Modern Day Time Travel to the Old City

It's tough to not have a great day when you can stand and look at over 4500 years of history and walk the same streets where Jesus and so many people before and after him did. What an amazing place to imagine what it was like to those first settlers in Jerusalem who began building this incredible city and the impact it had and is still having on those people that visit here everyday.

The toughest part about our journey today is figuring out where to begin explaining this unique place. It really is difficult to put into words but I'll do my best and start from the beginning. One of the primary reasons Jerusalem is so important today is that it is the spiritual headquarters of the world. I guess one way to describe it would be to say it is the Grand Central Station of salvation. Millions of pilgrims from all religions visit here every year to participate in this spiritual journey, each with his or her own purpose.

So why is this place so holy? According to Jewish heritage, God made the rock currently underneath the Temple Mount the foundation of all the earth. According to this tradition, this was the site of the Garden of Eden. It was at this place where God sent Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, 4,000 years ago. God told Abraham to start his journey and he would let Abraham know when to stop and sacrifice his son. After 3 days hiking, Abraham saw the hill in Jerusalem and swas told by God that this was the place to sacrifice his son. When Abraham took his son to this rock to sacrifice him he proved his loyalty and thanks to this act God spared Abraham's son and Mt. Moriah became the most holy place on earth and the place for the worship of God. However, no one gets access into the Temple Mount to see the rock or what is contained within it. However, from what we were told the rock exists as it did in the Biblical times. Under the rock is a tunnel and steps which lead to a cave. From the cave a tunnel leads off to the east. However it is blocked by a door of stone. It is thought that behind the door there is a tunnel which leads to a secret chamber where the Ark of the Covenant was once or is still hidden. The Ark of the Covenant is purported to hold the second set of the 10 commandments (Moses destroyed the first set after seeing his people worshiping a pagan god) and holds the only record of God's written word provided directly to man (Moses is the only person to have ever seen God). It was the site of the two holy temples which were destroyed by the Babylonians and Romans when the Jews were exiled out of this Holy Land and the Ark of Covenant was purportedly stolen (it's location is still debated to this day). As of today, a mosque (Temple Dome) now stands where the two holy temples had previously stood and the Jews wish that one day soon they will be able to build the 3rd temple and return to worshiping at the holy of holies. Until then they pray at the Western Wall which is the closest accessible point (this is the reason they don't pray at the other walls which they could) to the holy of holies, location of Abraham's rock and Ark of the Covenant. Obviously these events hold significant relevance to all religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity and hence the constant tension in the Old City until this day.

While I could go on and on about the history and building of this city my ambien is starting to kick in so here's a quick rundown of where we've been and what we've seen in Jerusalem today:

- Mt. Olives: Mountain ridge in East Jerusalem that overlooks the Old City (incredible views) and the burial site for over 150,000 of the most important citizens from the period of the biblical Kings. This site is also mentioned throughout the Bible at the location where Jesus would preach to his disciples and the people of Jerusalem.

- Garden of Gethsemane: located at the base of Mt. Olives this is the Garden where according to the Bible Jesus wept tears of blood before his crucifixion and where Judas hugged Jesus while the Romans watched so they could identify and arrest him.

- Burial Tomb of the Virgin Mary: Beautiful tomb sits right at the bottom of Mt. Olives and next to the Garden of Gethsemane

- Western Wall: The most significant place for worship in Judaism as it is as close as you can get to the Holy of Holies. This wall dates back over 2000 years to when Herod the Great built the city of Jerusalem. You can't help but wonder what people must have though when they set eyes on this city for the first time. Some of the stones used to build these walls weigh over 500 tons and there isn't a crane in Israel that could pick it up.

- City of David: Remnants from the time when King David began to build this city (Herod ruled later and built Jerusalem into the great city it became) in 1000 BC (continued by his son King Solomon)

- Old City: Visited the Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Armenian Quarters located within this vibrant, historic city

- Stations of the Cross: the 14 stations of the cross and the purported sites where Jesus carried the cross, fell down three times, the stone where his hand touched when he fell, and was given his crown of thorns proclaiming him as the King of the Jews. Aside: Also learned the story about the local merchant that came out of the crowd to help Jesus carry the cross. According to tradition, this person was a local merchant and after helping Jesus carry the cross part of the way up the path (we walked this as well) he went back to his store and the eggs he was selling had all turned beautiful colors. This is the reason behind the tradition for colored Easter eggs.

- The burial tomb of Jesus (there are two possible sites disputing Jesus' burial tomb)but we visited both sites and saw the resting place where Jesus' body was laid and rose from the dead

- King David's Tomb: the first builder of the city of Jerusalem who's son Solomon ruled and continued building this holy city (later completed by Herod the Great)

- Last Supper: we visited Mt. Zion and the room where Jesus and his disciples celebrated Passover before he walked to the Garden of Gethsemane.

- Church of the Nativity: this is the undisputed location of Jesus' birth. Interestingly, this church actually contains 3 churches inside the Church of the Nativity. There is a Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian church all inside. The church sits on top of the both the birth place and Inn where Mary gave birth to Jesus (the exact location is marked) and where the Holy Family spent the first few months before their Exodus to Egypt. Refresher: Joseph was visited by an angel warning that King Herod (the great builder of Jerusalem) had heard that the newborn King of the Jews was born in Bethlehem. The 3 Wise Men had marched to Jerusalem and asked King Herod where they could find this special newborn. King Herod was a very paranoid about losing power and therefore ordered that all newborn males under 2 be murdered. Archaeologists have since excavated the area and found 10 bodies (carbon dated to the birth of Christ) at this Inn location murdered by King Herod's soldiers in the search for Jesus.

- Holocaust Memorial: really an incredible tribute to the Jewish people that suffered under an unbelievable tragedy in our human history. Helps to further explain the Jewish desire to settle in a homeland and protect their heritage and future as a people.

- Dead Sea Scrolls: too tired to describe this so you gonna have to Google this yourself.

There's a lot more to share but it will have to wait until I get back. Until then...Shalom!

Ryan

Unsinkable Swim

Just got back from a great dinner in Jerusalem and don't have much time to blog. We had a great day today as we went to Masada, the Dead Sea, and the Garden Tomb. So what are these places? Masada is a very significant place for Jews here in the Middle East. It is the location of King Herod the Great's palace and where 950 Jews killed themselves rather than become slaves of the Roman Empire. It is built on top of a completely isolated mountain. The palace is huge and the way it is built on top of a mountain is truly surreal. I could type for a long time about the importance of this location for the Jewish people but it's really late here so on to the next thing.

After Mosada we headed over to a resort on the Dead Sea. I've heard many stories about the Dead Sea located between Jordan and Israel but all those stories couldn't prepare me for stepping in for the first time. The Dead Sea is appropriately named b/c no living organism can survive there as a result of the intense salt levels. It is located about 420 meters below sea level and is the lowest place on earth. The sea is fed primarily by the Jordan River (where Jesus was baptized) but there is no exit point so the water just sits there in the mineral rich basis. The ocean has about 17% salt concentration while the Dead Sea has over 32%. While that doesn't seem to be a huge difference it's completely different. When walking into the Dead Sea you can immediately feel your legs coming out from under you. The water is so buoyant it's difficult to stand up. When you let the water take it's course you begin to float as if you are on a raft. You can lay back floating, sit Indian style, or float like a buoy in the water. No matter what your choice you cannot believe how much you float in this body of water. It's as close to weightlessness as you will get without going to space. As good as that may sound you also cannot go under the water here. The water is so salty that if it gets in your eyes you immediately have to get out and rinse off (trust me we know). Additionally, when walking into the Dead Sea it feels very rocky on your feet unlike the beautiful beaches in Hawaii or Florida. However, when you reach down to grab some of the the sand under your feet in the water you realize it's not sand at all. Every handful you pull up under your feet is 100% salt. In some cases there are chunks of salt the size of golf balls. You cannot believe that the entire base of what you are standing in is not sand but salt. Truly incredible (see the attached picture for a handful I grabbed).

We spent about 3 hours at the Dead Sea and then started the 1 1/2 hour drive back to Jerusalem. Luckily our driver is a maniac and we made it back to Jerusalem very quickly b/c we had a unique stop in mind...the Garden Tomb. Fortunately we pulled into the Garden Tomb at 5:20 p.m. and it closes at 5:30 p.m. The Garden Tomb is the purported site where Jesus was buried. While it cannot be confirmed the Bible scripture lines up with the descriptions of this site and they believe this is where Jesus was buried and rose from the dead (at least the Christians believe this). There is a beautiful garden surrounding the tomb and the thought that Jesus was buried and rose from the dead at this exact location is an incredible thought. An absolutely amazing place and we're so lucky we got an opportunity to stop here.

Tomorrow we are heading into the Old City of Jerusalem and will be seeing many of the holy sites for Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Should be a fantastic day and can't wait to learn more about the incredible history here in the Holy Land.

Ryan

Jerusalem Arrival

Friday, September 3

Well after a 10 hour flight to Cairo, another flight to Sharm el-Shiekh, 2 hr. drive to Mt. Sinai, 2 hr. drive to Eilat, and 4 hours through the Negev desert we've arrived in Jerusalem. The city that has not seen peace since King Solomon and the holy land for Christians, Muslims, and Jews. The drive through the desert today was long and pretty bumpy. Fortunately we broke it up with a few stops along the way. The first was at King Solomon's pillars which is in an Israeli National Park. The pillars are actually mountains that have been shaped over millions of years. While they were pretty impressive I must say it's tough to beat what we saw in Petra. We were all ready to get through our stops quickly and arrive into Jerusalem. Our second stop was at the only naturally made canyon in the world according to our guide. Gotta admit this place was pretty impressive. Reminded me of being in Switzerland and viewing the glacier at the Top of the World minus the glacier cutting through the mountains of course (this is the pic of me with the Diet Coke).

We didn't spend too much time here and after a few quick pictures were on our way to Ben Gurion's final home in the desert. For those that don't know (including me before today), Ben Gurion is the pioneer behind the creation of the Israeli state and their first Prime Minister. Upon retiring around 70 he decided to spend the remaining years of his life in the Negev desert. He felt that the survival of Israel was dependent upon Israel expanding into the desert. He understood that this land was inhabited by many other people and that long-term survival for the Jewish people was in the desert. His house here is still in the exact same condition as it was when he passed away in the 1970's. They've built a university around his house and the primary studies there are focused on solar technology and how to survive in the desert. There is also a small military training camp where high school students are required to spend 1 week to prepare them for enrollment in the military when they turn 18. All Israelis (men and women) are required to serve 2 years in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces).

We rolled into Jerusalem around 4 p.m. local time and checked in at our hotel near the Old City. At first glance Jerusalem is a very impressive city. It sits on top of a hill and from what I can tell so far it's very hilly throughout. There is new construction and developments visible on the outskirts of town. Apparently this was to help build up the infrastructure around the city and protect it from future attacks. Our Israeli tour guide is not nearly as engaging as our Egyptian guides but is obviously very knowledgeable. You can't help but sense the Israeli country pride. It's interesting being in such a holy land with stories that date back thousands of years yet Israel's history is shorter than the U.S. declaring independence in 1948. There have also been additional wars and conflicts highlighted by the Arab (Egypt, Syria & Jordan) -Iraeli 6 day war in 1967. You can still see remnants of this war driving into the city. There are dilapidated military vehicles sitting along the road into Jerusalem. Our guide told us that 6000 Jews died in the fight for Jerusalem during this war and there is no doubt that more fighting is likely inevitable.

Tomorrow we head to the Dead Sea, Masada (the last stronghold for the Zealots in their struggle against the Romans), and King Herod's palace. King Herod is infamous in the Bible as the one who requested that Magi seek out the newborn King of the Jews so that he could pay homage to this King. However, Herod, the King of the Jews, true intentions were to kill this newborn King to protect his rule. However, the Magi and Joseph were warned in their dreams about Herod's true intentions and fled Bethlehem for Egypt.

We've got four nights in Jerusalem and a very full calendar each day so will try to keep everyone updated throughout. Hope you are enjoying the blog!

Ryan

Jordan & the Lost City of Petra

We had a great dinner last night at a highly recommended local spot in Eilat with Jackie, Chad, and Jonathan. All the food was exceptional and we were the only tourists in there. Got to bed at a reasonable hour as we had to catch a ride to the Jordanian border to meet our guide there before heading to Petra. After crossing the border we had about a 2 hour ride up to Petra and the city built into the mountains. If you haven’t heard of Petra before apparently it was featured in one of the Indiana Jones movies as there were a couple signs there to remind you.

If limited to one word to describe Petra it would be stunning. We had a quick 10 minute horseback ride up to the entryway which takes you into the city. Petra is completely hidden in the mountains and you can’t even see it from several hundred feet above on the way in. It is nestled between some of the largest mountains in Jordan probably around 5 – 6K feet. Petra was built by the Nabataeans, an ancient Arab tribe more than 2200 years ago. Petra was perfectly situated between Egypt, Babylon, China and India and provided a link to the Mediterranean coastal cities. They were experts at collecting every bit of water and sold this water to people crossing the desert and became very wealthy with this trade. The first signs of their ingenuity are apparent with the canal they dug into the entry way to the city to collect water. They actually built two canals, one encased with a pipe which carried drinking water and the other for animals. This water then flowed into large reservoirs so that it could stored, used and sold to passersby. The Nabataeans were also expert engineers which is evident throughout this hidden city with the structures they carved into the mountains. It really is something you need to see to believe. To think that they built this city over 2000 years ago with stone chisels and determination and to see the intricate detail given to building final resting places for the King, the royal family and the commoners is truly amazing. It is estimated that at the height of Petra’s growth there were approximately 35,000 people living in the city.

The entry way into the city takes about 30 minutes but this is not just open space. You walk through two mountains separated through time which tower over the walkway providing much needed relief from the sun. Along the way there are some carvings made to honor the God of the Mountains (they were Pagan people). After about 30 minutes you turn the corner and through the sliver of mountains you see the Treasury (a tomb for the King) which is literally carved into the side of the mountain. The amount of detail and size are stunning. We spent about 10 minutes taking pictures and getting the history of this monumental achievement considering when it was built. After this we continued walking deeper into the city which had burial tombs built into mountains virtually everywhere. Around every corner and walking through the mountains were carvings and tombs for the cities departed and final resting places. You really can’t believe how big Petra is until you see it. You can’t help but envision how thriving this city would have been back in the day with people from across the world passing through it. Another surprising observation was how well preserved the city is despite all the elements of the desert and a massive earthquake that happened hundreds of years ago. The carved mountains are still in great condition and the only thing that has not been able to withstand the test of time are the living quarters. These have been reduced to rubble but you can see where they used to stretch over 18 kilometers because there is rubble strewn across the valley hills.
We spent roughly 6 hours walking the old streets of Petra and could have spent plenty more. It's a city of unparalleled history and beauty as there truly is nothing like it anywhere else in the world.

After Petra we showered up, grabbed some dinner at a local seafood restaurant on the Red Sea and are getting ready to hit the sack before our drive into Jerusalem tomorrow. We have to get there by sundown otherwise we won't be able to check-in until the next day as everything shuts down on Friday at sundown until sunset on Saturday (the Sabbath). The following day we'll be hitting the Dead Sea and are hoping to get access into Bethlehem but that is completely dependent upon the security situation which is tenuous at best right now with the Palestinian controlled area.

Lastly, I still need to get caught up on our hike up Mt. Sinai which has been the highlight of the trip so far but keep falling behind. Appreciate all of you that are taking the time to read this blog and learn a little more about the Middle East. If you have any questions or want me to ask our guides anything in particular feel free to post a comment on the blog. I'll get it and will be sure to get back to you.

Ryan

Written on 9/1/10

Been a long couple of days with no internet access or downtime to keep you updated on my travels. However, yesterday afternoon we crossed the Egypt/Israel border at Taba and we are now safely in Eilat, Israel. Before getting into what we're doing not here's a quick update on the last couple of days.

We left Cairo on Monday, 8/30 and took a short 1 hr. flight to Sharm el-Sheikh which is at the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula. Absolutely beautiful blue water after flying over the desert. Apparently some of the best scuba diving in the world is located there but no such luck for us. Upon arrival we met our new tour guide, Ahmed, and our new Uzi armed bodyguard. Ahmed informed us that all American tourists on a group like ours are assigned an armored bodyguard to assure the American government that our citizens will be protected. This is out of an abundance of caution due to the current negative sentiments towards American policy in the Middle East (Note: While we saw numerous tourist groups during our visit in Egypt we never saw another armed guard). Yes, shocking, but the general sentiment we received is that Egyptians like Americans but very much dislike American policy (more on this later). This need for security is further enhanced as tourism makes up 85% of the Egyptian economy (no that's not a typo). Tourism combined with the $400M/month the Egyptian govt. receives from passage through the Suez canal make up a significant majority of their economy. After pondering this for a minute, you realize that there is real no innovation or growth occurring in Egypt. A good majority of the people are employed by the government, own land (purchased from the govt.) and farm their fields along the Nile River. You can't help but be amazed at how much we have accomplished in the US compared to a place that has been inhabited for thousands of years. You also begin to understand the importance of religion in daily life and the focus on good things in the afterlife. We are also here during Ramadan, the holy month where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, and it is very common to see employees at the museums, checkpoints, and holy sites, sitting and reading the Quaran. You also hear prayers broadcast on loudspeakers at 12 and 6 p.m. which are the most attended of the 5 daily prayers. This is pretty fascinating and eerily cultish at the same time. You cannot help but admire their dedication and belief in one God, Allah, whose last prophet Mohammed created Islam as a religion around 600 AD. But you also can't help but wonder how much religion is used by the government to help control a population that has experienced so much suffering throughout their history and is concerned with keeping them just happy enough to avoid chaos. Islam and religion in general is so much more ingrained in Egypt than in the US it is stunning. While I'm aware of this back home it seems so much more profound and eye-opening witnessing it in person. You can also begin to see why so much focus is put on the afterlife because there isn't much life to live while on earth. The daily focus on survival in a difficult desert climate is aided by a strong faith that all things will be better in paradise. By being a devout Muslim or Christian they are assured of receiving all the great things promised by Allah or God after death which sounds so incredible after such a tough daily existence in the desert. Well I digress from our itinerary so back to that...

After arriving in Sharm el-Sheikh we had a roughly 2 hour drive through the desert to St. Catherine's monastery where Moses saw the burning bush and hiked up Mt. Sinai where he received the 10 commandments. The journey through the desert was truly beautiful with mountains and desert as far as the eyes could see. We stopped once along the way at a small shack that had some snacks and mountain goats just chilling out looking for some free food. Upon arrival at St. Catherine's we went directly to the monastery to hear 4 p.m. vespers/prayers. This monastery is run by Orthodox Christians and is truly an opportunity to take a step back in time. The prayers were said in Latin and at the end they allowed the pilgrims (other Orthodox Christians primarily from Russia) to kiss the skull of St. Catherine (who was beheaded) and pay homage to this Saint. The church was very small and probably only fit about 100 people mostly priests, monks and pilgrims. Our tour guide knew Father Justin who, believe it or not, is from Texas but has been there 40+ years so we got access to what many people don't get to see. After vespers we toured the grounds and outside the chapel saw the burning bush. After this we went back to the hotel for some food, sheesha and lively discussion with our tour guide Ahmed (more on this later) and about an 1 1/2 downtime before re-grouping for our hike up Mt. Sinai at 1 a.m. The hotel here was pretty primitive but considering we were just dropping off our luggage in a room and not really sleeping it was fine. This little town in the middle of the desert set amongst mountains and the beautiful stars was a sight to behold. You couldn't help but feel it looked virtually the same as it did thousands of years ago as the stars and moon lit up the night sky. Needless to say we were all very excited to begin our journey up the mountain.

Ryan

Aloha! Yankee Doodle Dandy

Sorry it's been awhile since posting but finding it hard to set aside the time to write. Upon arrival and check-in at our hotel we changed up and headed out to dinner. Upon a suggestion from the concierge we went to an Egyptian restaurant within walking distance. It was a perfect choice. The ambiance, lighting, people, and food at this place was fantastic. The most exotic dish ordered was two stuffed pigeons (Cox) but the rest of stuff to staples like lamb, chicken, meatballs, or vegetarian dish with noodles. After dinner we had some rice pudding and smoked a bunch of sheesha (hookah) which was really good. While it shouldn't be surprising the Muslims take this no alcohol thing to heart. We have not been to a restaurant yet that serves alcohol. While a glass of wine would be nice our $20 bill for each person after a 2 1/2 hr. dinner isn't too shabby.

Saturday was our first day touring the city. Our guide, Tarek, met us in the hotel lobby. Our tour agency has been been doing a fantastic job so far. We have our own private VW van (like we're in the 70's) and a personal security armed guard assigned to our group by the government. Yes, that's right, we have our own personal security guard that goes with us everywhere. While we feel very safe in Cairo you do see an usual level of security around town. The military and police are pretty much all over and the hotels (primarily where Westerners stay) have metal detectors and bomb sniffing dogs checking all cars coming in. Overall we feel very safe. Anyway, back to the tours...this was a pretty low key day for us to attend a Christian church, Synagogue, and Mosque. Our first stop was the Coptic Church. On the way there we passed through Old Cairo where there were lots of donkeys, horses, wild cats & dogs, and a fair amount of poverty. On our way there, unsurprisingly, we were approached by peddlers selling all the touristy souvenirs. It's been pretty unanimous that every time someone see us they say, "Oh you from America? Aloha! Yankee Doodle Dandy." It's definitely gotten a good laugh out of all of us. Once we arrived at the Coptic Church we headed in and learned about a very historical spot in Cairo. This church was built atop the place where the Holy Family (Mary, Joseph & Jesus) were thought to have stayed during their exodus to Egypt. It's a very small church and while you cannot go down to the room where they stayed due to floods that occurred recently you can see down into the room. It's pretty amazing to think that Jesus may have stayed there hundreds of years ago. Anyway, after this we walked over to the Synagogue which wasn't much to see. The population in Egypt is basically 80% Muslim and 20% Christian. Based on those percentages you can imagine there aren't too many Jews here. Regardless, we got a little background from our extremely knowledgeable tour guide then headed to the biggest Mosque in Cairo. This was a very impressive building and we headed in to the main area where prayers are said daily. The biggest prayer day when people visit the Mosque is Friday's at noon. We sat down at the mosque and Tarek took questions from us for over an hour. There isn't enough time to go into details but we talked politics, religion, dating, nightlife, family and everything else under the sun. It was a very educational and eye opening conversation getting a real world perspective from someone living in Egypt. After this we headed to the Egyptian museum to see King Tut (very impressive) and more mummies and statues than you can shake a stick at. We were there about an 1 1/2 and were pretty beat considering there was no A/C.

We showered up at the hotel and headed out to Old Cairo for dinner based on a recommendation from our tour guide. The food wasn't nearly as good as the previous night but still not bad. Some general observations: Cairo has notorious traffic and it's a well-deserved reputation. There are constant sounds of horns, cars changing lanes, people walking in and across the streets and general chaos everywhere. It's pretty amazing that more people don't die. One of the more shocking things we saw was a father on a moped with his 3 kids the youngest of which was about 4 standing in front of him and his other 2 kids sitting behind him on a busy highway with no helmets. Really unbelievable. After dinner we walked around Old Cairo which was packed with people and tons of shops. After about an hour we hailed some cabs (not easy) and headed back to the hotel, through security, and sat down to have a beer and get everyone's general observations on our trip so far. Yes, they serve beer at the Western hotels (amen). Overall, the trip is exceeding everyone's expectations so far. Tomorrow we have a big day visiting the an outdoor museum and the Pyramids at Giza. More to come....

Ryan

P.S. Apologize for any typos and the general lack of observation. Will try to provide a little more introspective posts in the future rather than just a brain dump but time is tight. Aloha!

Destination Cairo

Well we got into Cairo this afternoon around 3:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. back home) and well it's hot. Flying into Cairo was unlike any other city as it is literally desert with a city sprouted up around the Nile. And while Vegas is in the middle of the desert you cannot mistake the lack of developed infrastructure or industry. The majority of buildings all look alike and there is of course some smog in the air but not near as bad as Beijing.

Upon arrival we paid $15 for our Visas, went through customs (not real tough) and everyone's bags were there. We were met by a great tour guide who will be with us all three days here. After checking in at the hotel (check out our sweet view of the Nile River) we headed down to the pool to relax for about an hour and took in the sound of Muslim prayers throughout the city which started around sunset and lasted about 30 mins. Right now we're cleaning up and heading out for dinner somewhere around the hotel. We haven't decided on a place yet but some are lobbying for one of the local specialties, stuffed pigeon (not kidding). Of course I'll be making a case for something else so will let you know how it turns out.

Tomorrow we'll be starting out around 8:30 a.m. and hitting up several historical sites so should be a good time. More to come....

Ryan