Day: August 21, 2015

August 21st, 2015
Ein Ovdat, Israel

Desert,
Deeessssseeeerrrrrtttt!!!! =)
We packed ourselves and couple of friends, jumped into the company car (free gas) and went down to the Negev

Boy, I have been missing it: the emptiness, the long and narrow roads, the dry air, the views and the space.

First day we went down to Ein Ovdat. There were few people, probably because of the heat of the end of August but it let us hike quietly. Just to think how in the USA we went to see the Valley of death when we have so much desert here.

Take Care
Gad

B.S. We are on a timeout. Atzva will have a doctorate candidate exam that month and she better do it without hormones…

 

The entrance to Ein Ovdat Canyon.
The sign also says Ein Mor, which is another spring in the reserve.

Off we go =)

I like the geology here. I am sure you will appreciate it

Water! in the middle of the desert! And there is more of it upstream

The stratum of the rocks in the canyon

The waterfall and the pond =)

As close as you can get to this refreshing stream of water in the middle of the desert. There is no swimming allowed to preserve the natural condition in the reserve.

Looking back from the pond to the canyon.

There are holes like that all along the pond. If you can look closely you can an Gerbil, a kind of a mouse that lives in the desert.

Stairway to heaven – once you get to the top you realize it isn’t a metaphor

Heaven – Ein Ovdat waterfall from above

The canyon over the waterfall, it could have been one of a hell of a water slide in the middle of heaven, if it was allowed to slide…

The upper part of the canyon, beautiful bulk of green within all the white.
Up the stream there is another waterfall, but the trail goes up to the cliff on the side of the canyon.

A lizard on the tree, it took us couple of minutes to find it.

Basically, the round trail stops here and you have to go back to the car unless you have a car waiting for you on top of the rock
Our friend volunteer and went back to the car and we could climb up =)

Atzva getting ready to climb the cliff (don’t worry, there are steps and ladders)

The view of the canyon from the middle of the cliff.

A resident cave in the middle of the cliff, a good place to live in =)

The end of the trail on top of the cliff. A Gazlan was waiting on top, so we could enjoy an ice cream 🙂

A glimpse of the Big Makhtesh – a carter that was made by erosion, on our way…

Going down to Ein Yorkeam to cool down a bit =)

The spring… What did you expect? it is a spring in the middle of the desert…

Looking from the spring to the canyon.

The pond down stream – That is why you really come here =)

  We decided to sleep on the stream that goes out of the Big Maktesh, that place called “Colorful sands” – you can guess why =)
Except that there are trees on that parking we hope will break the wind of the desert.

Looking North of the parking on the walls of the Makhtesh

Looking South – The trees of the parking, the walls of the Makhtesh (Those called the Small Snapir (=flipper)), and the creek of the stream that drain the Makhtesh.

Looking south of the walls of the Big Maktesh walls – those ridge is called the Mashor (=Saw)

The creek of Hatira stream that drain the Makhtesh.

As we love to do, we made Potijekos for dinner (Atzva cooked and we ate =)

And a desert of roasted marshmallow (This time we remembered to bring it)