Masada mountain. The Dead Sea is at an elevation of 1291 feet below sea level. The top of Masada is about sea level.
A model of Masada in the Visitor's Center. Notice snake road coming up on the left slope.
Most people went to the top using a high speed cable car. A few walked up the snake path seen below.
Here I am reaching the top. Actually, only Andrew and Tim made the climb. Took a little over 30 minutes. It was advertised as 45 minutes.
Out in this open spot was where the Jewish enclave took their own lives. Oops, forgot to give a spoiler alert for the movie that was made in 1981.
One of the eight Roman camps that was set up surrounding the base of Masada.
The view looking north from Masada. Dead Sea is on the far right.
Next was a stop at Ein Gedi. Ein Gedi means "wild goat." Becca having problems finding the correct verse, but assisted by our guide, Saad.
The Falls of David, up Wadi David from Ein Gedi. This is where David cut off a piece of Saul's robe - in case you Bible experts have forgotten.
A crown-of-thorns bush.
Driving up the western shore of the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi, we reach the point where the 1949 Armstice line crosses the road. Click here for location. Don't know what the sign says, but the boundary doesn't seem to be marked well.
A few miles further north is the real checkpoint. Not many maps have the 1967 border marked. There are neither walls nor border fence here - just a checkpoint that we drove slowly through. Located here.
Next stop Qumran. This is cave #4 at Qumran, where the majority of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947.
The event we had all been anticipating was the swim in the Dead Sea - well, almost everyone. This is the lowest point on the earth's surface. The oxygen content of the air was oppressive at 1291 feet below sea level.
First in, Gwen and Becca. No, they are not sitting on the bottom, they are floating!
The orange bus, orange bus group.
Anne's beauty secrets revealed.
Mysti and Melanie. Check their fingernails when they get back home.
And finally synchronized swimmers Tim and Andrew.
Tomorrow we leave for Caesarea (on the Mediterranean coast), Megiddo, Nazareth, Sepphoris and spend the night in Tiberias at the Royal Plaza Hotel. I understand that there may be no internet service there. So as a contingency I'll try to post a few images during the day using my cell phone (depending upon cell coverage), then fill in some details if we are surprised by internet service in Tiberias.
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