Masada & Dead Sea Excursion - Saturday, July 5

Saturday morning we packed our luggage, loaded it onto the tour bus, checked out of the hotel and drove through the desert of Judea to Masada and the Dead Sea.

While driving through the desert, we spotted Bedouins, who are a nomadic, predominantly desert-dwelling Arabian ethnic group. Scarcity of water and of permanent pastoral land requires them to move constantly.

Bedouins dwelling in the Judean desert. Bedouin shepherds are said to have discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Judean caves of Qumran in 1946.

At this point of our trip, we are at Sea Level, the Dead Sea, which is 1,401 ft below sea level is the lowest point on Earth

Although desert, the terrain was interesting. We saw Ibex (wild mountain goats), caves and dry river beds, and then stopped at the Ahava factory where they make Dead Sea cosmetics.

Dry Riverbed

Ibex - can you spot one?

Cave in the Judean desert

Masada

Masada is an ancient fortress in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau (akin to a mesa) on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Herod the Great built palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. According to Josephus, the Siege of Masada by troops of the Roman Empire towards the end of the First Jewish–Roman War ended in the mass suicide of the 960 Jewish rebels and their families hiding there.

We took a cable car ride to the top and saw these views.

View from the top of Masada, overlooking the Dead Sea (and birds)

Craig at Masada

Coleen at Masada

Next, we boarded the bus and headed for the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea, also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east, and Palestine and Israel to the west. It is 1,401 ft below sea level, making it Earth's lowest elevation on land. The Dead Sea is 1,004 ft deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With 34.2% salinity (in 2011), it is also one of the world's saltiest bodies of water. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which animals cannot flourish, hence its name.

Craig sleep floating in the Dead Sea - Notice the salt rim along the shore

Craig and Coleen floating in the Dead Sea - Sooo cool!!!

McDonalds - a sign that it was time to head home :(

After leaving the Dead Sea, we went to Jerusalem where he had dinner at Spaghetti Restaurant, then went directly to the airport and begun our 24-hour travel day! On Sunday July 6th at 2:30pm, we landed in Atlanta!