From Cable Cars to Camels

Due to years of riding horses, Merri was quite confident on a camel. Me not so much. We ended our day with a visit with Abraham in his tent. The start of our day seemed hours ago. . . I guess because it was:)!

The "shofar" blew for many reasons. One was when the Israelites marched around Jericho. This time it was just blown for fun! We got to sleep in this morning and some of us got a chance to enjoy the beach one last time!

Our first trip was a cable ride up to the mountain where Herod built his summer palace. The Masada is also where the Jewish people made their last stand against the Roman empire and is very important to the Jews today.

It was very hot here. Herod made this his summer palace, and added acqueducts to make it more inhabitable and turned it into a paradise.

Part of having water included building cisterns. Joseph was thrown into a cistern when his brothers were thinking on killing him, as was the prophet Jeremiah. It is very deep.

Not too far from Masada, in the desert, is the Oasis of En Gedi, David's stronghold. This is the lower spring there.

In one of the caves in the area behind Cari, King Saul went to go "relieve" himself and David, who was hiding way back inside, snuck up and took a piece of his robe. I Samuel 23-24.

On our way to Jerusalem, we went back over 4000 years to visit Abraham in the Judean wilderness, 1/2 a days walk from Bethlehem and from Jerusalem. Of course, we rode camels:)!

Merri was giving her best sales pitch to Father Abraham. . . she wanted to sell him camels! He wasn't buying it, but he still gave her a wonderful sit down feast in his tent.

Kari was busy talking to the camels. We learned they only carried royalty, otherwise they were pack animals, able to carry their weight. They don't have to eat or drink for two weeks, but these eat every day!

This is some of our group heading back from Abraham's tent. This is the part of Israel where Abraham settled.

The sun was setting as we rolled in to Jerusalem. Our guide played the old hymn "The Holy CIty. "Last night I lay a-sleeping, there came a dream so fair, I was in old Jerusalem, beside the temple there. . . Jerusalem, lift up your gates and sing, Hosanna to the king. . ." Til tomorrow in Jerusalem, ...

We started the day with a cable ride up to the Masada, and ended the day riding a camel in the Judean wilderness! Come along for the ride!