Caesarea Maritima 1993

Near the end of my junior year of college, I got a phone call from my dad. "Would you like to go to Israel on an archaeological dig this summer?" he asked.  "YES!! YES!! YES!!" I responded.  I was in school at the University of South Carolina, but I got a special enrollment at the University of South Dakota for the summer so that I could join the Joint Expeditions to Caesarea Maritima, of which USD was a partner school.  I spent 28 days in Israel learning archaeology, but mostly acting as manual labor for the dig project. It was one of the most transformational experiences of my life, impacting me in ways that were immediately evident, and in ways that are still manifesting to this day.
Not long ago, when looking for something in the depths of a guest room closet, I came across my journal from my time in Israel. I decided to type it up in blog form and share it with whoever is interested in reading it. For me it is both interesting to read about things I'd forgotten, but also frustrating because there I things I remember vividly that didn't make it into the journal.  Some of these things are called out in grayed brackets throughout the journal.  The most frustrating thing is that, except for a few folks, I didn't record names. In this age of connectedness, I have no idea how to find any of them.

2013 Edit:  It has been 20 years, and it looks like I may have some luck in finding folks.  Joni Jefferson found me, then I found Jason, then Joni and I started on a quest to find as many folks as we can.  If you know people who were part of this dig, let me know!

Day 28: The last day

We woke up at 6:30 AM - packed the bus, ate breakfast, and then left the hostel around 7:30 AM.
We travelled 2 hours to the site of Biblical Lachish - an overgrown, non-developed archaeological site where we walked around for an hour or so.
Then we went to Masena {this is what was written in the journal, I'm not sure what or where this was} - the underground archaeological site with all sorts of caves, an lastly to a Kibbutz Museum about some Tel - by that time, I didn't care. It was way too hot.
The hour bus trip to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv was sad because I had to say goodbye to my friends. I got Nathan's address on a defunct Belgian 50 Franc bill and then said goodbye to Joni, Liza, Nathan, Thaddeus, and all the rest.
We waited about half and hour at Ben Gurion until Jimmy and Jenny showed up with out luggage. 
I got a double room at the Hotel Avia with Doreen - a 23 year-old graduate of Boston College.  After a nice relaxing bath, we ate a nice relaxing meal at the hotel restaurant.  We talked for a while and then both went to sleep at about 9:30PM.

Day 27: Masada

Sunrise over Jordan from Masada.

Wake up came very, very early in the morning as most of us couldn't sleep anyway.  We sleepily loaded the bus for Masada.  The mountain looked a lot taller than I originally thought it was, but I attempted the assent on foot anyway. I got about halfway up before I felt completely nauseated and had to turn around and go back.

Climbing Masada

Masada

Killing time at Masada

Masada

Masada

I waited four tedious hours at the bottom, plagued by flies and the hot sun. At 8:00, the cable car opened and 20 shekels later, I was on the first car up to the top. Most of our crew was ready to come down at that point - but Liza and I looked around for a few minutes before deciding it was a bunch of walls and not really very exciting. {I think the extreme heat in our room the night before probably did a lot to dampen our enthusiasm}  

Winding path up Masada

We returned to the hostel where I opted to take a two hour nap instead of visiting Qumran (the location where they found most of the Dead Sea Scrolls) - not too exciting, I know, but neither is dying in 120F weather. {It wasn't just the heat, it was the humidity as well. The Dead Sea's evaporation makes the air heavy and thick... and then add the extreme temperatures... just awful. What I don't talk about in the journal, because I didn't realize it was happening, is that several of our group had to be taken to the hospital in Jerusalem.  My friend Heather was ill from this experience for a long time. }

Ein Gedi Spring

Floating in the Dead Sea

Waterfall at spring

After a boxed lunch, Joni, Ryan, Heather, and I walked to the beach by the Dead Sea and went swimming.  The water was really neat. Because of the salt content, it is impossible not to float.  I started walking into the water and before I realized it, my feet were not touching ground, but I wasn't treading water and I was standing perfectly straight.  Cool.  We spent about 45 minutes to an hour there, and then walked to Ein Gedi Springs where we found a beautiful little cove with a pool and a water fall. It was incredibly relaxing. It looked a bit like the lobby of a very nice hotel -- but it was all natural.  I stood under the waterfall, which gave me a nice back massage. {Having suffered dehydration sickness the first week, I was very prepared. I carried 3 gallons of water with me when we went walking to the sea and then to Ein Gedi Springs}

Dinner was at seven, and bed time was around 9:00 - much more comfortable than the previous night because the air conditioning had been on all day.

Day 26: Dead Sea

This last day in the field was a short one, as we quit at about 11:00AM.  I hurriedly packed and moved out of the room.

After lunch, I said goodbye to Jason and all the others and loaded onto a very crowded bus for the southern tour.

We drove for 3½ hours through the desert—seeing several Bedouin along the way—until we reached the Ein Gedi Youth Hostel on the Dead Sea (around 5:30PM)

Dinner was standard youth hostel food.  After, (at 8:30) we all decided it would be a good idea to go to bed so we would be ready for Jeff Blakely’s 3:45AM wake-up knock and “GOOD MORNING!!”

We had eight girls in our room: Joni, Heather, Liza, Sarah, Doreen, Deb, Carrie, and me.  It was unbearably hot. I thought I was going to die. Modesty was completely disregarded in the name of comfort.

Day 25: Penultimate digging in the lab.

Another view from the Citadel

I woke up late, this second to last dig day, and opted to go to the lab. Before second breakfast, I played the puzzle game of putting pottery shards together. After, I just cleaned bones.

In the afternoon, I packed and confirmed my flight with Sabena, the world’s least efficient airline. After dinner – which was fancy in honor of the day – was the dig party where much beer was consumed and many a trench (including KK) lampooned.  I got to bed before 11:00 as I was very tired and not feeling well).

Zac Cooper

Alex and Carlson

Angus (diver) and Mike (KK)

Heather Covey

Julie Demo and Joni

Field KK. Z, Bill, Kristy, Alex, Jennifer, and Deb

Lampooning KK

Center is Clayton Lehmann from USD

Divers Lyon Ewell and Angus

My gang: Ryan Heilman, Jason
McFarland, & Joni Jefferson

Thad, Deb, Tom, & Angus

Me at the dinner

Day 24: Summer Solstice

Citadel with field KK in foreground,

It was hot. Too darn hot!  Before second breakfast, it was hotter than usual with no wind, so the bugs were unbearable. After second breakfast, it was hotter, and the wind picked up from the east, so we had a sand blasting all day. I got sand in my eyelashes, up my nose, on my teeth, and in my ears. It was awful.  At 11:00Am, we had a tour of the Mithraeum.  It was VERY cool! {But I forgot my camera, so the photo here is more random dig shots.  The cool thing is that at noon on the Summer Solstice, the sun came through the roof and shone on the altar. Only it didn't quite do that, because of the subtle shifting of earth's orbit, it was about 2 ft off center.}

Immediately following lunch, I jumped in the ocean to cook and wash off.  After sufficiently soaking, I did laundry (about half of it).

I went to Jeff Blakely’s preview of the southern tour after dinner and decided that I must be absolutely certifiable. Afterwards I went to the club to partake of some of Lyon and Angus’s salsa and chips. Bed at 11:30.

Day 23: Taking it easy.

Another view from the Citadel. KK is center.

Joni, Jules, and I missed work as we overslept. I tried to get up, but felt awful, so I didn’t worry about it.

Afternoon was nice except for pottery reading. I relaxed most of the day.

After dinner, I went to another lecture on stratigraphy. 

I then went to the club in hopes of partaking in one last evening of Israeli dancing, unfortunately this week they didn't do it for the Americans.  I went to bed around 10:30.