3 seasons in 3 days! Our Yosemite Adventure.

We had an awesome and adventurous weekend in Yosemite with our good friends Chris and Yohanna Castro! It was their very first time in Yosemite! (Corey hadn't been in several years and Donna hadn't been in Yosemite since High School—doing a one-day trek up to Half Dome)

Early Thursday morning we headed out packed to the hilt. Chris' boss was so stoked to have them visit Yosemite for the first time that she gave him $40 and told us to have breakfast at the Ahwahnee Hotel! Chris sat in the "Queen's seat" at the head of the room (Queen Elizabeth sat at this spot back in 1984 or so) fun times... The weather was beautiful, trees were green, and a few clouds in the sky.

We set up camp in the valley and headed off to our first hike of the weekend! We took the John Muir trail up to the falls and found some *gorgeous* views!!!

Most of us had to strip off layers because we thought it was going to be colder! Yohanna, Chris and Corey made a nice wall for Donna as she shed some layers! 

Look at that beautiful panoramic view! It was truly amazing.

One of the beautiful falls we saw. Donna is contemplating taking a dive while Corey is enjoying the view. 

This picture is at the bottom of the fall, called the Mist Trail. We got nice and wet as we walked past the fall. 

Friday evening we decided to cook a nice camping meal: pasta with sausage! (also to fuel us up for the longer hike we had the next day) Dinner worked out well...dessert, not so much. We had smore supplies and were really excited to roast marshmallows at the fire and make these desserts. One problem—the supplies were over a year past when there were to be "enjoyed" by. (guess it took awhile for us to go camping!) So... the cookies were stale, the chocolate was white (and it was milk chocolate not white chocolate) and the marshmallows were hard!! Truly the worst smores ever. 

 

The following morning we were eager to get going on our "long" hike, but slept a little past when we wanted to, as it was sprinkling. It started pouring so we made our sandwiches under the cover of trees (Chris made it happen—he was dedicated) and packed our bags to go, but didn't get out of the campsite until lunchtime... Off to Yosemite Falls for a 7 to 10 hour hike! 

Yohanna and Donna started out the hike with some funky moves, don't even ask them what that was about—they don't know! 

Camel water packs filled, on and ready to hike at Lower Yosemite Falls... MANY people stop at this point, take a nice picture, NOT US! We are going to the TOP...to the UPPER falls! At the bottom of Lower Yosemite Falls, we didn't know which way to go, and the path only went to the right. To our excitement, we saw a family of deer trying to cross the little paved path! The last deer was very hesitant to cross... but when it finally did, it sorta slipped on the paving with its hooves... They were SO CLOSE to us. Obviously excited looks from the onlooking crew (from left Chris, Yohanna, Donna) After we found that right was the wrong direction, we went back to where we started until Corey spotted a 3d replica of the Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls (with trails!). So at 1pm, we finally made it over to Camp 4 and began our hike up the mountainside. We took lots of pictures as it rained off and on. Chris and Yo wore our thin little ponchos (we had kept from our honeymoon in Italy—Yes, they are Italian-made ponchos, a little different than Italian leather) - enough to keep them dry, but certainly more sweaty! Yohanna snapping off a picture of Chris while sporting the poncho. (she was contorting to get just the right shot!)

We saw sweet views all the way up and we tried to capture them. It was breath-taking. (and we were going up at a pretty good pace—which also took our breath away!)

here is a shot of Chris is rockin' out! (truth is, it was nice and cool to the touch)

Donna is stretching out and posing for Corey. (you won't believe how many shots he took over the weekend...or maybe you would...it was around 400)

This was probably the best view of the falls from here on up. If it weren't for the breathtaking view of the rest of the valley, searchers of Falls views should just stop hiking here. For much of the hike we were being rained on... and parts we were getting hailed on!

But we were determined to make it all the way up and down before dark! Listed as a 7-10 hour hike, we knew we were going to have to move extremely quickly to do so leaving at 1pm! After a while of Donna charging ahead and the rest of us dragging a little, we decided that Corey & Donna would charge ahead, and let Chris & Yo make it as far as they felt they could go with Chris' knee and Yohanna's sore hip flexor.

Here is Donna above the "source" of the falls just before it goes over

Corey leans over the rail to get a better view... Nah, its not *that* dangerous! ;)

Little flakes of snow began falling on us as we were at the top, as Donna beautifully poses with some flakes, while wearing Corey's jacket to stay warm

To our delight Chris and Yohanna made it to the top 15 minutes after we did! They got all our "voicemail" as we gave messages to downhill travelers to give them ;) So here we are freezing our fingers while eating our sandwiches at the windy, snowy cliffs. Notice Chris' short socks and tennis shoes! By the time we left the top, we were walkin' in a winter wonderland!

Crazy! 

Eager to get back to camp by dark, we were cold and wet, so we made it down the mountain in record time! We made the entire trip in 5.5 or 6 hours!!! (so much for the 7-10 estimated time!) Donna was stoked to "beat" the average! 

When we got back to camp, it was raining a bit, so we got into dry clothes and played cards in the Castro's tent while waiting for the rain to let up so we could make dinner. Well... it didn't let up. So after we decided we were hungry enough to go elsewhere for food, we ended up at this little restaurant with a couple of guys playing some really fun cover songs on acoustic guitars while we ate (some pretty gross but warm) chili and played SkipBo!

Chris tried to to Corey's scary "shush face" but laughed so much that he couldn't get his lips to stay where he wanted them! Of course, we all busted up laughing at the 2 minute spectacle! (Yohanna pictured in hysterics)

After a fun time there, we decided to get back to camp to hit the hay. Upon realizing that the rain was making puddles on top of Corey & Donna's sleeping bags and under Chris & Yohanna's, the Castros decided to "tough it out" by sleeping in the car, while we just tried to keep our things dry while having a towel collect the rain that was dripping in. (Rain getting into lightweight summertime tents? Who woulda thought?!) The next morning (after a pretty rough night of sleep) we were a bit wet, and heard Chris say, "guys, are you all right in there?" Little did we know that the tent's doorway top was sagged down to our feet and there was 5-6 inches of snow outside!! The Castro's tent had completely collapsed under the snow through the night - good thing they weren't inside! That would have been awful! Chris and Yohanna are pictured below propping their tent again.

Chris is wearing Yohanna's form fit jacket to keep warm and dry, since most of his clothes were wet from the weekend's events and it was still snowing pretty hard.... A little sassy are you?

Donna pretends to warm herself by the fire of snow, where we had warmed ourselves less than two days before. Smore's coathanger skewers are even piled with snow!

See the 5 inches or so on the benches and table?!

From hot and beautiful to snowy and beautiful in two days... what a trip!

So we really hit three seasons in three days: the first day being warm, second day rainy and cold, the third day SNOW! Certainly a trip we will never forget. 

Day 12: Mount of Olives, Golgotha, Garden Tomb

Day 12 was our final day in Israel, and we finished with some heavy stuff...

We began the morning by heading up to the Mount of Olives. As we sat there surrounded by trees that may be more than two thousand years old, on the other side of a small valley, looking at the Temple Mount, we recounted Jesus' capture after Judas' betrayal. We checked out a church on the site afterwards, as well. Corey enjoyed many of the architectural features, such as the vaulted ceilings, the pillars, decorations, etc.

From there, we followed to what is believed to be Ciaphas' house (which is now a church, with the ruins available to be seen below), where the soldiers led Jesus for questioning after his capture.

This is believed to be the pit Jesus was first held in.

These ancient steps are the steps leading up to Ciaphas' house from the direction of the Mount of Olives, where the guards would have walked Him as their prisoner.

This panoramic shot is from an area nearby Ciaphas' house... See the temple mount at the left, followed by the Mount of Olives. This is how far the Roman guards brought Jesus across the Kidron Valley (blood from the Passover sacrifices would have been already flowing down the valley at this point) for the first portion...

On a lighter side (and this one is for you, Grandpa Dobbs) we were able to get some fresh pressed pomegranate juice while we were walking through the old city. Our next stop was where Jesus was scourged, and mocked with the crown of thorns. Seen in this first picture is an example of the "King's Game". The premise of this game is that there are a series of punishments carved into the floor which might be used on a captured king from a foreign land. The guards would cast lots (or something to that effect) to see which punishment the prisoner at hand would receive. There is a specific "prize" where the prisoner would receive all of the punishments, including the crown of thorns, the whipping, scourging, etc. As per the gospel accounts, Jesus received the full extent of punishments at the hand of the Roman guard.

Here we are, underground, as the city has been built on top of rubble every time it has been destroyed, but we can see here an example of what the streets looked like back then, with the ridges carved into the stone to prevent animal drawn carts from slipping.

After the whipping and beatings, Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, or "the place of the skull" between the the city wall and the road to Damascus, where thousands of worshippers would see the condemned hanging on crosses as they entered and exited the city for Passover. As this is what He did, we followed the progression and went to a place that some believe to be the very site of Golgotha. We saw what looked to be eye, nose and mouth sockets of a skull in the face of a hill. They can't verify that this is the site, but it is at the very least a very good visual example.

Very nearby is a "garden tomb" similar to, if not the tomb itself, that Jesus' body was lain next to after he was found to have died by the crucifixion.

At this point it was very cold, but we had an opportunity to have communion in an enclosed room, with a sweet time of worship.

After a physically and emotionally draining past handful of days, we said our goodbyes to our guide, Ronnie, as he was off to see his grandson who was on his way into the world and headed back to Tel Aviv, and back to the States... Certainly a trip of a lifetime for us, as we were able to take in sites of places where such significant biblical events had occurred. We now have visual images of places to put hand in hand with so many things we read in God's Word. We recommend it, to say the least! ;)

Day 11: Temple Steps, Temple Institute, Bethlehem school outreach

Just a few days left on our trip!

This is the right side of the Mount of Olives, where there is a massive Jewish graveyard. There aren't really any available plots left, aside from family plots handed down through generations. But imagine with me when Jesus returns, and the Mount of Olives splits in half and water flows down to the Dead Sea! I believe this place is popular for burial, as the Old Testament mentions that this is where the Messiah will come from?This is us on the temple steps, where Jesus talked to them about "torrents of living water". Now, after having been there, we can visualize where and when this happened. The purification of the temple, where water doused the alter resulted in water to flow down these steps. The highest point of the temple-where the trumpeter would stand - is also the same location the Devil took Jesus while tempting Him in the wilderness, saying "throw yourself down if You are the Son of God..." Of course Jesus rebutted with scripture and did not do so, saying, "do not put the Lord your God to the test" After the Temple Steps, we visited the Temple Institute, where a group of people are in the process of getting "everything they need to reinstate the Jewish temple". Lots of problems here... First off, the Muslims own the temple mount. Second, they have re-created much of the golden components, but don't have what they believe is most important - where they believe the presence of God dwells - the Ark of the Covenant. We didn't spend any money there, but just took a look at what they were doing...

From there, we were headed back to Bethlehem. Again, the wall separated the two cities, but this time, coming back was a huge hassle! We had to put our stuff through metal detectors and scanners like those seen for airport luggage. After what seemed to be a half an hour of waiting, the second half of us finally were able to come through!

This dove represents the time when Noah was on the ark, and his winged scout came back with the olive branch, showing that God had finished the flood, and there was dry land. Olive branches symbolize the extending of peace - but this carrier has a flak jacket on, with a target positioned over its torso. Almost as if saying peace is being extended from one side, but that the other side has its gun sites locked onto the target.

Here are a group of the kids gathered as Tonye and Corey prepared for playing music for them. Some are playing "cool" not to look too enthused, but some others were having fun ;) Santa and Tonye playing songs... No "Rudolph the red-nosed raindeer" here, but rather songs encouraging them to follow Jesus, and some of Tonye's own testimony story.

Enjoy this video snip below. Notice how much Tonye is laughing at what goes on here... He had promised the kids that if they were good, that Corey would dance for them! Corey really doesn't like getting up in front of people or being put on the spot... He tried to dish it back to PT, but unfortunately he declined - perhaps some day, Tonye? ;) "TONYE'S TURN!!!"

. Ok, so after that silliness, we got underway with the basketball that Tonye challanged them to... even though he was the only real basketball player amongst us! ;)

The kid in the blue shirt with the beanie on was a sophomore in high school, but he played us like he was a pro in the body of a high schooler! He drove on us all day, and when he was bored with that, he pulled up for jumpers (which he made) or dished off to someone else who scored all over us! I imagine they probably outscored us 4 to 1!

Donna shows her best defense in keep-away from a boy who was bullying a little girl...

Up next...our last day (just two months later!)

Day 10 - Temple Mount, Wailing Wall, Hezekiah's Tunnel, Abraham's Camels & Bethlehem!

Day 10 was simply packed with cool experiences! From what we can remember, we started off the day visiting the Temple Mount. Currently occupied territory by the Muslims, we were not "allowed" to take bibles in to the premises. It is secured by Israeli police, and we went through security to get in. We count ourselves very fortunate to have been able to get up there, as in years past, the groups have been too large to do so.

Of course, the Jewish temple is no longer there... well, neither of the first two, actually... and rumor has it that the Muslims have been trying to destroy everything underneath the temple, to further their "evidence" that this was never the site of the Jewish temple... interesting... So PT and Ronnie pointed out where the Holy of Holies was supposed to be lined up with in the landscape, and we found this little dome with some very, very old flooring. The Muslims pretend like the location is "nothing special", but for some reason have this dome to mark it? Notice all the different types and sizes of stone at the site - atop the pillars and on the ground. The entire site has been re-built from stones from the many times the temple had been destroyed and re-built. As we stood outside the little octagon, Ronnie said something to the effect of, "I've never seen anybody actually step inside of it..." About two seconds later, most of us were standing in it - knowing fully that the Lord dwells inside of us!

Here is a shot of Donna posing at what is thought to be some of the original stone flooring from the Jewish Temple period.

As we left the Temple Mount area, we came back around to the Wailing Wall. This is the only site that the Muslims gave the Jews to have access to. Many Jews come here, as it is the closest to the Temple that they can get. They come here mostly to pray. Some of the orthodox bind a little box to their head with a leather strap that runs down around their arm. They do this because of the scripture Deut. 11:18 that says to "lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." Its a bit funny to me, as it seems more like God is saying to have His scripture at hand, and to be continually meditating on it...

See some of the pieces of paper, which are prayers crammed into the cracks of the wall. Also the phylacteries atop some of their heads... Dictionary.com says this about it: "either of two small, black, leather cubes containing a piece of parchment inscribed with verses 4–9 of Deut. 6, 13–21 of Deut. 11, and 1–16 of Ex. 13: one is attached with straps to the left arm and the other to the forehead during weekday morning prayers by Orthodox and Conservative Jewish men."

After we left the Wailing Wall, we headed down to Hezekiah's Tunnel. This tunnel was originally made a long, long time ago to get fresh water into the city gates while they were under seige. Dug from two directions, they met in the middle after a long, narrow, winding and wet passage. PT shows us how high the water can get in the tunnel when it is deep - although I think it only got up to my knees... We walked hand in hand in the dark, communicating where there was a step down, or when the ceiling was getting lower. Many of us bumped our heads a bit, as the height probably got down to around 5' at some points. During our trek through the tunnel, Tonye had us memorize something - I think it is from Psalm 73:23-24, which says, "I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. " The pool ends up at the Pool of Siloam (means "sent"), where Jesus had put mud on a blind man's eyes and sent him here to wash - upon where he received sight for the first tim in his life! Such a cool thing for us to come out of the dark tunnel and see this place immediately upon exiting!

After drying off, we went to a place where a man dressed, and acted like he was Abraham, from the Old Testament. We all put on the garb to have a tasty traditional Jewish meal, learn more about what the culture was like, and ride camels! Here, Donna sports her new blue digs.

Abraham telling us stories...

Notice the drowsy look on Tonye's face as he is touching Corey's head? I think he was stuffed full of meat and hummus and was made to be sleepy ;)

Christina and Donna share a camel.

Tonye and Ben share a bigger camel!

As we prepared to leave Abraham, we spotted a handful of deer on the crest of a ridge! (Donna loves deer) Someone snapped this cool photo of us hand-in-hand looking at them wistfully (if only Donna could go pet them without getting hoofed!).

After lunch, we hopped back onto the bus and drove to the border between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Bethlehem is in the West Bank territory, and the wall was put up to minimize terrorism from the city to Jerusalem.

Upon crossing the border, we were met with swarms of taxi cabs! We couldn't all fit in one cab, but we took a limousine taxi to our destination, which was for us to play music in worship, and to encourage a small Christian church. Donna prepares Corey's guitar ;) Here is a group shot from some of the people with us - most of the group had already gone home before we had dinner - delicious shwarmas! See the troublemakers in the back row!?

If you're interested, you can hear some of the music that one of the guys decided to play for us, and some of the antics that followed... lots of laughing ;)

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Notice the older man going over to "monitor" Corey after the "antics" in the second video... After a long day, we needed some rest!

Day 9

We apologize for the delay in getting the rest of the Israel trip blogged! Forgive us! Let's see, where were we...ahhh, yes—Israel Day 9...December 20th • First stop on this day was the valley where the Philistines came to battle against Israel, by using their "weapon" that they thought would guarantee victory, Goliath. Elah valley views made it easy to envision the battle that took place. There was a little brook (with no water in it) where it was likely that David picked up his stones from. Ronnie shows us how a sling was used. Great visual! (click to watch video below!)

1 Sam 17: By man's qualifications David was not fit for battle. BUT David had the Lord—that was his strength. Wow. • Next stop was the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. This was where Jesus healed the man who was invalid for 38 years! The pool had 5 balconies (can represent the 5 books of the Torah, the law). The lame and sick would be located around the pool and wait until the pool was stirred by an angel touching the water and then first one into the water would be healed. It was really healing of the "fittest"—the more you need healing the harder it is to get in (this can often be the case in churches as well). There was no way this man was going to make it in the pool first. Jesus chose to show mercy to him. The man couldn't DO anything to get healed, Jesus came to him and healed him.

We then had one of the favorite moments of the trip when we stepped into a church right by this site. Churches used to be made to really give glory to God through the acoustics, and this one did just that. The eight of us went in and sang out worship songs and sat there in the pews with an awe struck wonder at the sound of voices in harmony traveling up through the church's barrel vaulted ceiling up to the Lord. It was an amazing time!We traveled through different "quarters" in Jerusalem—going through many marketplaces that were full of color and interesting people.We had these yummy bagel-like things along the way. (they were less dense than bagels)In the evening we went to a service in Jerusalem. It was here where we learned about the origin's of Hannukah. We didn't realize that Jesus actually celebrated Hannukah—the feast of dedication. • Next up, Day 10 (coming close to the end of the trip!)