Higher Ground Drone, Wyoming, MN (2026)

09/07/2026

Eastern Turkiye September 6, 2026

A very long day of driving today - over 6 hours - but completely worth it!

We traveled from the area of the mountains of Ararat all the way south to Midyat. Our purpose was to attend a liturgical service at Mor Barsavmo Church. The church is an ancient Syriac Christian church that was founded in the 4th c AD.

In Midyat, there is still a community of Christians who speak 1st century Aramaic, the every day language of Jesus and his disciples. The service was chanted in Aramaic, a moving experience to sit listening and pondering that these words in this language were spoken by Jesus. After the service the priest was generous in taking time to answer questions. He even recited the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic and then chanted it in Aramaic. The priests allowed us to record the service!! Truly amazing. The church building is in the heart of the city and is in the heart of the city. Thanking God for a truly unique and inspiring experience.

At a stop along our drive today, we ran into a family that we met on the ferry in Van on day one! Carol had made quick friends with the two school boys in the family, one of whom has taught himself English. They had all exchanged What’s App contact info - and then we run into the whole family in a busy congested city 6 hours away! Crazy!

Tomorrow we begin heading down to the Syrian border to see another ancient monastery. Then we head west toward Haran, Urfa and Gobeklitepe.

Good night and God Bless, PB and Margery

For more Biblical travel photos and videos visit us at:
www.scriptureinstone.org/blog

09/06/2026

Eastern Turkiye, September 5, 2026

Today’s focus was on the “mountains of Urartu / Ararat” and sites related to Noah’s ark. We had stunning views of Mount Ararat all day, but equally beautiful was the entire craggy, mountainous area north of Lake Van. “And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” Genesis 8:4

We stopped first at a long rocky outcrop at an elevation of about 7,000 feet near Mount Ararat. These rocks are loaded with sea fossils and this is a small part of what makes the area interesting as related to the great flood. The Marmara Sea and the Mediterranean Sea are hundreds of miles away and the elevation makes an ancient inland sea in this place unlikely.

Next we went to the Durupinar Formation which has been in the news quite a bit lately. The lead researcher was on site and gave a lecture on the state of the scientific studies going on at the Noah’s Ark Center - including ground penetrating radar / lidaar / types of “radar” that we didn’t understand LOL / soil sampling and core sampling - which will be happening next week now that their technique has been refined. We came away far less skeptical than when we arrived. The right shape, the front end “V” pointing up hill and a rounded back end down hill are not the shape you would expect if this was an area of earth that simply slide down the mountain. The radar shows definite patterns in the soil composition that are not natural, including long hallway like empty pockets. We were allowed to walk down onto the site and walk around the entire area - which happen to be exactly the dimensions of the ark from the Bible.

We visited small Kurdish and Turkish villages in the area that have interesting place names. One village name in Kurdish and Turkish basically means “the place where the raven will not land.” Another village is called the “village of eight” - there were 8 people on the ark. These names have been consistent for a very very long time. We visited an area known as “Noah’s House” and “Noah’s altar”. The remains of an ancient foundation are of an early Armenian church which is built over another stone foundation and floor etc etc like a lasagna and the locals believe it was Noah’s home. A hike up the hill behind this foundation (tons and tons of pottery sherds along the way) is a rocky place that locals believe was the altar Noah made for sacrifices after the flood.

Finally we made a rather stupid attempt at climbing up to the top of another ancient Urartian fortress next to Ishak Pasha Palace in these mountains. We hoped to see life size relief carvings of a Urartian King, Queen and the false god they worshipped, ahuramazda. We saw these things, but risked life and limb and had to be practically carried back down by the guide. Anyway, it was a bad scene! Our friends Jim and Carol are mountain goats and did great but even they were feeling like the drone would have been a MUCH better option!!

Tomorrow we have a long drive to get down to the Syrian border area and the Syriac Monasteries of Midyat and Mardin. We will attend a service in the evening at Mor Gabriel Monastery held in an ancient Aramaic dialect - the language of Jesus in the New Testament.

One last thing - our drive today took us a stones throw from the Iran border - fences and border guards and a couple of highway check points. But the really interesting thing was to see a several miles long line of semis pulled to the side waiting to cross the border between Turkey and Iran. We hear they may have to wait weeks to get their goods over the border.

Thanking God for a great day, for living to see another day! And for safe travel. Good night and God Bless, PB and Margery

For more Biblical travel photos and videos visit us at:
www.scriptureinstone.org/blog

09/05/2026

Eastern Turkiye September 4, 2026

Everyone in our group of 8 made it safely to Istanbul yesterday. we had an early flight to the city of Van in eastern Turkiye this morning, where our plans begin. The heart of the ancient Urartian Kingdom 9th - 6th c BC (same as the kingdom of Ararat in 2 Kings 17:5, Jeremiah 51:27)

Our first stop was below the remains the Urartian Van fortress. Craig flew the drone around the south face of the cliff wall of the castle. There is an inscription by Xerxes in trilingual cuneiform old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian from approx 450 BC. Xerxes is the Greek version of the name of King Ahasuerus of the Book of Esther - the son of Darius the Great!

We then took a boat out to an island in Lake Van to see the ancient Armenian Church of the Holy Cross (915 AD). It has massive low relief carvings of Biblical scenes all over the exterior - been dreaming of seeing this place for so long and it was beautiful.

After the boat ride - and we should mention there are no OSHA / ADA safety concerns here at all 😱, but we didn’t lose anyone overboard - we went back to Van fortress and made the climb to the top. Stunning sunset photos!

Ended the day with a distressing incident in the van where Margery dropped the drone SD card (the size of a dime). It seems to have vanished into thin air! After everyone taking turns on hands and knees in a dark van with flashlights, we gave up. When dinner was over and Craig took off his jacket the disc fell out onto floor - thanking God for a nice little miracle!

Tomorrow we travel 2 hours north of Lake Van to the Mount Ararat region where we will see a number of interesting traditions and sites connected to Noah’s ark.

God Bless and we will send pictures from Ararat tomorrow!

PB and Margery

For more Biblical travel photos and videos see us at: www.scriptureinstone.org/blog

09/03/2026

Tressle Bridge - longest and highest!

The original line of the Northern Pacific Railroad descended from the east, crossed the Sheyenne River at Valley City over a low bridge, and climbed out of the valley to the west. Because of the depth of the valley, the grades on either side of the river were severe. To avoid these severe grades, the new or “High Line” was built one mile upstream.

At 3,860 feet long and 162 feet above the river bed, the Highline Bridge is one of the longest and highest single-track railroad bridges in the nation. Work began on June 30, 1906. The first official train crossed the trestle on May 12, 1908 and regular train service over the bridge began May 20th.

Because the bridge was of vital importance in moving supplies and men, it was closely guarded during both World Wars to prevent sabotage. In World War I, the bridge was guarded by Company H North Dakota National Guard of Jamestown. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, volunteers from the American Legion, VFW, city and railroad personnel took up the watch until Company F of the North Dakota State Guard was officially mustered in.

Engineering Facts:
14,000,000 pounds of steel were used
380,000 field rivets were used on location, excluding those used in the preassembled sections which were shipped from the factory
10,000 cubic feet of concrete was used in the piers supporting the steel columns
80,000 linear feet of wood piling was used under the piers for added stability
160 men were employed in its construction
$750,000 was expended on the bridge

09/03/2026

Tressle Bridge - longest and highest!

The original line of the Northern Pacific Railroad descended from the east, crossed the Sheyenne River at Valley City over a low bridge, and climbed out of the valley to the west. Because of the depth of the valley, the grades on either side of the river were severe. To avoid these severe grades, the new or “High Line” was built one mile upstream.

At 3,860 feet long and 162 feet above the river bed, the Highline Bridge is one of the longest and highest single-track railroad bridges in the nation. Work began on June 30, 1906. The first official train crossed the trestle on May 12, 1908 and regular train service over the bridge began May 20th.

Because the bridge was of vital importance in moving supplies and men, it was closely guarded during both World Wars to prevent sabotage. In World War I, the bridge was guarded by Company H North Dakota National Guard of Jamestown. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, volunteers from the American Legion, VFW, city and railroad personnel took up the watch until Company F of the North Dakota State Guard was officially mustered in.

Engineering Facts:
14,000,000 pounds of steel were used
380,000 field rivets were used on location, excluding those used in the preassembled sections which were shipped from the factory
10,000 cubic feet of concrete was used in the piers supporting the steel columns
80,000 linear feet of wood piling was used under the piers for added stability
160 men were employed in its construction
$750,000 was expended on the bridge

09/03/2026

The Nekoma Pyramid (Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex) and Remote Sprint Launch Site #3

This is a strange sight to come upon in North Dakota! The Pyramid is a massive, abandoned Cold War radar structure located in northeastern North Dakota. Constructed for $6 billion and completed in 1975, the concrete pyramid was designed to house radar and control systems for defending ICBM silos against Soviet attacks using nuclear-tipped Spartan and Sprint missiles. It is near Nekoma, North Dakota, about 40 miles from the Canadian border.

The central structure is a large, concrete pyramid, often described as looking like a “cheese grater,” which served as the Missile Site Radar (MSR). The site stands as a “monument to man’s fear and ignorance,” representing a high-tech solution to nuclear anxiety that was obsolete almost as soon as it was built

Remote Sprint Launcher #3 Missile Site.
This site is near by the pyramid and was part of a secret 1970s nuclear defense program that is now open to the public. It’s a longer tour than I anticipated - but worth it. This is a must-see if you are interested in Cold War history. It is located about 30 miles from the North Dakota pyramid.

The site contains 30 old Sprint and Spartan missile silos, and there is a Sprint replica at the entrance.

The RSL also features a large underground bunker designed to survive a near miss from a nuclear missile, is a registered National Historic Landmark. The tours are small, the staff is friendly and informative, and the site is in good shape. Watch out for the cow manure in parking lot!

09/03/2026

The Nekoma Pyramid (Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex) and Remote Sprint Launch Site #3

This is a strange sight to come upon in North Dakota! The Pyramid is a massive, abandoned Cold War radar structure located in northeastern North Dakota. Constructed for $6 billion and completed in 1975, the concrete pyramid was designed to house radar and control systems for defending ICBM silos against Soviet attacks using nuclear-tipped Spartan and Sprint missiles. It is near Nekoma, North Dakota, about 40 miles from the Canadian border.

The central structure is a large, concrete pyramid, often described as looking like a “cheese grater,” which served as the Missile Site Radar (MSR). The site stands as a “monument to man’s fear and ignorance,” representing a high-tech solution to nuclear anxiety that was obsolete almost as soon as it was built

Remote Sprint Launcher #3 Missile Site.
This site is near by the pyramid and was part of a secret 1970s nuclear defense program that is now open to the public. It’s a longer tour than I anticipated - but worth it. This is a must-see if you are interested in Cold War history. It is located about 30 miles from the North Dakota pyramid.

The site contains 30 old Sprint and Spartan missile silos, and there is a Sprint replica at the entrance.

The RSL also features a large underground bunker designed to survive a near miss from a nuclear missile, is a registered National Historic Landmark. The tours are small, the staff is friendly and informative, and the site is in good shape. Watch out for the cow manure in parking lot!

09/01/2026

Stave Church - Moorhead Minnesota.
Stave churches were built in Scandinavia from 11 AD to 1500 AD. The Moorhead Stave Church is a full-scale replica of the Hopperstad Stave Church located in Vik, Norway. Built between 1996 and 2001, the Replica stands as a testament to Norwegian culture and heritage.
Conversion to Christianity in Norway occurred by royal decree at the end of the Viking Age. Despite the declaration, many Norwegians still practiced their traditional religion, which focused more on sacred sites found in nature. Many of those sites were used to build new Christian stave churches that blended together old and new, pagan and Christian.
The name comes from the support pillars (staves) in their interiors. Stylistically, dragons (pagan guards against evil) have their place next to religious art and crucifixes.

Between 900 and 1000 stave churches were built in Norway. As of 2017, 28 stave churches remain in Norway. One of these is the Hopperstad Stave Church, which for nearly 900 years has stood on the outskirts of Vik. It was this church that Guy Paulson chose to replicate in the 1990s. It was decided in June of 1996 that the church would have a home at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead. The Center was already the home of the Viking ship replica.
Construction began in August 1997, with the first two staves being placed in October. The replica was built on-site and dedicated in 1998 when it was nearly complete. Visitors from Vik came for the ceremony bearing gifts. The replica was given to the City of Moorhead as a gift. Paulson took another three years to complete the ornamental carvings. In total, five and a half years went into the construction of the Church Replica.
At seventy-two feet in height, the church is a full-scale replica of the original. There are eighteen staves, each standing twenty-seven feet tall. The main structure is made of pine from Minnesota, with the portal carving done in redwood; 24,000 Michigan cedar shingles adorn its roof. While modern construction methods and tools were used, Paulson did all the carvings by hand.

09/01/2026

Stave Church - Moorhead Minnesota.
Stave churches were built in Scandinavia from 11 AD to 1500 AD. The Moorhead Stave Church is a full-scale replica of the Hopperstad Stave Church located in Vik, Norway. Built between 1996 and 2001, the Replica stands as a testament to Norwegian culture and heritage.
Conversion to Christianity in Norway occurred by royal decree at the end of the Viking Age. Despite the declaration, many Norwegians still practiced their traditional religion, which focused more on sacred sites found in nature. Many of those sites were used to build new Christian stave churches that blended together old and new, pagan and Christian.
The name comes from the support pillars (staves) in their interiors. Stylistically, dragons (pagan guards against evil) have their place next to religious art and crucifixes.

Between 900 and 1000 stave churches were built in Norway. As of 2017, 28 stave churches remain in Norway. One of these is the Hopperstad Stave Church, which for nearly 900 years has stood on the outskirts of Vik. It was this church that Guy Paulson chose to replicate in the 1990s. It was decided in June of 1996 that the church would have a home at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead. The Center was already the home of the Viking ship replica.
Construction began in August 1997, with the first two staves being placed in October. The replica was built on-site and dedicated in 1998 when it was nearly complete. Visitors from Vik came for the ceremony bearing gifts. The replica was given to the City of Moorhead as a gift. Paulson took another three years to complete the ornamental carvings. In total, five and a half years went into the construction of the Church Replica.
At seventy-two feet in height, the church is a full-scale replica of the original. There are eighteen staves, each standing twenty-seven feet tall. The main structure is made of pine from Minnesota, with the portal carving done in redwood; 24,000 Michigan cedar shingles adorn its roof. While modern construction methods and tools were used, Paulson did all the carvings by hand.

09/01/2026

Our bags are packed and we are finally on the move again!
Wednesday we leave for eastern Turkiye, to an area we have long wanted to visit around Lake Van!
We will be stopping at Mount Ararat and a site that some believe has evidence of Noah’s ark. This area has constantly been in the news lately - the Durupinar formation. There is a beautiful early Armenian church on an island in Lake Van that we are exited to see. The church has exterior massive carvings of Biblical scenes and saints. This is the area of the Urartian Kingdom (Kingdom of Ararat in the Bible … see Genesis 8:4, Jeremiah 51:27, 2 Kings 19:37) dating to approximately 860 - 590 BC. They built massive stone fortifications in the Lake Van area and extending into what is now Yerevan, Armenia. On the cliff of the Van Castle fortification is an inscription by the Persian King Xeres I - who is King Ahasuerus of the book of Esther and the son of Darius the Great.
We will then move south and visit the ancient Syriac monasteries of Midyat and Mardin Turkiye. St Gabriel monastery still has daily services in a form of Aramaic. From there we will visit the excavations at Gobeklitepe and Karahantepe, some of the most ancient excavations on earth.
We will end up in the ancient Kingdom of Commagene (163 BC to 73 AD) and among other things visit the famous Mount Nemrut with its gigantic sculpted heads. There is a little Biblical tie in here - Antiochus I of Commagene was betrothed to a daughter of Herod Agrippa. But when Herod died, Antiochus refused to convert to Judaism and the marriage didn’t happen.
The pictures below are open stock - but we hope to replace them with our own soon! Praying for safe travel in ancient lands that deepen our understanding of the world of the Bible!
For more Biblical travel photos and video visit us at:
www.scriptureinstone.org/blog

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