Sierra Club Monthly Program

“An Adventure in Jordan and the Sinai” is the theme of the Sierra Club, San Gorgonio Chapter meeting on Tuesday, May 6, 2014. Chapter members Ladd and Gail Seekins will present a new slide show of their trip in February and March, 2009. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at the San Bernardino County Museum, 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands. The Seekins visited Jordan and the Sinai in February and March 2009 as part of their longer trip that also included Lower and Upper Egypt. But this program is new and has not been presented before. While in the Sinai, Ladd and Gail visited the beach resorts along the Red Sea, climbed Mt. Sinai, and toured St. Catherine’s Monastery, said to be at the place where God appeared to Moses in the Burning Bush. They entered Jordan intending to see Petra and then return to Egypt. Petra is the unique rock-carved “Rose-Red City,” so called because of the color of the stone from which it was cut. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was named by Smithsonian Magazine as one of the “28 places to see before you die.” UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage." The Seekins’ time in Petra was so enjoyable that they decided to stay in Jordan and see the rest of the country. In Amman they saw the National Archeological Museum with its Dead Sea Scrolls and the impressive Roman Theater. Other visits in Jordan included Jerash, the most extensive Roman city in the Middle East, Madaba with its Byzantine mosaics, the labyrinthine Crusader castle ruins at Karak, and the Dana Nature Preserve. They swam in the Dead Sea and spent a night in a Bedouin tent in the spectacular desert landscape of Wadi Rum. They toured Bethany, where Jesus was baptized, and visited Mt. Nebo, where Moses first saw the Promised Land. All are welcome to attend the meeting. Parking and admission are free but donations are accepted for room rental. The San Bernardino County Museum is located: 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, CA 92374. Exit California Street from I-10 Freeway in Redlands. The San Gorgonio Chapter of the Sierra Club covers the geographic area of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.