Tuesday morning we went to the traditional site of Jesus' baptism at the Jordan River.  To get there you make the steep descent from Jerusalem, 1700ft above sea level, to the Jordan River valley at 1300ft below sea level.  The temperature went from 59 to 75 at 8:00am.  This is also the site where the Israelites crossed the river to enter their land and where Elijah was taken up into heaven.  We had a group worship service there.  There are armed guards at the entrance, and a Jordanian soldier came down to a lookout on the other side of the river to check things out.  The river is the border between Israel and Jordan, and is heavily guarded.

Next we went on to Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  We learned a lot about the Jewish sects that existed at Jesus time and how the Essenes lived.  They are most likely the ones who hid the scrolls in the clay pots that were found starting in 1947.  The picture below is cave 4 of 10 where scrolls were found.

We then drove on to Masada where we spend the bulk of the afternoon.  This was really awesome.  We went up to the top by cable car to the summit.  Much of the old city that was build by Herod the Great is still in tact.  We learned a lot from our Israeli tour guide about the struggle of the Jews there against the Romans.  The pictures below do not at all do justice to the site itself.  We are over 2000ft above the shores of the Dead Sea below.

After Masada, we made a short stop at Engedi, the traditional place where David hid out in the wilderness while running from Saul.  This is an Oasis in the Judian Desert and the only green in the area.

Finally, we ended the day with a dip in the Dead Sea.  Yes; it really is that salty.  And anyone can float in it.  You walk in up to your waist, then just lay backward, and your are floating.