The next morning was the big day of getting to travel to the dead sea and to go to Masada. We got up at the same time as we had ben around 6:45 in order to depart at 8:00. We set out in the bus on the high way going passed the check point for entering Jeruslem and down the mountion behind the Mt. of Olives out into the desert. From here we continued to go down the hilles out in the desert. Along the way we passed several bedowin groupes where there campes are set up on the sides of the hilles. We also went passed what today is called the Inn where the good sumariton stoped off at. Whall this was not a real place, dew to the demand of people wanting to know the location some one has sence constructed an Inn for the perpose of a stoping off place for thoes travling throu in serch of this place. One the way we also drove passed Jerico out in the desert away from the restricted area around the city. Then we were now down in the valy where the dead sea is today. This area was flat and is located around 200 ft below sea level. This is a dermatic drop considering Jeruslem is a little over 1,000 ft above sea leve.

One of the conserns that our guide toled us about was the people in the winter that hick down throu the gorges many times in the river beads sence thay are easyer to walck on and when it starts to rain up in Jeruslem area the watter all startes to flow down these hills and becaus of the extreem drop it pickes up terminous speed. Where there was a dry river bead one minout my be covered with 10 or more feet of watter as it comes barling through the gorges down to the read sea. Teeto sead that this casuses many deathes each year.

Nexted we drove along the river valy with the read see off to the left and the large mountons off the the right. Along the way there were several groves of palm trees. The next stop is Masada. Apone arivel we got out of the bus and enterd a modern building that had a place to shop, get refrshments, and had restrooms and a moddle of the holle complex of masoda. After we had gotten our tikets and all had returned from the rest rooms we headed up some stairs to the cable car to take us to the top. We ended up tacking two cars to reduce the number of people sence the care that was haedingup was parshly full all ready.

Once we arived on the top we wated under one of the streched tarpes where there was another more detaild modle of the lay out of the buildings today. Once the other group arived we took some time for explincation in the shaid of what we were going to see before heading out to see it. One of the things that we gott off tocking with our guid Teeto about is the droping rate of the dead sea whall we were wating. He toled us that there had bean an atemped to dig a tunel from the mediteraniean sea undergound but dew to the cost of this project it was abandent. The other option that he minchiond was that a conal could be dug from the read sea that would allow shiping and to help in the build up of more tourisum along this area. This of cores will only happen when the area is compleatly settled and that there is no conflicked betwen the counteries in the area. Un till this project is compleated the dead sea will continu to drop in level of about three feet a year.

Our next stop on Massada was through one of the old buildings that had some of the old plaser still on the walls that had some of the colering still visible. After passing through this room we went and saw some of the srore rooms where they would have kep the wine, and dride frout stored up for when it was needed.

The next stop was to go to the bath house. There were originly four of them here. We were able tosee some of the mosacs on the flour. There were three rooms and stages of tempcher befor getting to the final room that had a baral rounded celing to keep the condisation from raining on the peole. It also was equiped with pipes in the walles for creting steem in the room and the flour was on stiltes so that the tiles would get heated aldo and thehole room would be filed with steam.

We then went and stoped by one of the palices of Harid here and one of the most butiful views on the complex. There were three buildings here built into the hill side like star steps gong down the mounton side. This complex would have ben joust stuning back in the day. The wonderful breas was nice and cool up here and the view over lookng th ehole sea of galee were joust ausom.

From here we walcked over to an area where we could over look the watter cysterns here that had the compacity to hold up to 5 years of watter for 200 men using 2 and 1/2 galons pere day. Thay would berefiled by watter chanels that came from the hilles during the flash floud season and would only take one big rain to fill them back up for the next 5 years. Here there was a watter refilling station for people to refill ther watter bottles.

We the proceeded out to the quort yard where the solgers of Isrial yousto be inducted into the armey and say the oath “Masada shall not fall again”. Off this large open space we went into what is the oldes singau that has ben found. Here it had ben rebuild and made into this by the Jews during there time here but you could see and sitt on the old stone stepts sounding the open area with colums.

After we had compleated here we went into a building not to fare from here where there was a thached room and it was much cooler here. From here and all along this side of the fortress you could see the huge piles of rebul from the old roman campes and the wall that srounded the city from the time of the roman seages here. You could also see the old ramp that was built for them to take the city. It still stands today and is in exslent shape. Off in the distance was the tower that the romans had built with a ram on top to nock over thewalls. This was a duplicet that was built for the movie that was made.

We saw the movie befor we came and it realy helped put everthing in prespective whall we were here. After we were compleated we took the cable car down the hill and back to do some shoping at the store and then backto the bus to drive to lunch.

We had a wonderful lunch at the only restrant that is located out here. After we had eaten we put on our bathing stutes and walcked down a path to the dead sea where we could go swinming in the sea. Afer swimming in the watter that was so weard in how you float to the top so easly I got some watter and then went over to the showers that were on the beach to get the salt out. The rockes here were so hot thay would bern your feet. Your skin would sting from the salt consenteration in the watter also. I then carved some lage peaces of salt cristals that had fromed on one of the larger sones off to bring back with me.

After our time at the dead sea we got back on the bus and drove to a preserve where we stope and saw some animles and over looked a cave and watter spring. This is the only oasiou stha tis located out here in the desert.

Then it was on to the pace where the Dead Seas Scroles were found. When we arived here we were all hot and sedy from being out side so much and in the dead sea. We ent in and saw an amasing movy that was projected on to three screns come around us in the room and took an exploeration of the are and to learn more about the Asen people. After the movey we walcked through a short museum behind the secreen that had some artfaces about the srcoles. There are none of the scroles still here but we will see them tomaro at the musum in Jeruslem.

Next we went out side and walcked around through the differnt buildigns of the Asean people and then walcked over to where the caves are in the hill side where the scroles were found. During this hole time Teeto was ginving us backgorund information reagding the events srounding the findign of the dead sea sroles and the Aseen people.

Once we had compleated tocking about the sidet and the caves we headed back to the bus to head back to the hotell in Jeruslem.

We then had supper and then the rest of the night to relax and to get some well needed sleep.

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