camp is used for other things and can even be rented by groups.

We had the grand tour of Zion's Camp starting at Lake Onway. The water is so very clear around the edge of the lake.  It is simply beautiful.  Zion's Camp does not include the entire lake.  It is on a large portion of the edge of the lake but the remainder is fronted by private property owners.  

 

A man who once worked at Zion's Camp wanted a covered bridge to be built along the path from where some of the cabins are to the lake. This was not done during his lifetime. At his passing his family raised the funds and had the covered bridge built in his honor.

A very nice amphitheater is being built fronting the lake. They have a sound system and are building tiered seating out of stones and gravel. It is beautiful.  This is Cordell and Claude standing at the top of the hill as we looked over the amphitheater and Lake Onway.  It was great to see these brothers together again.

The buildings at Zion's Camp are named after Church History sites. Each has bunks for sleeping. Some have bathrooms or other features.  We drove through where they were located and then to a portion away from these buildings.  

This was a nicely wooded area that has been named 'The Sacred Grove'.  It had an area used for gatherings which has been refurbished with a nice pavilion, benches made of logs and boards in an amphitheater setting.  Cordell made the benches. He also used his router and made a Young Women's logo and it hangs in the inside center of the pavilion.

 

After touring Zion's Camp and the 'mobile estate' of Cordell and Julie, we got in our rented car and headed for Rye, New Hampshire.  Julie purchased tickets for us to enjoy Granite State Whale Watching.  What a lovely drive to the coast we enjoyed.  We were early so we continued up the coast for a way.  Then, deciding we should eat before our whale watching experience, we headed back to a restaurant we saw on our drive, Petey's.  We had a wonderful lunch and made it to the boat as they were boarding. Here is our selfie before the cruise.  This would be Sandi, Claude, Julie and Cordell.  Julie was stretching her arms out as far as she could to get us all in there. 

And this is the wake of our boat leaving Rye, New Hampshire and headed for Jeffrey's Ledge to find some whale. Claude and my favorite spot on a cruise ship is watching the wake as you go through the ocean.

The first whale we spotted were Minke Whale. They are smaller and were harder to get a picture.  I was also in the learning phase about finding the whales.  One of the things they look for is a whale footprint.  Can you imagine such a thing?  When the whale is under the water and using its tail fin to move forward, it leaves a smooth place on the surface of the water that is fairly large.  This smooth place is called the whale's footprint.  You don't see the whale, but you see that smooth spot and you know there is one under the surface of the water.  The next thing you look for is a water spout when the whale comes to the surface and exhales.  It looks like a puff of smoke.  The next thing you will see is a whale body. While in Alaska we watched Humpback Whales breach the water and splash back down. The whales we would see here would not do that.  They would come to the surface, exhale, take a deep breathe of air and descend for a period of time.  Basically, the people in the know on board our ship said if the whale only takes a short breath, it will be under water for about 5 minutes.  If it takes several breaths, it can stay under water for 10-15 minutes, especially if it is a larger kind of whale.

Then we started to follow a Fin Whale.  These whales get to be 60-70 feet long.  That was a long as the boat on which we were touring. The guides would tell us they spotted a footprint at 11 o'clock and we all rushed to the left side of the boat and looked in that direction.  We were told the point of the boat at the front was 12 o'clock and to think of the rest of the boat in a clockwise direction from there.  Then they could tell us the time and we would know which side of the boat to be on to see the next whale sighting.

Here are a couple pictures of the Fin Whale sightings.

I was also fascinated with the birds.  These birds kept their wings flapping the entire time they were in the air.  I have gotten so used to seeing the turkey buzzards catch a breeze, open their wings, and glide on that breeze until watching bird continually flap their wings made my arms tired.  They can rest on the water sometimes.  The people in the know told me when I asked about it that, after floating on the water, these birds literally start running across the water to get themselves started flying.  I happened to get a picture of that happening.

We were fortunate on this tour that the people who study whales and the ocean were on the boat collecting data about the whales and birds.  They answered all questions and came around to check on us to be sure we learned as we sailed.

We also saw Harbor Porpoise. They are tiny and give no warning that they will jump out of the water.  So, no pictures of these cuties.

As we returned to port, we passed the Isles of Shoals.  There are several of the islands all in a group.  Some have buildings to which people boat for events or the weekend, etc. Others have old military watch towers left over from the war. Some have birds that nest in mass on them. Here are a three pictures of three different islands.

 

 

Back to shore we headed.  The temperature on the ocean was cool. Some people wore their jackets. We did not.  The sun was bright but was not hot or uncomfortable.  No one even got sunburned in it.  We were amazed at the immediate temperature change when we entered the harbor.  It was many degrees warmer and we missed the cool of being on the ocean.

There was one poor lady who hurled the entire cruise.  We were out over four hours and only came in because a storm was coming and the waters were getting unsafe for our size boat.  At one point I gave this poor lady my package of tissues. It turns out she had done this cruise before and never been sick. However, this time she was at the beginning of a pregnancy and that was her issue.

It was a great adventure and we all counted ourselves happy and blessed to see and learn all that we did that afternoon.

We went back to Raymond and ate at The Pines, a place Julie and Cordell really enjoy. Again, great seafood.

A storm had been predicted for the evening.  When we left The Pines, the sky was black and threatening.  We got Julie and Cordell back home and Claude hurried back to Manchester.  We made it into our hotel before the storm hit with full force.

Thursday Julie and Cordell drove to Manchester and left their truck in the hotel parking lot. Our destination was Sharon, Vermont to see the birthplace of Joseph Smith.  Claude and I were there 10 years ago. We arrived as the sun was setting and quickly walked to the monument and tried to take pictures before we were out of light. It was nice to be there in the daylight.

Elder Osborne came and talked with us in the Visitor's Center.  Then he took us to the monument and graciously took a picture of the four of us.

These pictures were taken in the Visitor's Center.  The first is the original hearthstone from the Joseph Smith, Sr. family home.  The second is a life size statue of Joseph Smith, Jr. with Claude standing next to it to give perspective.  Claude is 6 feet tall.  Notice that there is a base to the statue that would make Joseph Smith appear a lot taller than Claude.

 

Outside I took pictures of the monument which was erected in 1905 to celebrate the 100th birthday of Joseph Smith.  The stone that formed the step to the Joseph Smith, Sr. home is surrounded by the little flower bed and stones. I also loved the bees in all the flowers.

 

 

 

 

Elder Osborne told us of the Old Highway that went into the woods to the right of the monument.  We were invited to drive the road and see the cellars of the Solomon Mack home (Joseph Smith, Jr.'s mother's father), the stone bridge over the creek and the Daniel Mack (Solomon Mack's brother) cellar where his home stood.  This was a nice drive through some beautiful woods.

We left the Joseph Smith Birthplace site and went back into Sharon, Vermont in search of lunch.  We found a restaurant named Sandie's.  Julie and Cordell found the maple syrup they wanted.  It made for a cute picture outside the restaurant.

We decided to spend the rest of our day driving north on I-93 to Woodbury, Vermont and find the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory. We took the tour, tasted Forever Fudge ice cream, and then each enjoyed a dish of our favorite flavor.

 

While we drove the Interstate this entire trip, it was still a beautiful drive.  I found myself fascinated with the huge granite outcroppings in the median of the Interstate.

 

Back to Manchester Claude drove our weary bodies.  We visited the L.L. Bean outlet before dining at the Extreme Pita restaurant in the mall across from our hotel.  Love a good falafel.  Not as good as the Pita Place in Muskegon, Michigan, but it will tied me over until I get back to Muskegon.

Friday we had the morning and early afternoon to play.  We joined Cordell and Julie and visited a bit. Then they took us to a barbecue restaurant they enjoy were we all had lunch. Such good food.  After lunch, Cordell directed us to the Lindt Chocolate outlet.  Oh My Heavens!!  Back to their mobile estate for more visiting.  Then it was time to return our rental and go through security to catch our flights home.

This was a wonderful visit.  So happy we were invited.  So happy to renew family ties again.  They are the ties that bind.