The last few days have been downright cold for April in Israel. The locals are wearing heavy winter coats. We're happy we at least have fleece sweatshirts to wear. We woke up to a cold rain this morning, which concerened us since our first planned activity was climbing to Masada. Fourteen years ago I visited Masada for the first time, and it was a very cold day with a driving rain. The total annual rainfall at the Dead Sea is about one inch per year, so I couldn't believe I could be that unlucky twice! As it turned out, the sky cleared up and the temperatures rose to an ideal level for hiking. We took a winding road through the desert to the back entrance of Masada. The story of Masada is fascinating and quite sad. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, almost 1,000 Jewish zealots barricaded themselves on a mountain top at the former palace and fortress of Herod the Great. For a year or so, they fended off 8,000 Roman soldiers while a massive earthen ramp was built from the valley below to the fortress. The night before the walls were breached, the Jewish families on the mountain committed suicide rather than be taken as Roman slaves. This morning, we climbed up the ramp that the Roman built and explored the Masada archaeological site.
Masada is near the edge of the Dead Sea, but there is no way to drive from the back of the mountain to the sea. We had to drive 15 miles back to Arad through the desert hills in order to take a different twisty road back to the sea. By early afteroon, we were at the Ein Gedi Spa. The Spa is an somewhat grungy but well-known mineral pool facility. Inside are several pools filled with Dead Sea water that smells strongly of sulfer. The water is heated to around one hundred degrees. Bathers immerse themselves for 15 minutes or so before showering the oily substance off their bodies. The real spa experience, though, is outdoors. A hay wagon-like vehicle transports folks down to the beach. Once upon a time, the sea was just outside the spa. In recent decades, the water level of the Dead Sea has dropped dramatically, and the beach is now over a half-mile away. Leroy and I immediately got into the water, enjoying the curious sensation of floating like a cork. The Dead Sea contains thirty-three percent salt, compared to only three percent in the Atlantic. We then wandered down the beach and, following the example of others, coated ourselves with greenish-gray mud from the shore. After it dried, we were back in the water to wash it off. The water itself, though, as the consistency of (sulfer-smelling) baby oil, so we rinsed off thorougly with fresh-water showers located on the beach.
The road leading from Arad to the sea is named "Sodom-Arad Road." We did a little internet research and discovered that the traditional location of Sodom of Sodom-and-Gomorrah fame is just down the road from the Ein Gedi Spa. So... we drove around and found Sodom Mountain and a rock formation known as "Lot's Wife." As the story goes, when the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah went up in smoke after the unspeakable treatment of angelic guests, Abraham's nephew lot's wife turned back to catch a glimpse and (poof!) became a pillar of salt. Sodom mountain and "Lot's Wife" are almost entirely composed of salt. I actually licked the mountain to see if it is true -- it is!Tomorrow we head north to the Sea of Galilee. It should be a great few days there. The weather is warming up, and we have lots of New Testament locations to visit while enjoying northern Palestine.
