in the middle east

Our last set of adventures in the Dead Sea took us from the southern to the northern edge of the Sea. At the southern edge is the region of ancient Sodom where it was way to hot and there was literally nothing to see. Dirt, dust, rocks, and hot winds. We didn't stay long before we took off for a more pleasant setting. After our night's stay at Masada, we continued up the coast to the ancient springs of En Gedi. This place was amazing. These ancient springs turn the desert into a green oasis that is a beautiful place to hike. We encountered some of the most dramatic scenery on our hikes here, and even saw some really cool animals. After En Gedi, and a rather unrefreshing swim in the Dead Sea, we headed to the site of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. As a student of biblical manuscripts, this was thrilling for me to experience. At the end of the day, we were covered with salt, from the Dead Sea and our sweat. Hiking around the Dead Sea is great, but the desert sun has a way of eeking every ounce of liquid out of your body. We headed back to Jerusalem in our rental car, and crashed for about 10hrs of sleep. A great weekend! To see more of the adventure, see here: https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tpmackie/web/pictures/deadsea...