September 26 Thursday
Sam and group left Jericho at 2 AM and visited the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.
Sam swam in the north end of the Dead Sea and tried to ride his horse into it, but fell off [Rasmussen 107].
That night they camped at Mar Saba. (MTDBD)
September 25 Wednesday
Sam and group left Jerusalem at 8 AM for a two-day side trip, camping that night near Jericho. (MTDBD)
Bædeker (1898) Route 7:, 30 years later, describes the same journey: From Jerusalem to Jericho, the Ford of Jordan, the Dead Sea, and back to Jerusalem via Mâr Sâbâ.
A fast walker could go outside the walls of Jerusalem and walk entirely around the city in an hour. I do not know how else to make one understand how small it is. The appearance of the city is peculiar. It is as knobby with countless little domes as a prison door is with bolt-heads. Every house has from one to half a dozen of these white plastered domes of stone, broad and low, sitting in the centre of, or in a cluster upon, the flat roof.
September 23 Monday Sam and group left Lubban at 2:30 AM and reached Jerusalem at noon.
September 22 Sunday
Sam and group left Janin at 2 AM and camped that night at Lubban. From Sam’s notebook: Camped at 7 PM at an Arab Village—Lubia (Libonia of the Bible). Tents behind. Slept on the ground in front of an Arab house. Lice, fleas, horses, jackasses, chickens, & worse than all, Arabs for company all night [MTNJ 1: 431]. (MTDBD)
September 21 Saturday
Sam and group left Nazareth and camped that night at Janin. From Sam’s notebook: Left Nazareth & its chalk hills at 7.30 [AM], came down a high, steep mountain & galloped across the Plain of Esdraelon to Endor, the rustiest of all, almost—a few nasty mud cabin,—many caves & holes in the hill from which the fierce, ragged, dirty inhabitants swarmed. Pop. 250 [MTNJ 1: 427].
September 20 Friday Sam and group left Tiberias in the AM and camped that night at Nazareth. (MTDBD)
September 19 Thursday Sam and group left Ain Mellahah at 7 AM and camped that night at Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee. (MTDBD)
September 18 Wednesday Sam and group departed Baniyas at 7:15 AM , and camped that night at Ain Mellahah, near Lake Huleh (now called Bahret el Hule). From Sam’s notebook: It was first, ages ago, the Phoenician Laish—a lot of Danites from Sodom, 600, came over, like a pack of adventurers as they were, captured the place & lived there as sort of luxurious agriculturists, till Abraham hazed them in after times [MTNJ 1: 422]. (MTDBD)
September 17 Tuesday Sam and group departed Kefr Hauwar in the AM and camped that night at Baniyas, once the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi. From Sam’s notebook: A great, massive, ruined citadel of 4 acres...hoof prints deep in old rocks...This is the first place we have ever seen, whose pavements were trodden by Jesus Christ.