Higher Ground Drone, Wyoming, MN (2026)

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

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

08/31/2026

The Hjemkomst Viking Ship, an enormous replica of a 9th-century Norwegian burial ship, may seem out of place in landlocked Moorhead, Minnesota, where the only body of water is the narrow Red River separating the town from Fargo, North Dakota.

Standing under the boat’s long wooden hull evokes long voyages across icy seas, a far cry from the hustle and bustle that surround it in this city.
The Viking ship actually sailed from New York to Norway in 1982, and has come to represent the seafaring heritage of much of the population of Minnesota, which has the largest number of Scandinavian Americans of any state. The Vikings were Old Norse speakers who ruled over much of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland from the 8th to the 11th centuries. Using their sophisticated long-range sailing abilities and military might, they expanded their domain immensely throughout this period.

In 1960, a settlement discovered in Newfoundland, Canada, proved that Vikings had reached the Americas earlier than any other European explorers, around 1000 AD. Scandinavian Americans have long embraced this seafaring history and the early foray into the New World as an important part of their heritage.

The Hjemkomst, whose name means “homecoming” in Norwegian, exemplifies this. The ship was constructed beginning in 1974 by Robert Asp, a guidance counselor at a local middle school, in a local potato warehouse. Asp was captain of the ship on its maiden voyage from Duluth out onto Lake Superior, but died of leukemia before he could realize his original dream of sailing the Hjemkomst all the way to Norway. Two years after his death, Asp’s children finally did, departing New York City and arriving a month later in Bergen, Norway. In 1983, the vessel was finally shipped back to Minnesota, where it is currently housed in the Hjemkomst Center!

The Stave church next door and the center are a fun stop! You may even see deer right in town near the parking lot!

08/31/2026

The Hjemkomst Viking Ship, an enormous replica of a 9th-century Norwegian burial ship, may seem out of place in landlocked Moorhead, Minnesota, where the only body of water is the narrow Red River separating the town from Fargo, North Dakota.

Standing under the boat’s long wooden hull evokes long voyages across icy seas, a far cry from the hustle and bustle that surround it in this city.
The Viking ship actually sailed from New York to Norway in 1982, and has come to represent the seafaring heritage of much of the population of Minnesota, which has the largest number of Scandinavian Americans of any state. The Vikings were Old Norse speakers who ruled over much of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland from the 8th to the 11th centuries. Using their sophisticated long-range sailing abilities and military might, they expanded their domain immensely throughout this period.

In 1960, a settlement discovered in Newfoundland, Canada, proved that Vikings had reached the Americas earlier than any other European explorers, around 1000 AD. Scandinavian Americans have long embraced this seafaring history and the early foray into the New World as an important part of their heritage.

The Hjemkomst, whose name means “homecoming” in Norwegian, exemplifies this. The ship was constructed beginning in 1974 by Robert Asp, a guidance counselor at a local middle school, in a local potato warehouse. Asp was captain of the ship on its maiden voyage from Duluth out onto Lake Superior, but died of leukemia before he could realize his original dream of sailing the Hjemkomst all the way to Norway. Two years after his death, Asp’s children finally did, departing New York City and arriving a month later in Bergen, Norway. In 1983, the vessel was finally shipped back to Minnesota, where it is currently housed in the Hjemkomst Center!

The Stave church next door and the center are a fun stop! You may even see deer right in town near the parking lot!

08/30/2026

Broken Down Dam
Exploring the winding trails of Broken Down Dam Park along the Otter Tail River, you are met with a peculiar sight: the ruins of a disastrous flood that occurred here in 1909, when a large concrete dam suddenly collapsed.

There are no public facilities. The entrance to the park is flanked on both sides by private property, so please be respectful. The park is actually at the end of the road, and your best option is to park in the turn-around there. There are a couple of trails leading from there, but the trailhead to the left of the park marker is the most direct route to the ruins. Hiding in plain sight around the park are the remnants of the hydroelectric gravity dam that was built on the river in 1907.

The power plant, called the Fergus Falls City Light Station, was in operation for just over a year, supplying power to the residents of the city. Then, at 4:20 a.m. on September 24, 1909, the dam suddenly collapsed, sending a massive wall of water surging downstream, and causing the subsequent failure of four other dams further down the river. Reportedly, the surge from the collapse was enough to lift a 10-ton generator into the river. Remarkably, no lives were lost in the catastrophe.

An investigation into the structural failure of the dam revealed a striking engineering error: The station was unknowingly built atop a natural spring. When the dam was completed it blocked the spring, causing the water pressure to build until it ruptured. The rupture washed out the concrete foundation and undermined the structural integrity of the dam until it finally failed.

Following the disaster, city officials left the damaged structure in place, and today its ruins lie along the recreational water trail that runs along the river. Hiking the trails of Broken Down Dam Park now offers a strange juxtaposition, as the ruins from this historic disaster are backdropped by the natural beauty of the Otter Tail River.

08/30/2026

Broken Down Dam
Exploring the winding trails of Broken Down Dam Park along the Otter Tail River, you are met with a peculiar sight: the ruins of a disastrous flood that occurred here in 1909, when a large concrete dam suddenly collapsed.

There are no public facilities. The entrance to the park is flanked on both sides by private property, so please be respectful. The park is actually at the end of the road, and your best option is to park in the turn-around there. There are a couple of trails leading from there, but the trailhead to the left of the park marker is the most direct route to the ruins. Hiding in plain sight around the park are the remnants of the hydroelectric gravity dam that was built on the river in 1907.

The power plant, called the Fergus Falls City Light Station, was in operation for just over a year, supplying power to the residents of the city. Then, at 4:20 a.m. on September 24, 1909, the dam suddenly collapsed, sending a massive wall of water surging downstream, and causing the subsequent failure of four other dams further down the river. Reportedly, the surge from the collapse was enough to lift a 10-ton generator into the river. Remarkably, no lives were lost in the catastrophe.

An investigation into the structural failure of the dam revealed a striking engineering error: The station was unknowingly built atop a natural spring. When the dam was completed it blocked the spring, causing the water pressure to build until it ruptured. The rupture washed out the concrete foundation and undermined the structural integrity of the dam until it finally failed.

Following the disaster, city officials left the damaged structure in place, and today its ruins lie along the recreational water trail that runs along the river. Hiking the trails of Broken Down Dam Park now offers a strange juxtaposition, as the ruins from this historic disaster are backdropped by the natural beauty of the Otter Tail River.

08/29/2026

Water Is Life

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” — Revelation 22:1

Throughout the New Testament, water is often used to illustrate the life-giving nature of Christ. The Old Testament, too, is filled with stories of the patriarchs in which water plays a central role. Water is life—a phrase we have all heard.

From the earliest civilizations, the ingenuity and engineering skill devoted to finding, transporting, storing, and protecting water is truly astonishing. Ancient peoples developed remarkably sophisticated systems of canals, wells, cisterns, tunnels, and aqueducts to bring water where it was needed. Their understanding of gravity, elevation, water flow, and construction is a remarkable testimony to the creativity and intelligence God has given humanity.

When traveling through ancient places, it is always awe-inspiring to encounter the remains of elevated aqueducts, with their graceful, beautifully proportioned arches stretching across the landscape. Most aqueducts actually ran underground, but it is the surviving above-ground sections that capture our imagination.

And then there are the great cisterns—massive structures built to collect and preserve precious water. Standing inside one, it is hard not to wonder: How did people so many centuries ago, without modern power tools and computers, understand the mathematics and engineering necessary to accomplish this?

Perhaps one answer is found in Psalm 8:
“What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? … You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.” — Psalm 8:4–5

Next week, we are traveling to eastern Türkiye, where we hope to see one of the most remarkable examples of ancient hydraulic engineering: the Menua Canal, built in the 8th century BC by Menua, king of the Urartian Kingdom around Lake Van.

The Urartians are associated with the biblical Ararat region mentioned in Genesis 8:4, Jeremiah 51:27, and 2 Kings 19:37. The Menua Canal is an extraordinary achievement—constructed more than 2,700 years ago and still carrying water today. Along its course are numerous cuneiform inscriptions commemorating its construction.

There is something deeply fascinating about seeing these ancient systems firsthand. They remind us not only of the ingenuity of the people who built them, but also of how fundamental water has always been to human life—and why Scripture so often uses water as a picture of God's provision and life-giving grace.

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

08/29/2026

Saint John’s Abbey Church
This brutalist space church seems to have crash-landed in the middle of America. Built in may of 1958, the church of Saint John’s Abbey bursts forth from the plains of central Minnesota like a piece of concrete from a galaxy far, far away.

The concrete structure looks more like an imported relic from Eastern Europe’s post-Soviet glory than a home-grown feature of soybean fields and flyover country. For a sense of just how huge and out-of-place the thing is in the context of the relative nothingness extending to all sides the towering “Bell Banner” can be seen from well over a mile away, before even exiting the freeway to visit the church.

The church itself resembles, from the outside, a giant box — only far more stylized — it boasts a huge, divine shield erected in front. Rising 112 vertical feet, this bell banner looks amazing. It houses a row of five, modest bells, which toll when appropriate.

The church’s entire back, north wall is composed entirely of stained glass with concrete latticework in a hexagonal structure. The pattern of the stained glass itself was designed as the blooming color gradients as a reflection of evolutions in the Church’s liturgical year. At the time, this wall of color formed the single largest stained glass piece in the world. On a sunny day, the whole church will glow with indirect light from the sun’s reflection off the banner and through the stained glass.

Onlookers still have mixed feelings about the house of worship. Of course, this tends to be the case with all things brutalist — you either love the style or hate it. But regardless of where one falls on the matter of preference and/or taste, the fact that the church at Saint John’s Abbey might very well be the most unique building in all of Minnesota, if not the entire region, is undeniable. I for the record - love it! While at the abby there are many things to explore. Start in the basement of the library with the famous St. John’s bible manuscript!

08/29/2026

Saint John’s Abbey Church
This brutalist space church seems to have crash-landed in the middle of America. Built in may of 1958, the church of Saint John’s Abbey bursts forth from the plains of central Minnesota like a piece of concrete from a galaxy far, far away.

The concrete structure looks more like an imported relic from Eastern Europe’s post-Soviet glory than a home-grown feature of soybean fields and flyover country. For a sense of just how huge and out-of-place the thing is in the context of the relative nothingness extending to all sides the towering “Bell Banner” can be seen from well over a mile away, before even exiting the freeway to visit the church.

The church itself resembles, from the outside, a giant box — only far more stylized — it boasts a huge, divine shield erected in front. Rising 112 vertical feet, this bell banner looks amazing. It houses a row of five, modest bells, which toll when appropriate.

The church’s entire back, north wall is composed entirely of stained glass with concrete latticework in a hexagonal structure. The pattern of the stained glass itself was designed as the blooming color gradients as a reflection of evolutions in the Church’s liturgical year. At the time, this wall of color formed the single largest stained glass piece in the world. On a sunny day, the whole church will glow with indirect light from the sun’s reflection off the banner and through the stained glass.

Onlookers still have mixed feelings about the house of worship. Of course, this tends to be the case with all things brutalist — you either love the style or hate it. But regardless of where one falls on the matter of preference and/or taste, the fact that the church at Saint John’s Abbey might very well be the most unique building in all of Minnesota, if not the entire region, is undeniable. I for the record - love it! While at the abby there are many things to explore. Start in the basement of the library with the famous St. John’s bible manuscript!

Higher Ground Drone

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