On Wednesday, we started our desert adventure with a sundown sojourn to Wadi Rum, Jordan's famous desert where Lawrence of Arabia once roamed the red sands. I'm hoping my students remember that "wadi" means valley, and I'm wondering if the moon has a wadi or two similar to this.
We cruised along the Desert Highway from Amman, passing "camel crossing" signs as donkeys grazed on the roadside. Moonscape views featured tannish-red rocks whipped into a sandstone cake batter. A pyramid-shaped rock towering to the north of us prompted someone in our group to ask if it was man-made or real. "All of this is real," came the reply, and our van grew silent as we took in the wonder.
We cruised along the Desert Highway from Amman, passing "camel crossing" signs as donkeys grazed on the roadside. Moonscape views featured tannish-red rocks whipped into a sandstone cake batter. A pyramid-shaped rock towering to the north of us prompted someone in our group to ask if it was man-made or real. "All of this is real," came the reply, and our van grew silent as we took in the wonder.
Once in Wadi Rum, we hired a pickup truck driver to bounce us along the sands for a sunset view. His son, about 7 or 8 years old, shyly grinned at us from the passenger seat. If Sedona, Arizona's rocks are the small grandchild, Wadi Rum's easily take the role of grand-daddy. Our group scrambled up a small bluff to watch sundown.
Later, we enjoyed an outdoor barbecue dinner under the stars. Our van driver stopped in the middle of the desert to let us stand outside, heads craned upwards to gaze at the night sky. Now I understand the phrase "blanket of stars." I even spotted the Big Dipper outside the window on the late-night drive to Aqaba.
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