Idaho’s Valley of Megiddo
There is an overlook on Route 46 as you approach Route 20 near Fairfield. You can stop and look below at the Camas Prairie. The wind is often blowing. Intensely blowing. On several occasions I’ve stopped and recorded short videos. A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to record when the wind was light. The first opportunity where people could hear my voice over the wind.
The character of Ari Ben-Canaan then explains it happened three-thousand years ago. It explains the timeless Jewish connection to the land.
There is a fictional movie about the birth of modern Israel. The characters are modeled on some of the non-fiction heroes. Paul Newman plays one of those “close to reality” characters. There is a scene in the film where he drives to a hill overlooking the Jezreel Valley (the Valley of Megiddo). He shows an American woman the panorama. He points to Mount Tabor across the plain and explains it’s where Deborah gathered her armies and Barak led them against the Canaanites. The character of Ari Ben-Canaan then explains it happened three-thousand years ago. It explains the timeless Jewish connection to the land.
It’s a breathtaking scene and reminds me much of the Camas Prairie below. I shared the biblical story while recording the video.
There are many places in Idaho where you can stand and get a sense of the holy. I get a similar vibe in North Idaho when driving tree-lined Route 3 and when I’m standing outside the Mission at Cataldo. Which also reminds us of how tribes and ethnicities shift across the terrain but are always just tenants.
We are creatures with senses. It’s like adding spices to dinner. It enhances our experience.