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Early Tuesday morning, June 20 we left our fifth wheel home at Lake Carmi, Vermont and headed for the Quebec Canadian border. The border crossing was less than five miles from the campground with Montreal an hour and twenty minutes away. The Canadian border agent asked if we had any weapons, which we had none, and the purpose of our trip. I explained we wanted to visit Montreal for the day and return the same day back to the U.S. After a brief five minute stop we proceeded on our way navigating the back roads of Southern Quebec reading the French Canadian signage. Our navigation system was working but we had no idea where we wanted to park the truck once we arrived in the city. Fortunately we spotted a ? Highway sign (Canadian for an Information office) so we stopped before Montreal and met two lovely and helpful young ladies who spoke English. They provided us with all the maps, brochures and information we needed to get to the downtown Montreal information office. We sighed a collective "Hallelujah and Praise the Lord" before hitting the road again. Downtown Montreal was a mess with road and building construction everywhere. I dropped Karen off at the Montreal (?) Tourism office and drove around looking for a place to park. Downtown parking for a big truck is impossible. I picked Karen up and headed towards the waterfront on a lark and we managed to find a parking lot on the St. Lawrence River near the marina facility and science museum that could accommodate our one ton pick-up truck. From there it was a short walk to the nearest GrayLine ON/OFF double-decker red tour bus stop to start our initial city visit. The bus tour covered the city well and took over two hours. We like this service because it gives us the geographic and historic overview of the city. Montreal is home to over one hundred ethnicities. The largest European ancestries in Montreal include French (26%), Italian (7%), Irish (6%), English (4%), Scottish (3%) and Spanish (2%). About 31% of the Montreal population belong to a visible minority, up dramatically from just 5% in 1981. Montreal is the second most populous city in Canada and the most populous city in the province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill around which the early city of Ville-Marie is built. The city is centered on the Island of Montreal, which obtained its name from the same origin as the city, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard. The city is 122 miles east of the national capital Ottawa, and 160 miles southwest of the provincial capital, Quebec City. As of 2021, the city had a population of 1,762,949, and a metropolitan population of 4,291,732, making it the second-largest city, and second-largest metropolitan area in Canada. French, of course, is the city's official language. We started looking for a restaurant not far from Notre-Dame Basilica in the historic district of Old Montreal, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The church is located at 110 Notre-Dame Street West, at the corner of Saint Sulpice Street. We walked to the Place Jacques-Cartier, a square just south of Nelson's Column (French: Colonne Nelson), a monument designed by Scottish architect Robert Mitchell and erected in 1809 in Place Jacques-Cartier, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which is dedicated to the memory of Admiral Horatio Nelson following his death at the Battle of Trafalgar. Montreal's pillar now stands as the second-oldest "Nelson's Column" in the world, after the Nelson Monument in Glasgow. It is also the city's oldest monument and is the oldest war monument in Canada. I found it ironic; a British Admiral monument in a French speaking Canadian Province? I found out later that the monument is controversial among some French Canadians in Montreal, who perceive it as offensive due to lingering tensions between English Canada and French Canada. We found a restaurant at Le Senatur on the rue Saint-Paul just two blocks west of Bonsecours Market (French: Marché Bonsecours), at 350 rue Saint-Paul in Old Montreal. It is a two-story domed public market that for more than 100 years was the main public market in the Montreal area. It also briefly accommodated the Parliament of United Canada for one session in 1849. We had a great meal and perfect ending to a beautiful day in Montreal. We walked back to the truck and drove a different route back to the USA by way of New York. No problem getting back into "the States". We are looking forward to another venture into Canada later in the month to the provincial capital, Quebec City on the Saint Lawrence River. Dating to 1608, it has a fortified colonial core, Vieux-Québec and Place Royale, with stone buildings and narrow streets. This area is the site of the towering Château Frontenac Hotel and imposing Citadelle of Québec. The Petit Champlain district’s cobblestone streets are lined with bistros and boutiques. It is the cradle of French America and the only fortified city on the continent north of Mexico. We're looking forward to strolling through the cobblestone streets, visiting the best historic sites, soaking in the region's magnificent heritage, storied past, and European charm.

On Sunday, June 18 we visited an interesting museum. The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) is a non-profit museum located in Vergennes, Vermont. It preserves and shares the history and archaeology of Lake Champlain. As a maritime museum practicing archaeology, LCMM studies the shipwrecks discovered in Lake Champlain and has a large role in the management of those cultural resources. Through the preservation and analysis of artifacts, the museum showcases the story of the people and culture of the Lake Champlain region. The museum had an interesting exhibit of Revolutionary War engagements involving the Continential naval forces and the British navy on the lake. In 2000, the LCMM Underwater Archaeology teams formed what is now the research arm of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. The team of archaeologists and researchers are regional, national, and international archaeological experts in research and policymaking as it relates to underwater cultural heritage. Access to the sites in the Lake Champlain Underwater Historic Preserve is free of charge, but divers must register annually prior to using the Preserve System. I am intrigued with the idea of diving a historical wreck in the lake but don't think I could get Karen to join me. The cold water temperature is probably a no go for her! From Button Bay State Park we traveled on Monday, Juneteenth (June 19) north and east to Lake Carmi State Park, Vermont for three days near the Canadian border. Our original booked site was too narrow and under the tree canopy so we spoke to Sierra, the park supervisor, and explained we needed sun for our solar system. She was happy to accommodate us and we moved to an overflow area near the day use parking which has seven campsites with open sky all day and a beautiful view of the lake looking west. The park is mostly empty which surprised us, but Sierra explained that they are rarely full because the park has no hook ups, no wifi and no cellular service. Amazing that people can't even unplug to go camping. Sounds like heaven on earth to me! We had the entire overflow area to ourselves so I parked the trailer with the best view out our large windows to see the sunset over the lake. We were thrilled with our awesome location! Thanks Sierra!

We made it to Vermont! On Friday afternoon we arrived around lunch time to set up camp at Button Bay State Park. This campsite has no hook ups so we are using our solar/LiFePO batteries/inverter to provide all our power for the trailer. Our fresh water tank is 2/3 full and we have plenty of gray/black water capacity for the next three days. Our site is on a large grassy open space near water if we need to fill our tank. Friday was initially overcast with thundershowers but the rain didn't begin until late evening. Here are some interesting facts about Vermont. The state's name comes from two French words vert (green) and mont (mountain), which explains Vermont's nickname, the "Green Mountain State." Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys defended their homeland from the British during the Revolutionary War. Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the U.S., producing over 500,000 gallons a year. Button Bay State Park is a 253-acre state park in Ferrisburgh, Vermont on the shores of Lake Champlain. Why is button bay called Button Bay? The calcium which occured naturally in the Champlain Sea cemented the clay into many interesting shapes. The most common concretion looked like an old-fashioned button mold. British soldiers during the Revolution were the first to call this "Button Mould Bay." We're in the area for three days, primarily to attend Elizabeth and Zach's wedding on Saturday. Friday late afternoon we attended their rehearsal dinner at Lareau Farm, an historic 25 acre farmstead located on the valley floor of the Mad River, known for their flatbread pizzas. We got to visit with Karen's family who are here for the wedding and were introduced to Zach's family and friends. The consensus is that Saturday, despite the rainy weather forecast, is expected to be a joyful day!

Wednesday, June 14 at 9 AM Karen and I arrived at the Alliance RV factory building #3 to pick up our Avenue 32 RLS trailer after 7 days of major repairs and retrofitting. We can't thank the Alliance team enough, especially Carl, Larry and Tristen for all their hard work and attention to detail to get us whole again. I told Karen that we now need to refer to our fifth wheel as Trinity 2.0. Larry showed me photos of the reinforced bracket they welded to the back wall aluminum framing in order to strengthen the corners along the bottom and sides. In addition, they added twelve lag screws through the bottom aluminum back wall frame into the steel undercarriage rear frame. The two cracks in the sidewalls were opened up to the aluminum frame joints and welded together to create one continuous joint then repaired and painted to match the exterior finish. The icing on the cake was all the extra work the Alliance team did like re-caulking joint transitions, taping slide roof seams, cleaning air conditioner filters and adjusting our closet doors to track properly. After doing our walk-thru, signing off the repair worksheet (with a few notes for the record) and reloading our belongings, I backed up the truck and hooked up Trinity 2.0. We departed Bay #62 at 10 AM and headed for St John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, a Harvest Host in Girard, PA, about 321 miles east. It took almost 6 hours to drive but we were both so glad to be back on the road again it really didn't feel too fatiguing. The joy of having our home back provided the adrenaline boost we needed to make the long drive possible! Friends we made at the rally, Sean and Kathy from Erie, PA picked us up after we arrived and we all went out to dinner that evening. We told them about our complete satisfaction with Alliance and the way they took care of our repairs. During the evening we discussed a possible 2024 trip to Alaska together. I showed Sean the 2023 Alaska Milepost book I received from Amazon the other day. We decided to keep in touch and committed to start the necessary research to make an Alaska trip a reality. Overall, it was a great, productive day. On Thursday, June 15 we departed Girard, PA around 9 AM and drove another five and a half hours, 308 miles to the Woodland Farm Brewery in Utica, NY, another Harvest Host. We stopped at the local Walmart to do some grocery shopping and filled our refrigerator back up with all kinds of goodies. Tomorrow we drive the final leg of this trip to Button Bay State Park in Ferrisburgh, VT so we can attend the wedding festivities of Karen's cousin Elizabeth Phelan to Zach Stone this weekend. We thought we might miss out if our coach wasn't finished in time, but thankfully Alliance came through.

While staying with the Swains in Hastings, Michigan we all decided to go out exploring. Richard suggested the Gilmore Car Museum, an automobile museum located in Hickory Corners, Michigan. The museum exhibits over 400 vintage and collector vehicles as well as motorcycles from all eras housed in several vintage buildings located on a 90-acre campus. The museum claims to be the largest automobile museum in North America. It is part of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. Yesterday, Saturday June 10 all four of us headed out for a day trip. The museum opened in 1966 exhibiting the car collection of Donald S. Gilmore, a local businessman. Today its collection consists of over 500 vehicles, including an 1899 Locomobile Steam Car and a 1930 Rolls-Royce prop car used in the 1967 film "The Gnome-Mobile". The museum also claims to have the largest display of automotive mascots and name badges in North America. The campus includes a 1941 Blue Moon Diner and a replica 1930s Shell fuel station. The museum brought back childhood memories of Uncle Richard Teague who worked in the car industry as a designer and my cousin Jeff, his son, who followed in his car designing footsteps. While at the museum we found one of Uncle Dick's designs in the muscle car section, a 1969 AMC AMX Super Coupe. The AMC AMX is a two-seat GT-style muscle car produced by American Motors Corporation from 1968 through 1970. As one of just two American built two-seaters, the AMX was in direct competition with the one-inch (2.5 cm) longer wheelbase Chevrolet Corvette for substantially less money. I also found at the museum a beautifully restored 1931 Ford Model A convertible pick-up truck. A friend in high school had this same vintage car back in 1971 in his garage and intended to restore it. Like many of us in those days, he had good intentions but no extra money other than to get it only barely drivable. After all these years, it was fun to see what it could have looked like. I talked to Tristen at Alliance RV on Friday, June 9 and got an updated status on our trailer. He told us the repairs could possibly be completed by Wednesday, June 14; so we are planning on heading back to Elkhart, Indiana either Monday or Tuesday to be close to the factory for picking it up upon completion and hitting the road again.

One of the downsides of living full time in your RV is when the coach goes into the factory or dealership for repairs or servicing...where do you live? Most travelers will stay in a hotel or rent an AirBnB for the duration but if you have family or friends near to the servicing location, you might be able to mooch a room with them. Lucky for us, Richard and Nancy Swain, friends from Florida, have a second home about two hours driving time from Elkhart in Hastings, MI. They are both in the Hastings home for the summer and have graciously invited us to stay with them while Trinity is being repaired. We jumped at the opportunity because Karen and Nancy have been friends for years and our circumstance has created a great chance to get together for an extended visit. Unfortunately, Richard is still working so I am finding things to do while Karen and Nancy catch up on some quality girl time. The girls are working out downstairs in the mornings so I move upstairs to eat breakfast while I catch up on emails and do blog writing. I have signed up to do an on-line Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED course to renew my certification and will try to get to the Gilmore Car Museum while they do their thing. So far we have planned a Friday night dinner out with the Swain's and the True's. Jay and Elaine True live in Holland, MI, and are old friends from Redwood Covenant Church days in Santa Rosa, CA who moved to Michigan some years ago. A discussion about taking in a Detroit Tiger baseball game on Saturday is also in the works. So as you can see, we are keeping occupied both physically and mentally. I spoke with Tristen, our point of contact at Alliance RV today and their conservative estimate for completing repairs looks like Monday, June 19. Semper Gumby time! That said, I've arranged to text him this coming Friday the 9th to check on the rig's status. In the event Trinity won't be ready by Wednesday, June 14, we will need to start cancelling some campground reservations and route plans. We still have some time and wiggle room in our travel schedule. We're hoping by this Friday we'll have a better idea of when we might be able to pick up Trinity.

As many of you know, Trinity, our Avenue 32RLS built by Alliance RV Company has had a rough year since we departed Sonoma County in May of 2022. A number of the repairs were addressed at our first Ally Rally last year, but some of the major issues didn't appear until last November and more has happened through this last month. That said, if you're not an RV'er it is sometimes difficult to understand why so many RV'ers frequently deal with breakdowns and repairs. Well, the simplest analogy boils down to this: every time you move an RV, you are putting the structure, all its contents and complex systems under "earthquake conditions". The more you travel, the more you experience a variety of unfavorable road conditions for extended periods of time. It is a reality many people don't understand and often is considered a negative for living this lifestyle full-time. Every Alliance RV is generously backed with a 3-year limited structural and 1-year limited base warranty. Over our year and a half in this new life we have had nothing but positive experiences with Alliance RV customer service. We can say that Alliance RV has proven to live up to their company values: • Relentless Improvement (dedicated to a higher standard) • Devoted to Relationships (serve everyone with respect through open and honest communication) • Customer Obsessed (to enhance the experience with our Allies) True to form, Alliance customer service scheduled us for an appointment at 10 AM on Monday, June 5 to drop off Trinity for the problem areas to be repaired at the Alliance Avenue RV Campus facility. We have been in the capable hands of Jim Bonacci, Customer Service "Hotshot", and as we approached our scheduled date we got to meet Tristen Singleton, Production Service Manager on Wednesday at the 2023 Rally event. He came by to get "eyes on" the issues and we're confident he will take good care of us. So, Trinity is going back home to get fine tuned. Using a naval metaphor; she has had her "shakedown" cruise and is going into dry dock for some much needed repairs. We arrived at the factory on Monday after prepping the unit for the repair process. Preparations included: emptied the refrigerator, fresh water tank and gray/black tanks; shut off the propane tanks and removed our personal belonging for our week away. We met up with Tristen and were introduced to Carl who will be the lead service technician for Trinity. We did a walk through to get Carl up to speed on our coach's issues. On Tuesday, we will receive a phone call with a date when they anticipate all work will be completed. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully by Friday, June 9, Karen and I (keeping with the nautical theme) will be able to set sail again on our great adventure to discover America!

We arrived at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds Monday, May 29, two days prior to the 2023 Alliance Owner's Rally to get settled in before the official Wednesday start. And much to our surprise, the fairground venue was already buzzing with activity. Approximately 85% of the Rally attendees had shown up already! When we talked to many of them, they told us that Sunday was crazy busy, so I'm glad we scheduled our arrival on Monday afternoon instead. Our first scheduled item upon arrival was to get the truck and trailer weighed; this only took about 15 minutes. From the weighing station, we drove to the check-in area and were escorted to our site in the northeast area of the fairgrounds. The site was on grass and quite spacious compared to some other full hookup areas. We had 30 amp electrical and water but no sewer, which is never a problem for our rig's capacity. We were parked between Sean and Kathy from Erie, PA and Mike and Maggie from Indiana; two lovely couples who we would see and occasionally hang out with over the next 5 days. Even though the Rally didn't officially kick off until Wednesday morning, the playful spirit of this RV community was evident throughout the fairground. There were RV's parked side by side as far as the eye could see, We saw E-bikes, golf carts, flags and banners flying along with many rigs circled with clusters of folding camping chairs around fire pits. We heard and observed groups of gathered friends and acquaintances in happy conversation with laughter filling the air throughout the energized fairground setting. The anticipation was electric as "Allies" got ready for the 2023 Alliance Rally. On Tuesday afternoon Karen and I picked up our welcome bag full of "goodies" and had a light lunch of pulled pork sliders and "Texas style" margaritas courtesy of a group of Texas Allies...yahoo! Wednesday morning we headed to the main event building for the first breakfast. Upon entry into the building it became clearly visible just how popular the Ally Rally has become as we looked for a table; ots of people from one end of this massive building to the other. According to Alliance hosting staff, 288 RV's were on the property with 600 registered attendees at this Rally event. For the next three days we attended owner empowerment workshops, shopped for RV items we didn't need, ate some great catered meals and hung out with old and new friends. We met Dave and Donna from Cape Cod, Mass and connected again with Brad and Bonnie from Battle Creek, MI. Friday night was the "Hawaiian" themed potluck dinner. We had enough food to feed three times the number of attendees. During dinner the two team finalists competed in the corn hole competition on the stage. Following dinner, the Alliance staff announced that this years attendees helped raise over $16,000 for the Elkhart County Boys and Girls Club during the silent auction event. The evening ended with the rally raffle numbers being pulled including Karen's raffle ticket and she won a Magic Bullet personal kitchen assistant...so I guess I'm off the hook! Finally, a big shout out and thanks to the Alliance RV team! The company management, customer service, factory and maintenance staffers who put on this complex and comprehensive event treated us well. While we were all having a great time eating, drinking and making merriment, an army of trucks and golf carts from the service team ran from one RV to the next addressing equipment problems, large and small, to one and all in attendance. Alliance RV staffers YOU ROCK! You really live up to the company motto, "We do the right thing".

We departed Georgetown, Kentucky on Friday, May 26 and drove 329 miles to Elkhart, Indiana for the Memorial weekend. It was a long day of driving, not the typical distance we travel, and it took over six hours to get to the Elkhart Campground. This would be the staging location with many other Alliance RV owners prior to the rally event and our home for the three day holiday weekend. Monday, May 29 is when we check-in at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds just 19 miles away. This is the annual national Ally Rally venue where Alliance owners (Allies) from all across the US and Canada gather to rally around the brand. Allies, as we are called by the company, are able to meet and make friends with other Allies, share RV travel adventures and compare various aspects of our Alliance RVs. We attended our first rally in May 2022 and found it a great opportunity to learn more about our RV and how to maintain it, as well as meet fellow travelers. At the rally, Allies have opportunities to do crafts and play games, attend catered meals with live music provided by the company and, best of all, the company provides a small army of technicians to do complimentary minor service work during the event. We will have opportunities to meet the founders and other key employees of Alliance RV as well as learn about the state of the industry, the state of Alliance RV and what they feel the future holds. This and much more all happens over a 3-day period. We enjoyed our Rally experience last year and attempted to sign up the first day of registration. When we logged on, the event was completely booked! Fortunately, after being on a waiting list for a few hours, we were able to register. Alliance is anticipating over 300 RV's units and 600+ Allies at this year's event. While at the rally, we've scheduled to get the trailer and truck weighed to make sure we are within our safety limits. We may even get the rig washed professionally while there. After the rally, we'll drive our rig to the Alliance factory in Elkhart for some much needed major repairs that have been chronicled on our blog. These will include repairs to the rear RV exterior/interior wall, the cracked fresh water tank and bedroom Schwintek slide motor assembly. We're hoping some of the minor issues can be addressed at the 3 day rally to expedite the process. Our "punch list" has about 14 items to get repaired. Alliance has scheduled our rig to be in the repair facility for five days, from June 5 to June 9. We have to move out of the trailer during the repair period and plan on staying with our good friends, Dick and Nancy Swain, who have a home in Hastings, Michigan about an hour and a half away from Elkhart. We're hoping and praying that all the repairs can be accomplished in one week so we can make it to Vermont in time for Karen's cousin Elizabeth's wedding on Saturday, June 17.

After visiting the Kentucky Horse Park, Karen and I discussed driving to Louisville to go to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, to go to the races on Thursday, May 25. It would be a bit of a drive from Georgetown but we decided to get an early start and hit two venues in one day. Our first stop was downtown Louisville Main Street to see the Hillerich & Bradsby Museum & Factory, the maker of Louisville Slugger baseball bats . This H&B facility is the fourth location where Louisville Slugger bats have been made. The original shop was on South First Street in Louisville between Main and Market Streets. It was there that family legend suggests J. A. "Bud" Hillerich made a bat for Louisville Eclipse star Pete Browning after Browning broke his bat during a game in which Hillerich attended in July 1884. The next day, Browning got three hits with the bat and the legend was born. The museum showcases the story of Louisville Slugger baseball bats in baseball and in American history. The tour of the Louisville Slugger bat factory consists of five stops showing how the famous bats are made. Our tour took about 30 minutes and at its conclusion we received a complimentary mini-bat. Approximately 75% of pro bats are made from maple wood, 20% are made from birch, and 5% are made from northern white ash. The best timber comes from parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and other northeastern states where the terrain and climate are most favorable to its growth. The company's harvesting plan includes re-forestation, so the company plants more trees than they cut down. A single tree, which grows for 60 years, generally produces about 30 or 40 bats. But not all those bats will make it to the Major Leagues. Not even close. Louisville Slugger holds the designation of 'Official Baseball Bat of Major League Baseball'. Their bats are the second-most used among Major League Baseball players with 18% of all players choosing a Slugger. While touring the museum I got to hold a piece of baseball history - a Babe Ruth bat model R43 at 36 inches and weighing 42.5 ounces. This is heavy by today's standards but not the heaviest. Hall of Famer Edd Roush holds the distinction as the player who used the heaviest bat in MLB history. Roush, who debuted with the Chicago White Sox in 1913, used a 48-ounce behemoth. From baseball we then visited another "place of champions"; Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby. We arrived just in time to park and walk to the entrance gate as they opened. The first race was scheduled for 5 PM so we had an hour to walk around and even get a personal explanation of the racing form. Karen had been to Thoroughbred horse races growing up with her family; I, however, was a total neophyte and had plenty to learn. We decided to place a couple of $5 bets on the first race. I learned that the racing form provides lots of information to factor the many variables necessary to place a reasonable wager. Out of an 8 race day, we stayed for 6 races and won money in five out of six races! We even left with $20 more than we wagered. Karen shared many memories of her going to the race track with her family. I had a great time seeing her get so excited as the horses raced for the finish line. It was a great experience and we would love to do it again; maybe another Triple Crown venue later in our travels at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York or Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.

Not far from our campground in Georgetown is the Kentucky Horse Park and Museum. We took Wednesday, May 24 to visit this working horse farm, international equestrian competition venue, and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. The stated mission of the Park has been to celebrate our relationship with the horse through education, exhibition, engagement and competition. Owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, each year they welcome over 500,000 visitors from around the world. As we walked the beautiful grounds we visited the International Museum of the Horse (IMH), a Smithsonian Affiliate, which examines the role of horses throughout world history, from ancient times to today’s most popular sporting events. In addition to permanent and featured exhibits, the IMH exhibits a collection of equine art from artists around the world. The excitement of the racetrack is brought to life by the elite group of champion horses that reside at the park's Hall of Champions. Thoroughbred legends Funny Cide and Point Given are current residents of the Hall of Champions. Winner of the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, Funny Cide earned the nickname “Gutsy Gelding” as he achieved a number of firsts to become the “people’s horse.” Sent off at odds of nearly 13-1, Funny Cide scored a decisive win in the 2003 Kentucky Derby, defeating the royally bred favorite Empire Maker. He became the first New York-bred in history to wear the blanket of roses. Two weeks later, in the Preakness Stakes, he proved the Derby was no fluke, winning the second jewel of the Triple Crown by over 9 lengths. Funny Cide became the 30th horse in history to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown The Belmont Stakes brought Funny Cide home to New York. In torrential rain, a record crowd of over 100,000 fans greeted the hometown hero. However, the fairy tale ending was not to be. Funny Cide battled through the long stretch to finish third in the Belmont Stakes, losing the race, and the Triple Crown, by only 5 lengths. Point Given was the first Thoroughbred in history to win four consecutive million-dollar races. Massive, powerful, consistent, determined, and sometimes hard to handle, Point Given showed early on that he had speed and stamina: two essential elements for a horse vying for the Triple Crown. “POINT GIVEN IS A CROSS BETWEEN AN EATING MACHINE AND A LOCOMOTIVE.” BOB BAFFERT, TRAINER OF POINT GIVEN. The Big Red Train began his three-year-old season as expected, with easy victories in Derby prep races, making him the horse to watch in the upcoming Triple Crown races. Point Given entered the Churchill Downs starting gate as the 9-5 favorite. He tracked the leaders while chasing a blistering pace, but weakened in the Derby stretch, finishing a disappointing fifth. His fifth-place finish in the 2001 Derby was the only off-the-board finish in his entire career. The “real” Point Given showed up in the Preakness Stakes, where he took command early to win easily. Five weeks later, his stretch run in the Belmont Stakes brought back memories of another stellar chestnut: Secretariat. Point Given trounced the competition in the Belmont Stakes, winning by more than 12 lengths. On our way way back to the parking lot we stopped by the burial site of the great Man o' War, the most famous Thoroughbred race horse of the 20th century, buried at the park in a memorial with a statue dedicated to his life. Buried with him are some of his offspring, including Triple Crown winner War Admiral, who was upset by Seabiscuit in their famous match race in 1938. It was fun to see Karen in her "Happy Place" and I enjoyed learning more about this very complex subject and elaborate history of the horse. The relationship between these beautiful creatures and humans is truly an amazing story.

Ark Encounter features a full-size Noah’s Ark, built according to the dimensions given in the Bible. Spanning 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, this modern engineering marvel amazes visitors young and old. Ark Encounter is situated in beautiful Grant County in Williamstown, Kentucky, halfway between Cincinnati and Lexington and right off I-75. Here's some information I found as we toured this remarkable exhibit. "As you enter Noah’s world aboard the massive Ark, you’ll tour three decks filled with scores of world-class exhibit bays. These stunning exhibits allow you to experience what Noah’s life may have been like." "The Bible says that God told Noah to take two of every kind of animal on the ark and seven pairs of the clean animals and flying creatures." "Does this mean every species was on the ark? No. Species is a term used in the modern classification system. The Bible uses the term “kind.” The created kind was a much broader category than the modern classification term, species. The biblical concept of created “kind” probably most closely corresponds to the family level in the current taxonomy. A good rule of thumb is that if two things can breed together, they are of the same created kind. It is a bit more complicated, but this is a good quick measure of a “kind.” There can be a tremendous amount of variation within a created kind. For example, various types of dogs, such as wolves, dingoes, coyotes, jackals, and domestic dogs, can often breed with one another. When dogs breed together, you get dogs—so there is a dog kind. "Recent studies estimate the total number of living and extinct kinds of land animals and flying creatures to be 1,398. With our “worst-case” scenario approach to calculating the number of animals on the ark, this would mean that Noah cared for 6,744 animals." In addition to the ARK exhibit, we attended three presentations in the "Answer Center". The 'Building of the Ark Encounter' was about the genesis of the project idea and how it was eventually constructed over a two year period. The second live presentation was with Patricia Engler, 'How to Think About “Facts” that Challenge Your Faith'. Patricia Engler serves as a speaker and author for Answers in Genesis on the subject of apologetics. The last dramatic presentation was an all-student ensemble cast from Bob Jones University presenting the Peter and Georgi Vins story of Russian persecution, imprisonment, and hope. Live and computer-generated characters interact against a spectacular 70-foot LED backdrop. Is Jesus more precious than the approval of any government? This true-life father-son story inspired both of us to hold fast to our faith—no matter the cost.