March 19 - March 24, 2000
Now, class, these questions will not be on the final exam,
but there is no guarantee they will not be on the quiz shows you love so
much.
Which State in the USA, being also a state of mind, makes
a lot of bourbon, but not one royal Bourbon, a Derby, but not many
derbies, considers itself neither North nor South but remained in the
Union during the Civil War, yet is known for its Colonels, sends forth to
its fickle skies a great deal of grass, blue, banjo-picking and otherwise,
whose farmers speak about tobacco as "the largest legal crop"
and is known for KFC? Hmmm??
Well, if you guessed KFC meant Kentucky Fine Coordinators,
step to the head of the class, and receive as your reward a double dose of
K rations, or maybe fried chicken!!
I have personally maintained, throughout my Elderhostel
adventures that the Coordinator is the key element in a successful
experience. I have confirmed this two times previously during my
Elderhostels in Kentucky at Lexington, Louisville, (that is Lou-ville) and
now a third time at the beautiful Natural Arch State Park. This was the
second time that Eileen O'Connor was my Coordinator. She is always well
organized, a lot of fun and interesting, and dedicated to the cause of
adult education and Elderhostelers. If you have
followed my reports of last year, Eileen is the exact opposite of the
ghost coordinators at Colby-Sawyer College, NH who displayed indifference,
if not contempt for us. Eileen even arranged, somehow, for a few flowers
to emerge in the mountains for our aesthetic delight. She had some strange
influence with the rain, which occurred only at night, and while being
transported in a van. As soon as Eileen stepped out of the vehicle, the
sun peeked out through the clouds as though to greet her. I have written
to the Headquarters in Boston several times to suggest a Coordinator
mentoring system in order to avoid the shabby treatment of Colby-Sawyer
College in NH. Eileen would be an excellent model for Coordinators of the
future, wherever they may be. In my considered opinion, she ranks high in
the pantheon of Coordinators along with Rene Hurwitz of St. George School,
Newport, RI, Betty Goins of Bramwell, WV, and John La Plante of Ivoryton,
CT as people worthy of reward and appreciation for their devotion to us as
Elderhostelers.
It says a lot about this state-run resort lodge when a
three-year advance reservation is required for non-Elderhostelers. Could
this be age discrimination in reverse? The lodge itself is located off a
picturesque mountain highway,
which can be located quite easily from I-64, east, or west. The directions
to get there were perfect. The resort is on the side of a mountain
overlooking a deep gorge. Many rooms had an outside balcony, looking over
the gorge to another mountain. The rooms were spotless, with color cable
television and all the amenities of a luxury hotel. Many times the food
was selected from a menu that is offered to the other guests, with no
limit as to price. This included breakfast, which offered special
amenities such as western omelets made without yolks. Salad bars were
frequent. I could not take notes on all the great food as I was busy
eating, and I am gaining a few ounces just thinking about it. A long
special table was set out for us. Since there were only 25 Elderhostelers,
the dining table was a very delightful place of casual conversation and
sociability. The food was an important part of the atmosphere of luxury. I
would never have come to this splendid resort without Elderhostel!!
Dieters beware!!
The program can only be described in two words;
wonderful and wonderful!! It included guided hikes by two of Kentucky's
most knowledgeable and friendly park rangers who were experts in botany,
wildlife, trees and Kentucky humor, which is a separate social science.
The hikes were on the up and up and over and beyond many rocks, but always
within reason and always carefully guided by the caring rangers. They were
quite worthwhile from a scenic as well as an educational point of view.
This week offered something physical, social, intellectual, and, in a way,
a spiritual contact with nature. Featured in this excellent Elderhostel
were also concerts by local artists
that included folk music and stories,
videos of famous singers such as Jean Ritchie, lectures on
"Appalachian Ways" and a live demonstration of birds of prey. In
addition, there was a slide lecture on the Civilian Conservation Corps of
the thirties and its contributions to the beautiful environment we all
enjoyed. Eileen O'Connor, our Coordinator, planned for an interesting very
worthwhile program that included evening activities.
As you may have guessed by now, this was one of my best
Elderhostels, and I can excuse my enthusiasm by saying that Kentucky bit
me…and I went mad!! From now on, as soon as the catalogue comes in the
mail…Kentucky, I will look for you!!
My mistake was to schedule another Elderhostel right
after this one, in Terre Haute, IN. This was sure to be a letdown after
Natural Arch Resort Park, KY, and it was…but that is another chapter
in another story….
