2nd day of three day Field Study...today in the Negev (south), lots of pics!!!

These are the ruins of Beer-Sheba, an ancient city in the Negev, southern part of Israel.  Abraham came here often, grazing his sheep and goats nearby. You see the contrast of the old and the new, as I snapped the photo when a high speed train was racing by, with modern Beer-Sheba in the far background.

 Still at Beer-Sheba, this is a reproduction of a horned altar...The 'horns' were used to tie down the animal sacrifice.  Poor Aubrey is being held down on the horns by Ross and Rachel.

 A view of the Greater Negev wilderness.  I sent you pics of the Judean wilderness before, but it is at least habitable compared to this. Bedouin (nomadic) people actually live and survive, grazing their livestock in the Judean wilderness, but this is so totally barren, no one lives here.

 That's me, Laura, Laurie and Clara, jumping for joy that we are about to go on the hike of a lifetime:)

 So here we are, starting a hike in the Wadi Zin...I had no idea what I was getting myself into.   Dr. Wright asked if anyone wanted to stay on the bus, and no-one did, and I just knew I didn't want to miss anything... but I did wonder why he was asking!

 Wow, beautiful scenery along the way.  Did you have any idea Israel could look like this!!??!!

Hmmm, do you see that falcon flying high up in sky.....you don't suppose we are supposed to climb as high as he is flying, do you?? yikes.... 

 We had already climbed a bunch of stone steps up the side of the cliff to get to this height, and I am realizing that it's just the beginning, we are about to climb MUCH higher!

 If you haven't already, you need to click on this pic to make it larger, and look at what looks like ants climbing up the cliff in the center of the photo. That's what I saw when I realized we were going all the way to the top of the rock mountain. I was going to be one of those ants in just a few minutes, going all the way to the summit.

 Then I see this sign telling me it's only one way...UP!!  I couldn't turn around because the bus had left and was driving around to the top of the mountain to meet us up there.  Too late to cry, I had to keep going!

 About 2/3's of the way up, I look down and see this - from whence I came.  I was actually leading the group, going up first, one step at a time, not looking down very often, but amazed at the beautiful scenery.

 Almost to the summit, we get behind this group of high school kids..they are climbing a ladder, one of two we had to climb straight up as we got nearer the top.

 SUCCESS!!  I made it!!  I was first!! that's Peter behind me, and he's pretty glad he didn't have to carry me up there:)

 Photo from the top, Dr. Wright is standing on the edge...hmmm, he's told us all not to go to the edge.

 A bunch of happy students, looking down into the Wadi, glad we made it. Reminded me of a bunch of birds sitting on a telephone wire.

 Just when I thought I had already seen the heights and depths of Israel, we drive to Maktesh Ramon, which is the largest erosion crater in the world!  Rachel is standing on the edge, looking down into this vast crater, a completely barren wasteland.

 Reminds me a lot of the Grand Canyon, altho not as deep and certainly not as colorful, but certainly awesome.

That's my shadow...the third one over.   I was really there!!  What a glorious day!!