Riding to the Red Sea

[Karter]

The weather's finally felt like spring time here, so my buddies and I decided to take a ride down to the Sinai Peninsula or the Gulf of Aqaba, depending upon which of the 4 countries you're actually in when looking at the Red Sea. 200 miles south of Jerusalem; Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt all meet at this peninsula. The ride itself was pretty uneventful for me, other than the my IPod and camera choosing a bad time to crap out on me. But Chris had some problems with his Harley as it wasn't meant to ride at a continuous 80+ MPH, as it rattles too much and after market accessories start to fall off. He had to take off his head lamp and tighten his throttle and mirror before the trip came to end. His issues made me feel better about my decision to bring a BMW with me to Israel.

As for my other friend Farid, he lives in Bethlehem, which is actually not inside Green Line Israel. So he had cross from the West Bank border into Jerusalem before he could meet up with us. With a black backpack tied to the back of his bike, the border police took their time searching him and his bike, so Chris and I ended up waiting an hour for him before we began our trek. The ride took us through the West Bank on an Israeli controlled highway and down the bank of the Dead Sea. We passed Masada, Qumeran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found), the "sights" of Sodom and Gomorra and the pillar of salt that Lot supposedly turned into. We rode through the desert and pulled into Eilat about 4 hours after we departed J-town. Tel ride back took us through some mountains and some breathtaking views, but as I said, my camera crapped out on me and you won;t find those pictures here.

Waiting for Farid in Jerusalem
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u218 ... C02208.jpg

Passing Qumeran
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u218 ... C02210.jpg

Desert Riding
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u218 ... C02217.jpg

Surviving the Dead Sea
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u218 ... C02216.jpg

Taking a Break
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u218 ... C02221.jpg

Resting in the Negev
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u218 ... C02219.jpg

101 Km to the Border Snake and Reptile Zoo
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u218 ... C02258.jpg

Time for Repairs
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u218 ... C02260.jpg

More Roadside Repairs
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u218 ... C02259.jpg

[DJ Downunder]

Chris had some problems with his Harley as it wasn't meant to ride at a continuous 80+ MPH, as it rattles too much and after market accessories start to fall off

That'll teach him for riding a Harley.. ..great pictures and report..thanks for posting them..and keep them coming.

DJ

[MIXR]

Loved all the green grass and rolling green hills - Oh - Wait a minite - That was a different report!

I though we had some dry country! Nice to see what sort of 'hard' territory you have to ride through. I don't know I'd like it - Too scared I'd get shot at!

How hot does it get on the road?

[iowabeakster]

Great report. Too bad about the camera failure.

thanks, and keep them coming