The bad news is, this is the last day of The Atomic Tour before Dave and Tara return to New York. The good news is that their last tourist stop is the Creation Museum. While the institution’s literature recommends that visitors “Prepare to Believe,” can Tara and Dave meet the challenge. (Not to spoil it, but: No.) After learning more than they ever thought they could about this 6000-year-old planet of ours, there’s a visit to Skyline Chili, and a truly insane mountain of cheddar cheese. Like, more than you can probably even imagine, actually.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 1:26 am
I’m glad you found Skyline entertaining. I forget that outside of Cincinnati, chili is not a sauce. Also, I hear tell that cocoa and cinnamin are not dominant spices in most chilis. My sister (now a vegan) and I used to get extra bags of cheese from the drive thru at Skyline and then have a side of cheese with our meals when we were kids. I have seen people express shock at the amount of cheese they throw on the food, but if no one had pointed it out, I never would have noticed.
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:48 am
Just need to chime in on this one thing…
It saddens me a bit to think that you can’t accept the fact that a reasonably intelligent person would be able to embrace a literal translation of the Bible.
I’m not going to defend the Creation Museum because I’ve not been there…I don’t know the level of their scientific study (based on your visit, it sounds pretty dumbed down - maybe for kids?).
Anyway, I don’t think it makes much sense to pick and choose what parts of the Bible you feel like believing. If you’re in, you’re in. I’m not here to spark some spiritual debate over your podcast or anything, you’re entitled to your non-beliefs (and I obviously could have turned it off when you warned people that they could get offended, but I listened to all of the other Atomic Tour posts, so I figured what the hey.) I just want to point out that there are some highly intelligent scientists out there that do embrace the possibility of creationism simply because evolutionary theory has a lot of holes too.
Lastly, a literal interpretation of the Bible doesn’t exclude the acceptance of micro-evolution. Clearly, species and humans have adapted to climates and habitats through the years. Embracing the idea that a higher power kicked things off doesn’t mean dismissing all scientific discoveries.
Okay, sorry for the somber post! I hope the rest of your journey home is as safe as you first 22 days. I’ve enjoyed listening to your travels, thanks for sharing them with those of us stuck at work!
P.S. I’ve always feared having to swallow a camera for any type of medical procedure…so thanks for totally squicking me out!
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Not to get roped in or anything, but I’ve known priests who don’t even accept the Bible as to be taken completely literally. I mean Jesus wasn’t LITERALLY the lamb of God. He didn’t go around shedding holy wool and going “Baaaaa, my children.” (Much.)
I thought that’s why we had priests in the first place — to help us interpret and understand what the Bible is trying to teach us.
Anyway, just wanted to say congrats on the Atomic Tour. And if that was the two of you singing on the last one, I would like to be the first to request a Dave ‘n Tara folk singing album.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I didn’t go out to start a thing, sorry. I’m pretty live and let live on matters of religion so if one is content with their sect’s take on the age of the universe or whatever and isn’t going to make me go back and make me rewrite all my 20,000-word ancient history essays then business as usual.
Getting back on track, I got a couple emails asking where the photos for the last few days are. I should have them up tonight when we get back home or the next day.
Also WTF is up with Caleba’s stores? I think they might have their own congressman and microclimate — so retardedly big. How many things does one need to kill a deer?
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Cabela’s stores are certainly of epic size. Did you stop in one on your Tour? Each location is the result of incredible lobbying by the city because those stores bring in crazy amounts of tourists. Yes, there are people who plan their vacations (and hunting trips) around Cabela’s. And you would be amazed (and I’m guessing appalled) at the amount of merchandise for outdoorsmen.
Thanks for all the podcasts! I told my husband we should do an atomic tour when we retire (10-12 years from now). He thinks we’d never have as much fun as you two, or at least I wouldn’t laugh as much as I have listening to your podcasts. And he’s right.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Man, if you think Cabela’s is nuts, try the Bass Pro Shops. They have giant boats INSIDE THE STORE! And a waterfall!
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:59 pm
There were so many highways where we drove past exits for Bass Pro Avenue. We actually have been near one Bass Pro Shops location (at the outlet mall in Vaughan, Ontario), but I don’t think we actually went in. Probably we were afraid that even Canadians would think we were wussies.
July 4th, 2008 at 1:10 am
I bought my dad a gift card for Bass Pro and it was like sending him away to summer camp. I think he might still be there.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Wow, what a great adventure! Thanks for doing the podcasts and photos and allowing all of us to live vicariously through you two for the past 3 weeks. It was seriously a lot of fun rushing home after work each night to download the latest podcast and view the photos. (And I’ll totally admit to squeeing just a little the day you guys visited Mesa Verde, as that was one of my suggestions for places to visit. Doesn’t matter if it was already on your list, I’m totally taking credit. )
Can’t wait for the Atomies!
PS Bass Pro Shop is nothing. Try getting through an Ikea without a map and a sherpa …
August 30th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I’ll get roped in, haras25. No, it simply isn’t possible to be a reasonably intelligent person and also believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible. There’s also no “dumbing down” going on at the Creation Museum. I live in Cincinnati. It just is what it is. What you see there is really all that they’ve got. (By they I mean Creationists, not just the museum.) Vegetarian dinosaurs (with razor sharp teeth…like carnivores have), talking snakes, and sin = natural disasters. Say what you want about beliefs and biases and Glark’s religiousness or irreligiousness, but ignorance is always ignorance.
For my part, before anyone claims close-mindedness, I’ve got a Theology degree, about a dozen different Bibles (that, unlike most fundamentalists, I’ve actually read all the way through several times), a bookshelf dominated by Creationist and Intelligent Design works, and I can even read Biblical Hebrew, albeit not very well right now. All it takes is educating yourself on what they really have to offer and that’s more than enough to reach Glark’s (and common sense’s) conclusion.
Holes in evolution? Sure, all theories have points that scientists debate. Doesn’t mean the entire theory is invalid or suspect. Nobody ever talks about a theory that we all take as a given: gravity. If you actually read the science, there’s exponentially more evidence backing evolution than gravity. Gravity theories don’t even fit in modern physics. Scientists can’t make gravity co-exist with quantum physics yet. Does that mean Intelligent Flying/Falling will start being taught in schools? How do we know angels don’t take the planets around the sun or grab people who jump off buildings and fly them very quickly into the ground? Nobody’s ever seen “a gravity”, and nobody’s ever seen an angel herd rain to the ground. People HAVE seen evolution. (Both micro- and macro-evolution, which are both the SAME PROCESS. It just depends on whether you want to talk decades/centuries, or millenia.) A simple trip to the library to browse any one of hundreds of scientific publications can demonstrate that.
Finally, nobody’s ever been able to point out to me exactly where in the Bible it mentions evolution, and nobody’s ever been able to point out where in evolutionary theory it says, “…by the way, there’s no God.”
Sorry for the rant, everyone. I just hate when “people of faith” talk as though ignorance is a key part of their belief, and I hate these pseudo-debates that wouldn’t happen if people would just educate themselves. It’s really not that hard. Creationism WAS taught for a few thousand years. Most of that time was called The Dark Ages. Some are trying to bring them back. (Hi, Mike Huckabee! ::waves:: )
Anyway, excellent work, and not just here but in all…what, hundred?, of your sites.