Avraham and I drove from Alumim to Mitzpe Ramon—considered the “Israeli Grand Canyon”. The transition from farmland to desert is gradual but certain. The Negev and Arava deserts has small brush and hard packed sand with bare mountain rock. Mizpe Ramon is a lovely town adjacent to the rim of a spectacular canyon. We stayed in the modest youth hostel right by the rim and we took the opportunity to observe both sunset and sunrise over the canyon from an observation post a few hundred yards from our room.
Seeing the vista from an observation post is an exhilarating experience. Hiking the base of the canyon is something else—it is awe inspiring and a bit scary. The Canyon is called Maktesh Ramon. We drove down a side road and then a half hour on a dirt and stone road to get to the parking lot by an ancient Nabatean way-station on the ancient spice route from Petra to Gaza (remember the temple built into the mountain in the movie Indiana Jones and the Search for the Holy Grail? That temple was built by the Nabateans). The ruins are by a wadi and is dated from the 1st century. We then walked down a broad sand and rock path to see several dikes which were lava flows that burst through the mountains. The scary part was the mountains around us were the size of Mt. Tam but with no trees or vegetation. One feels a forbidding wilderness that has not changed since Biblical times. (Photos to follow)
Desert hiking is different than the mountain hiking I am used to. We hike early in the morning or late afternoon since the heat becomes unbearable. Even in those cooler hours walking taxes your strength. There is a strong dry wind in the afternoon and I imagined scenes from Lawrence of Arabia with men on camels riding through the desert. The imagination does run wild out here. You get a real appreciation of how precious water is in the desert. All animal, plant-life and human existence is focused around use of the scarce water supply.
Our hike on the morning was at En Avdat which is a natural waterfall and series of pools which can be accessed by a trail up a mountain. There was a narrow stone staircase built into the mountain unlike any I have seen before. Once atop the mountain you can see the falls, pools,and vegatation contrasting with the deep stone crevices that line the cavern.
(Photos to follow)
We also visited David Ben Gurion’s gravesite and the Bedouin Museum Joe Alon Center funded by the Jewish National Fund. The Bedouin Museum exhibits the simple tools and crafts of the Bedouin, who have populated the Negev and Sinai deserts for centuries. As part of Bedouin custom of hospitality the museum employee invited us into the Bedouin tent for mint tea and conversation.
One of the advantages of travelling with Israelis is you get to see them interacting with other Israelis in all settings. I have observed that there is very easy conversation between them and strangers can spontaneously speak easily and for extended time. One such conversation happened when we were walking on a desert path in the morning. We met an Israeli archaeologist exploring encampment foundations in the area we were in. We asked his advice on our hiking options for Ein Avdot and the conversation crossed several subjects. He asked me where I was from.I replied San Francisco, and he joked I was a long way from home and didn’t I have deserts to explore back there. I said yes, but we do not have Nabotean ruins. He quipped, “But you can go to Las Vegas and see Nevadateans.”
Such is the joy of being with Israels— conversation mixed with humor is always in season.
