It's just an hour's drive from Lexington, Kentucky, to Wlliamstown, Kentucky, and here I am at this place I've been curious about for years, The Ark Encounter.
Built in 2016 by Queenslander creationist Ken Ham, according to the website, the Ark Encounter features a full-size Noah's Ark, built according to the dimensions given in the Bible (510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high).
Some visitors find God here and others call it a tourist trap. What's it gonna be for me?
I can't convince anyone in my family to go, so the last leg of the journey is just me and the open road.
Earlier in the day we drove through Bardstown, the bourbon capital of the world. Now as I fiddle with the dial on my parents' car, all I can find are ultra-Christian radio stations.
The Ark Encounter is based on Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Noah was a prophet who built a huge boat on dry land, as God told him that the world was too full of evil and he planned to flood it. It started raining and Noah gathered his family and a male and female of each animal species and sailed around until all other living things had drowned. Then the waters subsided and God sent a rainbow as a promise that he'd never do some crazy thing like that again.
Today is the most money or time I've spent on anything connected to the Christian faith since I stopped going to church at age 18.
Part of me just admires the blatant effort that went into making it. There's a glorious absurdity to it that puts a smile on my face, kind of like hearing a lecturing preacher holler through the airwaves while you drive through bourbon country.
It's $15 to park at the ark and another $60 (before tax) to tour the ship. There's plenty of other things to do as well including the petting zoo, ziplining, the all-you-can restaurant, religious talks, a place called "the answers centre" and more.
I read about the "ark-tistic" licence and raise my eyebrows a little bit as I read criticisms of evolution. They believe Noah brought dinosaurs on the ship. It would probably seem ridiculous to most Australians, but after growing up in the Bible Belt, I barely bat an eyelid.
Deck one is all about exploring the animals (no actual animals live on the Ark Encounter, but there are heaps of wooden cages and animal sounds).
Deck two has a movie and a lot of creative licence around the pre-flood world. Throughout the first and second floor there are also dioramas of Noah and his family.
Deck three explores the living quarters and compares and contrasts creationism to evolution. A Museum of the Bible exhibit wraps things up and you're encouraged to take a pamphlet and repent, be saved, et cetera.
Once I start interviewing visitors here about their transcendental experiences, I feel guilty about my amusement. Imagine I went on a holy trip somewhere else in the world, just for kicks.
Sadly, the huge Emzara's Buffet closes before I finished my tour. I settle for a $12 bag of Uncle Leroy's Caramel Corn, pleased that the summer sun is still out.
I think about the ark on my drive home. I know people who would be critical of everything it stands for. Other people I know have visited it and loved it. There are valid criticisms and concerns around some parts of this experience. I doubt I'll ever go back, but I have no judgement towards anyone who visits. Whatever floats your boat.
