In
December of last year, I wrote in my blog about a big celebration planned in Louisville, Kentucky, in the fall of 2014, to honor the 100 year birthday of the steamboat
Belle of Louisville. By the grace of God, I was able to be on board the famous boat on October 18, 2014, to be a part of that birthday party!
The
cruise I took was the first one of the morning, and some of the participants chose to participate in a breakfast buffet that was offered in the spacious dining room.
I knew I would be more interested in being out on the deck taking photos, so I chose the "sightseeing only" option for the cruise I took. One of the sights we saw was this huge civil engineering project to construct a new bridge for Interstate 65 across the Ohio River, connecting the states of Indiana and Kentucky. I am eager to return, to drive across that structure when it is completed!
One of the first homes we sailed past, had put out a huge banner with birthday greetings to the "Old Lady" of the river!
The
three area cities--New Albany, Jeffersonville, and Louisville--of
The Belle's home port were all joining in the celebration to welcome the visiting boats from up and down the USA waterways. One of those visiting was the
Spirit of Peoria, with its ornate deck rails, banners, window shutters, and paddle wheel.
Our
sightseeing cruise took us by river marinas where locals kept their houseboats and "wannabe" paddle wheelers!
We also cruised by the location where the gigantic
American Queen (
www.AmericanQueenSteamboatCompany.com ) was moored. This is the largest steamboat ever built and the only authentic paddle wheeler offering overnight trips on the Mississippi River. Though it features the style of classical steamboats, the vessel is also outfitted with modern cabins and dining rooms. Notice how much bigger it is than the
Spirit of Peoria which is sailing past her.
We were able to get views of the Louisville skyline after the boat pushed away from Riverfront Park. The tall hotel in the photo---The Galt House---is where I stayed, which was the headquarters hotel for the Centennial Festival of Riverboats. My room had a great view of the Ohio River, as well as the wharf where the
Belle of Louisville, and its accompanying ticket office, is moored.
All the boats providing cruises for the Centennial Festival of Riverboats, had re-enactors aboard, dressed in the colorful wardrobes of 100 years ago.
One of the interesting sites we sailed by was the Louisville Water Tower (
www.LouisvilleWaterTower.com ). The tall white tower on the left of the photo is the oldest ornamental water tower in the world, built BEFORE the more famous Chicago Water Tower. Both the white tower and its pumping station are on the National Register of Historic Places. The industrial nature of the water pumping station was disguised in the form of a Greek temple complex. The tower began operation in 1860. The location of the pumping station on the Ohio River made it easy to deliver the coal needed to operate its pumping station. The tower ceased operations in 1909. The building is still used for special functions, and there is a waterworks museum in the west wing of the original pumping station.
This photo shows the
Belle of Louisville in front of the city skyline who owns her. Since this famous boat is sort of "the firstborn" of the remaining operational riverboats, I am using the image as a visual aid for my First Place 4 Health (
www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) memory verse that says, "Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans 8:29. I hope YOU are predestined to get to make a fun trip to the Louisville waterfront sometime in the future! Even if you missed the 100 year birthday party, you can still enjoy an upcoming river festival called "The Great Steamboat Race", held annually in conjunction with the week of the world-famous Kentucky Derby. Just as the Kentucky Derby is always the first Saturday in May, "The Great Steamboat Race", is always held the Wednesday before the Kentucky Derby. The event is free of charge, and you can find out more details from the Kentucky Derby Festival website at
www.kdf.org . I am giving thanks that I was able to participate in this great riverboat celebration, and hope such a trip is also in your destiny---it will give you MILES OF SMILES! Tricia
Beavers Bend State Park consists of 1300 acres of woods and water in Southeast Oklahoma. It has several different entrances, and the green logos on the entrance signs give a clue about what activities are available in the various sections of the park. There are also explanations and maps of the park on the website www.TravelOK.com .
One of the Beavers Bend State Park areas is home to Lakeview Lodge, that looks out over Broken Bow Lake. It is an elegant facility, and may account for the fact that Beavers Bend State Park is one of the most visited state parks in all of Oklahoma.
The three stories of guest rooms have balconies, and are situated on a hill overlooking the water. 
For those who prefer to camp, there are tent sites, as well as RV sites. Many of the camping sites are adjacent to the water. The hammock shown in this photo looked very inviting!
My purpose in visiting Beavers Bend State Park was to participate in an advanced training workshop to obtain the continuing education necessary to be certified as an Arkansas Master Naturalist ( www.Home.ArkansasMasterNaturalists.org ). The workshop participants had reserved the "Group Camp" area of Beavers Bend State Park, which was the former location of the housing for the CCC guys that built the park. This photo shows the rustic cabins where we slept for two nights. Each cabin was equipped with ten bunk beds, but since there were only four women per cabin, we were able to have ample space. I thought it was interesting that the random room assignments ended up putting four ladies in my cabin---three of whom were given the name "Patricia" when they were born!!
Our group received a special "after hours" tour of the park's Nature Center, and the Director of the Nature Center (shown in the photo) was able to give thorough explanations about all the displays and tell their significance in the history and preservation of the natural areas of the park. 
Beavers Bend State Park is well known for its good fishing, so we had the opportunity to learn some fly fishing and casting techniques from an expert angler that was part of the teaching staff. I am using this photo as the visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health memory verses that says "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." I Peter 5:7. Since the lady shown in this photo is holding a fly rod, it means she has advanced from the first part of the class, which consisted of us practicing with a two-foot long stick, with a string on the far end of it, and the stick held beneath our wrist, with a thick rubber bracelet. Of course, the purpose of this first part of the fishing clinic was to teach us not to bend our wrist when we were doing our casting. We got to keep the rubber bracelets, and I am going to use mine to remind me NOT to be anxious, but instead CAST my worries to the Lord! 
I am using this photo that I took of a tree in our camp that was shrouded in fog, as a reminder to say that one of the sponsors of the weekend workshop was Project Learning Tree ( www.plt.org ) which provides environmental education for teachers in both formal settings like schools, and informal settings, such as park volunteers/scout leaders/etc. If you ever have the opportunity to participate in one of their training days, GRAB IT! You learn a tremendous amount of important information, and receive some fantastic teaching resources!
Our workshop participants took most of their meals in the dining hall that was also part of the original CCC camp. Although it is now equipped with a modern, institutional-style kitchen, our first meal when we arrived on Friday, had all been prepared outdoors---old style---in Dutch ovens. The wonderful aroma that permeated the air on the porch, was a hint of how delicious it was going to be!
Water sports of all kinds are possible at Beavers Bend State Park. There is a concession that rents canoes, kayaks, standup paddle boards, pedal boats, and even bumper boats! In the main body of the lake, motorized boats are also popular, as is scuba diving.
Another one of the sponsors of the weekend workshop was Project Wet ( www.ProjectWet.org ). This is a non-profit foundation that provides water education curriculum to students, and explains about the wise use of our water resources. This photo shows an Oklahoma entomology professor straining a section of the trout stream to see what insects can be found there. By regularly collecting and recording the type of insects in a stream, we can assess the water quality over a given period of time. 
Early on the last day of the workshop, I was out for a walk beside the lake, and the fog coming off the water was still encircling the trees. My eye caught what looked like "steps" going up one of the very tall trees. (Of course, closer examination showed that they were not man-made, rather nature-made "steps" of beautiful shelf mushrooms, ascending the trunk at regular intervals.) They serve as a reminder to encourage everyone to TAKE STEPS to get outside and enjoy God's great outdoors! It will give you MILES OF SMILES! Tricia 
