Category: Blog

(Sunrise heading for Valley of the Kings)

We’re off to Egypt once more for the third in our continuing series of guest posts by Marilyn Kamcheff on her Egyptian adventures.

Text and photos by Marilyn Kamcheff

January 25th we had an early (6:15 a.m.) departure for a bus ride to the Valley of the Kings. On the 90 minute ride to the remote burial site we witnessed a beautiful sunrise and some hot air balloons.

(Early morning balloon ride)

Once at the Valley of the Kings we were told that we could not take our cameras through the entry gate. That was very disappointing, so I snapped a couple of pictures looking at the hillside.

(Hillside near entrance to Valley of the Kings)

Continue reading “Egypt Part Three: Valley of the Kings and Beyond” →

(Pikes Peak at dawn)

Pikes Peak is one of those names that is synonomous with Colorado, and to some extent, with America itself. It is the easternmost 14,000 foot mountain in the country, and it certainly must be the most easily accessible 14,000 foot peak in the USA, if not the entire world.

If your hankering for a trip to the top, you have your choice of transportation modes to get there. Starting from the town of Cascade on Highway 24, you can drive your car 19 miles on the famous Pikes Peak highway, home to the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, second oldest car race in the country consisting of a 12.4 mile course with 156 turns and ending at the 14,115 foot summit.

Or if you prefer to do it the hard way, you have your choice of hitting the Barr Trail on foot or bicycle, which, while not a challenging climb in the technical sense, still covers 8,000 feet of elevation gain along an arduous 13 mile long trail. It’s also home to the annual Pikes Peak Marathon for runners/walkers. Sounds to me like only masochists need apply, but then I feel that way about all marathons.

(At the station in Manitou Springs)

(Waterfall and boulders on the way up)

Continue reading “Colorado, Part Two: Pikes Peak and the Cog Railway” →

(The temple of Karnak)

As promised, here is the second in a series of guest articles written by Marilyn Kamcheff on her Egyptian adventures, this time highlighting the fabulous temples of Luxor.

Egypt Part Two: Luxor

Story and photos by Marilyn Kamcheff

Early Monday morning we departed to Cairo Airport for the sixty minute flight to Luxor.  The air route followed the Nile, and beyond the green flanked fertile river valley was mountainous terrain with no visible living vegetation.

(One good earthquake and…)

Once in Luxor we boarded another beautiful tour bus and were driven to Karnak Temple. We disembarked and went inside the gated ruins to begin a very long walk to the temple itself. Luxor is further south than Cairo and the temperature was much hotter.

(Walking to Karnak temple)

Continue reading “Egypt Part Two: Luxor” →