Kentucky, Fort Knox

Finally, time to see my son! It's been 5 weeks of not knowing how well he's REALLY doing...mentally and physically. The short texts here and there were great, but I couldn't wait to lay eyes on him and give him a hug.

Eric enjoyed being on base. He wanted to stop everytime we passed a cannon or tank.

Advanced Camp (AC) is a mandatory training event for 4^th year ROTC Cadets that is designed to assess a Cadet’s ability to demonstrate proficiency in basic officer leadership tasks. It is the most significant training and evaluation event in Army ROTC. AC is 38 days of complex, challenging, and rigorous training conducted in a stressful environment. Here's his Delta company. Luke is 3rd from the right.

Although I cut his hair before he left, the Army decided he needed another one. 😄

His barracks were bunk beds, with issued equipment hanging from the bed posts. His bed was made tight each day.

Advanced Camp included marksmanship (rifle cleaning, controlled breathing, shooting accuracy), a PCFT (physical fitness test) where he scored 560/600, three rucks (6, 8, and 12-mile walks in your boots carrying a 35 lb sack), rappelling, an obstacle course, day & night navigation, chemical warfare training (his worst activity), and field training exercises (playing Army in the woods). 

While some of this may seem fun, it was anything but that. The cadets had "fire watch" where you had to stay up during shifts every night. The cadre would often get the cadets up at 4:30am, or earlier, to begin an activity. There were nights he slept outside in the rain with no cover, had spiders crawling on his face, was covered in poision ivy rashes, and became really deydraded. There is no privacy, either, whether for showers, toilets, or changing clothes. His physical endurance and stress was pushed to the max, and he came home 10 lbs lighter. But, he completed the camp successfullly and still had a smile on his face!

Eric blended into the military base so well (ie. shaved head, fit, big muscles) that he felt he belonged. People we'd walk pass would do a double-take as if they should recognize him as a visiting General or something. He decided to go for a jog and play the part, ensuring he passed in front of other cadets.

When it came time for the graduation ceremony, the four companies in 5th regiment marched out onto the field. Luke was in Delta company, the 4th group. Each company is lined up in order of height to appear uniform. The tallest are in front, so we knew to look there for our son.

Luke was in the front row and directly behind the Company Cadet Commander. Durng the ceremony, the Live video feed captured a great close up of him.

Towards the end, each Company marched in front of the podium and guests as we applauded and acknowledged their accomplishment. Luke is front row, 3rd from the right.

Here's the cadre and cadets who were there during 5th regiment from the University of SC.

Our favorite cadet.

While Luke was changing and loading up his bags for the airport, Eric spotted another cannon.

Then he had to see how heavy it was. A nearby gunnery seargant fussed at him and told him to put it down. 

We drove home in time to make his favorite chocolate cake, a poster, and be at the airport to greet him!

Yep, my baby is home. 💛

Kentucky, Part 2

On our way to Louisville, we stopped at a unique attraction called the Arc. This was a place we heard about as a neat stop since we would be in the area. After planning on maybe 1-2 hours, we were surprised that this had a full-day attraction appeal with the steep price tag to match.

The Arc is supposedly built to scale using information found in the Old Testament. I must say that the size of it was quite impressive! Our little one enjoyed the giraffe planters in the gardens.

Once inside, we saw rows and rows of little cages that depict how the animals were likely kept.

There were storage areas for grain, feed stock, and water vases.

Here is a larger cage for a bear.

Tiny animals and reptiles, like this lizzard, were kept in small pottery with a burlap cloth lid.

This interpretation of Noah's family's sleeping quarters looks a bit too compfy for what I'd expect, but I still admire the designer's attention to detail.

On the 2nd level we found the larger animals.

Our little one again wanted a picture with the giraffes. Apparently, animals were smaller back then. 😄

Here's a picture closer to the boat so you can sense the shear size of this thing. We left after about 3 hours, and that was blazing fast for the average tourist. But, we saw enough and were ready to get to Louisville.

Once in the city, we decided to head to a park that borders Indiana. The two states are separated by the Ohio River. Our little one keeps track of all the states she's visited, so we took the opportunity to walk across the bridge. 

Eric got distracted reading about the style, structure, and history of the bridge.

Once across, she ran to put her feet on the grass. She's now in Indiana!

Not far from Louisville is Lincoln's birthplace. Eric is pictured in front of his memorial and the 56 steps leading up to the building (one for each year he was alive).

Inside the memorial building is a replica of the log cabin where he was born. The location of this memorial is directly over the spot where his cabin stood.

Kentucky, Part 1

We took a last-minute weekend trip to Kentucky for Luke's graduation from the Army CST-Advanced Camp. Our vacation began on Thursday with a road stop at one of our favorite eating establishments in Tennessee, Bush's Beans Family Restaurant. 

However, our favorite menu item, the black bean burger, was no longer on their menu. Oh well, our food was still good, especially their bean pecan pie. Next, our campsite for the next two days. The Daniel Boone National Forest offered plenty of hiking trails nearby.

One of our adventures was a kayak tour through a flooded mine. 

Suited up and ready to go!

Once in the kayaks, our headlamps provided enough light to navigate through the limestone shafts.

Our guide pointed out unique features of the mining walls and ceilings, then at one point, had us all turn the headlamps off. 

After our kayak tour, we stopped for some yummy Kentucky BBQ and derby pie. Then, headed to the trails for a hike.

It was pouring down rain, so we were grateful for these caves and overhangs to wait out the storm. 

This was the focal point of our hike, the Natural Bridge. 

Me, on top of the Natural Bridge, after the other two kept giving me their things to hold.

Back at the campsite when the little one got cleaned up, she put on Christmas socks, her water shoes, and a rain jacket. Only she could look this cute wearing that combination.

Eric found this cool, single-lane tunnel nearby going through a mountain. We decided to drive through it on our way to Louisville.

Watermelons

Every year on July 4th, we celebrate the occasion with friends over BBQ, watermelon, and fun at the lake. Our traditional contribution is the watermelon. But it's not just about bringing sliced fruit, it's about the design. These were carved by my two girls over the years. Here are some of our favorites...