A trip of 24 hours from Eliat, Israel to Murray, KY takes a bit out of you. Fortunatly, my masterful staff had my office we organinzed and witht the help of my associate, I had a pretty easy transition back into the "world" as they say in the Army.
The body's aches and pains are another story. Trying to sleep in an airplane seat wedged against a window for thousands of miles will work on an old man. One of the humorus stories of my trip was the visit to Mt. Sinai. Actually, Siana is a mountain range. Moses's mountain is where we all were headed. we learned that is what it is called there adn the coloring of the Moses's mountain was different about half way up. It took on a charcoal appearance and it definitely stands out from the many other surrounding mountains.
It seemed from the time i hit the ground with our group of 125+- plus Egyptians guides and the Egyptian securty personnel assigned to each bus, the world or camels came running at us. At first, the idea of these animals was kind of exotic in a way. Indiana Jones and the like. There were many, many camels around and we leared there were for hire. In fact, some of the men and kids recruiting rides were more than you would want. Seeing and smelling the camels, dodging their balls of waster and the famous spit which we saw one hurl at a pilgram was a treat. Certainly, one would know immediately if one of these travelers were in the vicinity due to the distinct smell eminating from them. One lady, so proper with her blonde hair and quiet demeanor took a ride and when she off loaded after the camel stooped down in a sitting position was still several feet off the ground. The guide helped lift her off and from the look on her face you would tell his bathing habits were not a lot diffenent from hisanimal.
I am tyring to attach a number of phots from Mt. Sinai and St. Catherine's Monastery. The monastery was first constructed by Queen Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine, after he became a Christian in the 300s a.d. Queen Helen, who was a beleiver before her son, went on a mission to what was the Holy Land with a legion of Roman soldiers. 6000 strong. Everywhere she visited a location with biblical implications, she left 150 men with directions to build a church. So she left her fingerprint all over what is now Israel.
Inside the monastery is the well where Moses met his future wife. Zipporah, and what the say is the remant of the burning bush,. Go figure. The history is this bush, photos of which are attached, has grown in its present location for centuries. When portions of the plant have been removed, which iinclude a part of he rootball, it quickly dies. The part of the bush which grows into the Church of the Transfiguration. Actually the church is more of a musuem and as expected photographs were not allowed. Suffice is to say it was very, very old, packed with ancient religious relics and magnificant painting of Jesus and the others at Mt. Tabor during His transfiguration.
Enough of me.. Please enjoy
a photo inside the library of St. Catherines
Moses' Mtn. 
burning bush which grows on the outside but runners go into the Church of Transfiguration
Moses Well
Sinai Mountains
Only entrance to the monastery.. 
taxi up mountain
pilgrims with begging taxi,, see how they rest, knees and feet flat on dirt
color change 1/2 way up Moses mtn
look at the differenece in the size of the front and back feed of a desert taxi,..the front are huge
subject of camel driver's dream,, big white american, if no job going up then double fee coming down
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