| I've had a couple of pleasant hikes on the other side of the Arkansas border, this fall. The trails get harder to follow when the leaves fall, and the trail map doesn't always do a good job of being accurate, but that may be part of the fun to hiking. These trails double as bike trails and, in fact, there are some routes that are specific to bikes only. Those are a little more rugged, with sharp hills, drops, and jumping off spots. |  |
I visited these trails, this year, in between preaching the Sunday morning and Sunday evening services for the church in Washburn, Missouri. Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is only about a half-hour drive, so it makes for a terrific time-filling activity on a Sunday afternoon.
| | The goal for this particular day was to finally find the tabernacle of the Israelites, or at least a reasonable facsimile of it. I knew there was a reproduced copy of the Jewish tabernacle somewhere on the extensive property at the Passion Play, but I had not come across it on previous visits. You can find more about this property here: Eureka Springs: Passion Play Trails I Eureka Springs: Passion Play Trails II Eureka Springs: Religion and History While visitors have to pay to see the actual performance of the Passion Play, most other items of interest on the property are free. I especially enjoy spending time in the Bible museum, the "Sacred Arts" museum, and the science and archaeology facility. In addition to all of this, if one ventures in just the right direction, he will find the Noah's Ark petting zoo. If one ventures much farther in the right direction, like onto certain hiking and biking trails, he'll find himself in the locations that are normally reserved for folks who have paid to take the "Holy Land" bus tour. Those trail finds can be somewhat of a treasure hunt. |
Of course, as mentioned, my goal was to find the tabernacle, and I finally did. No one was in or around the area, especially in the off-season, but the tabernacle is along one of the hiking trails, so I ventured inside. The measurements are right, although the materials, design, and construction of the facility is not accurate according to the descriptions given to Moses toward the end of the Old Testament book of Exodus.
The items in the tabernacle walls might need some explanation for people who are not familiar with their descriptions in Exodus. For those of us who have studied, the things in the tabernacle are pretty much in the correct locations. It is interesting to see them in their positions and ready for reverent attention by the priests. Even the Holy of Holies is here, complete with the Ark of the Covenant. There is a dark window to look into this very special room into which only the high priest would be allowed to enter.
| After investigating the tabernacle, there were other places to see on the way to the trail head, including two stones depicting the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai. I especially felt like I was in a special place when I saw the "Passover House", with its door frame painted with blood. Here was also Jacob's Well, the Pool of Bethesda, and a grain storage pit. Nearby, a crown made of thorns hangs on a post, ready for the rough placement onto the head of Jesus. |  |
Because of a recent visit to Virginia, where I observed the making of bricks in the tradition of the early American Colonies, another plot of land also drew my attention. This was supposed to be a re-creation of the Israelite task of making bricks while they were enslaved in Egypt in the times of pharaohs. The layout of brick frames and clay bricks in this area was very similar to what I saw in Colonial Williamsburg, though the bricks here were much larger.
This area on the Passion Play property is normally not open to the general public unless one has a ticket for their Holy Land tour. While it is accessible by walking the hilly miles-long trails, it is not something one normally just happens across. To me, it was a peaceful repose from the aerobic exercise of the hikes, but it still felt like I wasn't supposed to be there. Hiking up one more mild hill, I came to a gate across the paved road, and I worked my way around the gate to see the sign on the other side that announces that, unless ticketed, no one is supposed to go beyond that point. Obviously, the trails extend into that area, and the trails are free, so it wasn't as if I was trespassing, but it still felt a little naughty and adventurous to exit the trail in that manner.
