Climbing Mount Sinai

Steps up Mt. Sinai
We left at 2AM and rode camels until it was too rugged for them
The Burning Bush - Monastery

At the Suez Canal - Egypts main source of Income
Here I am at the top of Mt. Sinai after a 8km camel ride and hike
Sherryl with a lady from Indonesia at the Top of Sinai
A Chapel at the top of Mt. Sinai - People huddled together and Prayed - It was cool.
Sunrise from the top of Mt. Sinai at about 5AM

In Cairo

Here are pictures of Mohammed Ali Mosque in Cairo
The picture below is at the Coptic Orthodox Church built over the home where Mary and Joseph and Jesus stayed when they fled into Egypt from Herod.
This Sign marks the entrance to the home of the Holy Family

We visited a Papyrus shop where they showed us how they make papyrus. Papyrus was used like paper and some of the Bible manuscripts were written on Papyrus
Here you see the mixture of traffic in Cairo. Cairo is an amazing city of 17 million people and it has no traffic lights. Traffic moves smoothly and we saw no accidents or major traffic jams.
Below is the Pyramid of Sakkora south of Cairo

Our Trip to Bible Lands

On March 25th, 2008, Sherryl and I flew from Saskatoon to Toronto where we met up with 30 other Canadians for an 18 day Pilgrimage to Egypt, Jordan and Israel. Here are all 32 of us Canadians in front of the Sphinx and the Pyramids. Most of our group was from Calgary and Cochrane.

Here I am standing on the Pyramid at Giza. The Pyramids are on the edge of Cairo.

This was the view from our hotel window of one of the Pyramids.

And a picture of us on the other side of them.

My Second Set of Kolbeinsvik Great Great Grandparents

Marthe Vincentsdatter Kvalvaag 1851-1930 and Knud Baarsen Kolbeinsvik 1848-1914

Knut Baardsen Kolbeinsvik 1848-1914

Knut Baardsen Kolbeinsvik was born November 25, 1848 on the Kolbeinsvik farm on Huftarøy, in Austevoll, Hordaland, Norway. He was the tenth of eleven children born to Baar Knudsen Kolbeinsvik and Marthe Jacobsdatter Haevroen. He grew up on the farm Trollholmen, a part of Kolbeinsvik. He worked as a fisherman and farm helper on the home farm. He met Marthe Vincentsdatter kvalvaag in his visits to the supply store on Kvalvaag, where she was working. This supply and service center belonged to the Rosendahl family. In April 1873 the two of them travelled from Bergen through Quebec to Iowa. In July of 1873 they were married in Iowa River Lutheran Church, near Dorchester, Alamakee County, Iowa. Their first child Dorthea did not survive and is buried in Iowa. They had six more girls. a) Martha Dorthea 1875b) Gjertrud Olina 1878c) Brita Maria 1880d) Marie Josephine 1883e) Bertina 1886f) Anna Wilhelmina 1889They must have moved close to Ridgeway, Winnesheik County as Martha and Gjertrud were baptized in Lincoln Lutheran. The family moved to North Dakota after Gjertrud was born. They settled at DeLamere, North Dakota and farmed there the rest of their lives. They were active in the Lutheran Churches of Sargent county and were charter members of Immanuel Lutheran, DeLamere, in the early 1880's The children were baptized, confirmed and married in this community. Knud died enroute to his daughter Anna's funeral on March 23,1914. He is buried in the Lutheran Cemetery in DeLamere.

My Kolbeinsvik Great great grandparents

Kristi Andersdatter Blænes 1830-1913 wife of Jakob Baarsen Kolbeinsvik

Jakob Baardsen Kolbeinsvik 1830-1882

Jakob Baardsen Kolbeinsvik was born in 1830 in Kolbeinsvik, Huftarøy, Norway. He was the fourth child in a family of eleven children, born to Baar Knudsen Kolbeinsvik and his wife Marthe Jacobsdatter Haevroen. He grew up on the home farm of Kolbeinsvik, Huftarøy, Austevoll, Norway. Like his father he became a fisherman. Most of the farms had their own docks capable of handling quite large vessels. One of the best harbors was at the farm of Blænes at the southern end of Huftarøy. It was in Blænes he met his wife Kristi Andersdatter Blænes. They were married in 1855 in the Fitjar Church. Eight children were born to them:1) Kari Jacobsdatter Kolbeinsvik b.1856, Blænes, Huftarøy.2) Anders Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b.May 31,1857 Blænestræ, Huftarøy.3) Baar (Burt) Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b. May 1,1859, Blænes, Huftarøy.4) Marthines Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b. Feb.25,1863 Blænes, Huftarøy.5) Thorbjorn Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b. Nov. 27,1865 Blænes, Huftarøy.6) Martha Larsine Jacobsdatter Kolbeinsvik b. May 31,1868, Trollholmen, Kolbeinsvik, Huftarøy.7) Jacob Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b.Aug. 6,1869, Trollholmen, Kolbeinsvik, Huftarøy.8) Sjur Olai (Severt) Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b. Oct.1,1871, Trollholmen, Kolbeinsvik, Huftarøy.It appears that the family stayed at Blænes for the first years of their marriage since the first four children were baptized at the Fitjar Church. In 1865 they are listed as living at Trodholmen, a part of Kolbeinsvik, in the Austevoll Parish near Storeboe. The last four children were baptized there and all of them were confirmed there. On July 7, 1882 Jacob went out to chop wood in the woods on Trollholmen. Unfortunately he chopped himself badly. He bled very badly but was alert enough to head for his house. He died on the doorstep July 7 1882 where his wife Kristi found him. He was buried July 14,1882 in the Austevoll Church Cemetery on Huftarøy. After Jakob's death the whole family decided to move to join other relatives and move to Iowa and North Dakota.

Kristi Andersdatter Blænes 1830-1913

Kristi Andersdatter Blænes was born May 9, 1830 to Anders Knutson Raunholm, Fitjar (1786-1876) and his wife Martha Jacobsdatter. Blænes (1808-1879). Kristi was the first of nine children (seven girls, two boys). She grew up on the farm Blænestræt. She was baptized and confirmed in Fitjar Church, Norway. They had to travel by boat from the island of Huflarøy to Fitjar. Kristi met and married Jacob Baarsen Kolbeinsvik,, who came from the Kolbeinsvik farm further up the Island north of Blænes. They had eight children:1) Kari Jacobsdatter Kolbeinsvik b.1856, Blænes, Huftarøy.2) Anders Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b.May 31,1857 Blænestræ, Huftarøy.3) Baar (Burt) Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b. May 1,1859, Blænes, Huftarøy.4) Marthines Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b. Feb.25,1863 Blænes, Huftarøy.5) Thorbjorn Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b. Nov. 27,1865 Blænes, Huftarøy.6) Martha Larsine Jacobsdatter Kolbeinsvik b. May 31,1868, Trollholmen, Kolbeinsvik, Huftarøy.7) Jacob Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b.Aug. 6,1869, Trollholmen, Kolbeinsvik, Huftarøy.8) Sjur Olai (Severt) Jacobson Kolbeinsvik b. Oct.1,1871, Trollholmen, Kolbeinsvik, Huftarøy.After Kristi and Jacob were married they remained at Blænes for some years, moving to Vik and later to Kolbeinsvik. Their portion of the Kolbeinsvik farm was called Trollholmen. Jacob continued as a fisherman and as a leaseholder on the farm. When Jacob bled to death from chopping himself with an axe, the family emigrated to the USA. Kristi with five of the children left Norway on May 7, 1885. Kari had married and so stayed in Norway one more year. The other two had immigrated earlier. Kristi settled in Finley, North Dakota where many of the family also chose to homestead. Many of her descendants still live in the area. Kristi died on January 30, 1913, and is buried in Ostervold Cemetery, Finley, North Dakota. In the summer of 2005 I visited the Ostervold Lutheran Church, a country church just out of Finley, North Dakota and saw her grave and the graves of many of her family.

My Bukholmen Great-great grandparents

The present Stord Church built in 1857. Mikal Pedersen was baptized in the Old Stord Church which I understand stood in the same place.

Mikal Pedersen Bukholmen 1842-1874
Mikal Pedersen Bukholmen was born the 24th of February 1842 to Peder Olai Mikkelsen Bukkholmen and Kristine Larsdatter Ivarsoey. He was baptized March 24, 1842 at the Stord Lutheran Church. He was one of seven children. On June 19, 1870 he married Soffie Jonnasdatter Kvarven on Fitjar. They had three daughters:

Ragna Andrina Mikkelsdatter Bukholmen born Oct.13,1870

Synneve Louise Mikkelsdatter Kvarven born Sept.8,1871 in Torget, Fitjar, Norway

Sofie Malene Mikkelsdatter Kvarven born Nov.24,1873 in Kvarven, Norway.

He passed away April 21, 1874 in Kvarven, Fitje, Norway.

Sofie Jonasdatter Kvarven 1851- 1873

Sofie Jonasdatter Kvarven was born February 13, 1851 on Kvarven, Fitje, Norway to Ragna Monsdatter and Jonas, a sailor from Ålesund. She married Mikal Pedersen Bukkholmen June 17, 1870 in Fitjar, Norway. They had three daughters:

Ragna Andrina Mikalsdatter Bukkholmen born October 13, 1870 in Bukkholmen, Fitjar, Norway Synneve Louise Mikkelsdatter Kvarven born September 8,1871 in Torget, Fitjar, Norway

Sofie Malene Mikkelsdatter Kvarven born Nov 24,1873 Kvarven, Norway.

When Sofie Malene was born, Sofie Jonasdatter became very ill and died less than a month later. Just a few months later the father Mikal died and so these three girls were orphaned and therefore were raised probably by Grandparents Anders and Ragna Vikestol. Synneve emigrated to Canton, South Dakota in 1901, where she married an Olaf Johnson. When my grandpa Andreas Mikkel Nilson emigrated to the USA he went to his Aunt Synneves in Geddes, South Dakota. Sofie Jonasdatter Kvarven passed away December 13, 1873 in Kvarven, Fitje, Norway. She was buried December 23,1873, in Fitjar, Norway.