Exploring
From The Lens - Summer Sunset
Wordless Wednesday 06/19
Trail running is always my favorite but I enjoyed the company on this Father’s day run even more. I might need to get her a better bike if we keep this up. (June 2019, Eden Prairie)
Wordless Wednesday 06/12
Wordless Wednesday 09/27
*View from the top of a Mountain (August 2017, Estes Cone, Estes Park, CO)*
Great day biking and walking around Minnehaha Falls
Detour on our way back home today
Wordless Wednesday 09/14
*Looking down from one of the many edges at Machu Picchu to the Urubamba River below (December 2007, Machu Picchu, Peru)*
Quote of the Week - 02.12.16
“You weren’t born to just pay bills and die."
My wife sent me this quote the other day and it really made me reflect on things so I thought I would share.  I decided to put that quote on a photo I took while hiking with a good friend in Colorado a couple of years back.  In fact, my wife bought me the plane ticket to go see my friend for my birthday and looking back it was a great present as it got me to do what I had been talking about doing since I left college but kept saying to myself I was too busy.
I was more out of shape back then as I hadn’t gotten into the swing of running again but it was well worth it once we made it to the top.  It was a gorgeous day and the view from the top of Estes Cone was awesome.  Luckily, the trail we took, which started at Longs Peak Trailhead, wasn’t too strenuous and I would suggest it to anyone that finds themselves in the area.
Here are a couple other pictures I took from the peak, hiking up, and from the base of the mountain to give you a feel for how high up we were.
*Panoramic picture from the top of Estes Cone in Estes Park Colorado.*
*Picture of the other Mountains around Estes Cone as we were hiking up.*
*Estes Cone is the Mountain we hiked up to get the pictures above.*
Now you can Explore Machu Picchu
With Google Street View you can now visit Machu Picchu and walk around just as you were there in real life but from your home.  Since I have been fortunate to visit Machu Picchu two times in my life I had to check this out after finding this video published today.
Using Street View to check out the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu and it is almost just as amazing walking along looking at it on my computer as it was standing there.  Still to this day I remember walking around the site that is sitting at around 7,970 ft (2,430 meters) above sea level.
I decided to find a place on the street view map that I knew I had a photo of as it is hanging up in my house. Â Here is two pictures I took back in December 2009 when I last visited there. Â As you can see it was a wonderfully rainy/overcast day. Â However, that didn't deter us from making the most of it and wandering around the place.
*Machu Picchu December 2009 with my Wife and Parents*
*Machu Picchu December 2009*
The specific place at Machu Picchu we took those photos from is called the "House of the Guardian to the Funerary Rock."  So I used the Google Street View to find that exact spot show below (you can start there by clicking here as well).
*Machu Picchu (Google Street View)**figure>
As you can see the people at Google had great weather and clear blue sky's which makes for a great Street View to click around and see the ancient city.  Another interesting find is that you can actually take a walk on the entire Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, which I have never done before so this was definitely interesting to see what I have missed (*add to bucket list).
*Trail to Machu Picchu (Google Street View)*
Also, if you are into more history you should check out the Google Cultural Institute collection titled Wonders of Machu Picchu as they teamed up with the Peruvian Ministry of Culture for the initiative.
I have so many more stories of my time in Peru that maybe I will share pieces of it at a later date. Â However, now that I have scrolled through the Street Views and looking at old pictures again I think I am ready to go back and visit.... Â Anyone else?