Upper Galilee and other cool stuff

Wow, this was a day!

Sunrise over Galilee


Finally we had a day where things went more smoothly than anticipated, and we got more in than we thought we would. We started out by going to Tel Dan.

Mom, Kath, and Mom and Dad Larsen walking along the headwaters of the Jordan at Tel Dan


Our family at Tel Dan


That is the most beautiful place. It rained on us a bit, so we got a bit wet and a lot muddy, but we got over it. The place is so incredibly beautiful, especially where the Jordan springs out of the rock. And the high place there, where you can talk about idolatry, is such a moving place. Plus they have the gate Abraham may have gone through, and they have the huge Israelite gates. All together it is too cool.

Abrahamic gate at Tel Dan



We went to Banias/Caesarea Phillip, but it was raining so much we really just glanced at it. Then we went up to Nimrod’s Castle. It didn’t rain on us too much there, and we had a wonderful time going through the castle. I think everyone really enjoyed that.


Jaker coming into his castle



Then we drove to Hatzor, where we got rained on a bit, but we still saw Joshua’s handiwork and the tower where the Israelites must have met their doom. This is real family history for us. Here we see Israel, our ancestors, being scattered.
From there we went to Chorazin, and enjoyed seeing that important place in the Savior’s ministry. And then we went to Kursi. They were about to close, so we ran in and talked about casting the devils into the swine. I have worked on piecing this story together geographically, and it is really starting to work for me. From there we quickly drove past a place that is a good candidate for the pigs running down into the sea, and from there to Hippos, which I think is both an incredibly likely spot for the city from which the men came and asked the Savior to leave after casting the devils into the swine, and I think a city set on a hill that people could have seen as the Savior gave his Sermon on the Mount. It was raining too much to get out and do stuff at Hippos, but we enjoyed the drive anyway. Finally we went back to the branch house and got all ready for church the next morning. What a day!