Part II - Desert discoveries

After a good night's rest and before breakfast but after sunrise - we had a Eucharist (communion service) before the other tourists in the camp were stirring. Bread and wine, nourishment in the desert is greatly appreciated for body and soul. Breakfast in a very huge tent (with tables) included some new things: havlah, tuna, assortment of olives and sheep or camel cheeses.
Two destitnations today: Qumran and the Dead Sea. Qumran is an excavation now at the foot of a series of 300+ caves. In 1947 the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls was discovered by a Bedouin shepherd, with other jars/scrolls discovered in 11 caves - dating from before the time of Jesus and including all our Old Testament books except Esther, and other scrolls about the Essene faith community. We learned a bit about Essene life, considering whether John the Baptist and therefore Jesus knew about this small desert religious movement. They were in conflict with the Jerusalem Temple religious establishment. It was a disappointment that no fragments of the scrolls are on display here - the ones not sold away to collectors are now housed at the Israel Museum - which we hope to visit another day.
The Dead Sea - what can I say? It's big with the mountains of Moab and Jordan on the other side. It is evaporating at an annual rate of 3 ft - do the descent down to the water from the bus parking lot is substantial. There were lots of people - and of course, I and most of our group got into swimsuits and floated in. It was a refresing temperture, black mud on the bottom, and it's true - you can't sink - the water is 33% solid substance: salt, bromide, iodine, magnesium, etc. The sea doesn't grow anything live - and it has not outlet. Just below Qumran is where the Jordan River flows into it...with less water than in times past because of drought, irrigation, and industrial usage. We are now back from this trip - and I think I must go shower.
Peace be with you.