If only the rocks could talk, the stories they could tell. In December of 2012, we traveled to Israel and Jordan. It was quite an experience, with a wide variety of just about everything in such a condensed area. We saw desert parks and ancient cities, such as Wadi Rum and Petra in Jordan and Bet She’an in Israel. We saw sites and signs of battles fought long ago and in more recent times, from Masada to the Golan. We strolled on the sandy beaches by the Mediterranean Sea, visited towns around the Sea of Galilee, floated on the Dead Sea and scuba dove in the Red Sea. The intensity of Jerusalem is hard to match anywhere on earth. The blend of cultures, landscapes, life challenges and deeply held beliefs make this one of the most interesting places on our planet.