A trip to the Israeli Northern Boarder Road

[drbig]

Got up late on this beautiful Saturday and went outside and felt the first cool weekend for months. Great Autumn is here at last. My wife has plans to go to some house sale girlie thing so I am on my own. Go to the water buffalo and we both get ready




I decide to head north and ride some of the Northern border road.
First I head out of the small Kibbutz that I live in that is in the middle of the Carmel National park and head to the Mount Carmel divide road. And I turn left on to the Nesher road that twists down to the Valley of Zvulun. Mr. Water Buffalo



Nesher Road



The view down to Haifa bay and the city of Haifa



First I rode to Rosh HaNiqura. this is the most westren boarder point on the Israeli Lebanese boarder

looking south from Rosh HaNiqura


The zone near the coast is a Marine reserve and I was happy to see the Police boat patrolling the reserve making sure that no fishing boats as such wonder in to the protected area.

I then Headed east on the Northern boarder road.

On to the Northern Road and up to “Arch cave”


The road twists and turns as you climb to wards the cave


One more looking South West


The Northern Boarder Road runs from the sea in the west up into the upper Galilee and is an attraction for many bikers because of the many turns and lack of police.
Many groups of sporty bikers went pass me and the water bufalo with knees scraping the tar.
Great riding road


as one rides very near to the boarder itself there are many notices and signs like this oneas we and the lebanese don't get along to well and I am to fat for ducking faster than an AK 47 I stay on the road as advised ( even if there have been no hostilities since the end of the last round just over 2 years ago)



The water buffalo saying hello to Lebanon from a far



A view of the upper galilee and Lebanon in the distance.



Saw some Raspbberiesand had to stop. ( can't say no to food, even more so if it's free


Middle section of the ofthe NB road



I tried to take the water bufalo up this hill and made it half way up the dirt trail when I suddenly grew feathersand started to make choock sounds. so I gave up and it took me some time to get the bike heading down ( my water bufalo is tall and heavy and I am small fat and weak and hardly touch the ground with one foot and also a novice when it comes to offroad ). It was hairy comming down but I made it with out too many hassles.

Arrived at Gish were I left the NB road and started back home.
A view from Gish towards Mount Meron ( around 4000 feet)


more to come

[ruh roh]

Wow, thats really nice. All the pics ive ever seen of Israel are from the news, and its always desert. I didnt know there was any green. Nice.

[StinkyCheese]

I'd love to visit Israel someday....

[drbig]

Originally Posted by ruh roh

Wow, thats really nice. All the pics ive ever seen of Israel are from the news, and its always desert. I didnt know there was any green. Nice.

There is alot of yellow and brown in Israel but the north is quite green and winter and spring are specialy lush. it is very beautiful to go into the the dry south ( I would say that the south is 60-70 % of the country and is desert or semi desert) during the spring when it all flowers for two weeks before it goes yellow again.
The attached photo is of the kibbutz I live on in late winter.

[drbig]

one more green Israel from my bedroom window.
Every day I come home on my bike or in my car from the very busy Tel-Aviv to this and it cleans my sowl from the smog and the dirt and I ride 7 Km up this winding mountain road and I feel

[Michaelfish]

Wow!

My wife & I have wanted to visit Israel for a long time. It would be a blast to ride around it on a bike!

[lasercustoms]

Hey I would feel good to if I came home to that view. Nice view!!
What is that in the background on top of the hill?

I would love to ride over there becouse their is more history.

love the pictures keep it up: Jamieson

[stanegoli]

Todah rabah drbig.
We hardly ever get ride reports from Israel and environs. Nice to see what it looks like up there.

Keep up with the dirt riding. You will become more comfortable with it as you gain more experience.
Just remember to stay off the front brake on dirt - it is your enemy

[GB]

Thanks for the glimpse into the countryside of your country

[drbig]

First, thanks for all your comments. As for the remarks, lasercustoms: the tall building is part of Haifa university and it really stands out like a sore thumb for miles around. stanegoli: I will keep riding dirt just a matter of practice and fiber glass work every now and then.

Part 2 of the RR

As I started to ride home from the Northern Road, I rode west in a vally that devides the Galilee to the upper and the lower galilee's. This vally is called the "Grove home vally" and there are many olive groves there with very old trees that have been here for so many years. It is a part of the country that I like very much because it has an old feeling to it and as Israel is developing very fast (to fast to my taste) and Malls, roads and concrete take over much of the landscape I like to see glimpses of what the past was like many years ago and even not so many years ago when I was a child growing up in Israel.

Any way I got a call from my belly loud and clear over the 800CC single and it told me that Raspberries just will not do!
So I stopped at the "Taste & Aroma". This is a very small resturant serves really good Arab dishes.


The food is great and so is the Service that is always smiling and friendly.

I had for startes some Humus and Techina and a hot red pepper suace.


for the main course a spring chiken shish


and deseart was a Malaby ( kind of Arab cornflowre pudding that is served cold in summer and chenget it's name ant temprature in winter) with some black Arab coffee.


After lunch I hardly managed to get back on the water buffalo and rest happy tummy on the the gas tank.
When I got back to the Nesher Road I took a detour on the a dirt road that has lovely view of the Yizrael and Zvulun vallys below.


I came out at the Druze Village of Yisfia


and from ther I rode the last 10 Km on the paved road back to Bet Oren the Kibbutz I live on


When I got home I met my brother who was just finishing cleaning his monster after riding the same Northern Boarder Road. He is so fast that niether of us could recognize each other more than a passing blurr.
It is funny to think that he has almost four times the HP tham my poor old Water Buffalo.


It was nice to have another friendly face come and say welcome home but first scratch my back prrrrr prrrrr


Thanks for reading

Drbig

[drbig]

Here is the attached map of the trip

[mistercindy]

Fantastic ride report! I'd sure like to hear more about your life in a kibbutz. Does yours have a web site?

[vicmitch]

Great ride report. 20+ years ago after moving from Jerusalem I lived on kibbutz Yizrael, just south of Afula. At that time I rode a Jawa 350 2 stroke and rode those same roads. I love the Golan roads and even did some off road to a great hidden waterfall with 3 levels of swimming pools if you know where that is.
Check out my Egypt-Israel ride report from 1983

Adventures Old And New - ADVrider

[Yoni]

[Snowbeard]

so great to see some of your country! and the food! mmmmm!!!