Yesterday the weather forecast had promised rain and wind, winter weather; but the morning was sunny, clear sky, cool but nice. Our grandchildren were visiting and they like tours into the desert. So, we decided to go to the Yamin Water Pools; we have visited it several times before.
A couple of years ago My Dear and myself with friends from the Kibbutz did the hike from the Jamin Water Pools to Ein Yorke’am, climbing the Palmach Ascent; highly recommended if you like desert views.
For this Sabbath as the weather might turn wintery, we thought just to take our grandchildren to the Yamin Water Pools, to see how much water was present. Winter in the desert is about how much water can be gathered to enjoy an explosion of green and other living things.
When I research the internet for information about our tours in both English and Hebrew, I often get funny results. The Jamin Water Pools in Hebrew is גב ימין, on some sites they offer to explain the Hebrew text in English; so this site was translated into: “Right Back” – with explanations on how to treat back pain - language mix-up; true, you may read it like that, but that is not the context !!
We drove through Yerucham which on Sabbath at 11am is a ghost town, nothing moves, no cars, no bicycles, no children, no dogs, no cats; dead. We passed it, continued to the entrance of the very beautiful Large Makhtesh under Mount Avnon, we exited the Makhtesh under the bridge of the train to the factories in the area, it is like a gate to the eastern parts of the Negev.
We continued to road 227 that is not maintained and therefore the passage of Ma’la Aqrabbim where a past Roman road crossed into the south, at the moment it is closed unless you walk.
You drive on the flat Yamin Plateau and arrive on the left at the parking for Yamin Water Holes. When we arrived the parking lot was empty and the Park Ranger greeted us welcome and told us we were lucky because we would be there by ourselves.
Immediately out of the car you see the flat plain leading up to the very impressive eastern outside wall of the Large Makhtesh. The ground has been squeezed and pressed so the different layers of the underground, protrude like waves.
It is about 1 km to walk the wadi before you arrive at the Yamin Water Holes.
Wadi Yamin or Wadi Aliman receives the rain water from the Yamin Plain and continues its flow into the Hatira Wadi from the Large Makhtesh. It is located along the Syrian Arch Fold System about 10 km from the Dead Sea Fault Zone. There is an annual rain fall of average 72 mm.
The walk in the Wadi is not difficult, there are of course Shita trees as everywhere in the Negev; occasional plants and bushes, which just prove there has been rain, so we hoped for water in the water pools.
We approach the edge of the waterholes and see, yes there is water, not as much as last time I was here but still water.
The grandchildren very easily find their way down the slope; I as the 70+years old grand mother take my time using the safest way there is: gliding down on my behind and getting a hand from my beloved son and daughter-in-law; thank you Ronn and Keren for always lending a hand! You also saved my camera !
As we walked towards the second of the part of the site a large group of people arrived, they were on the hiking tour to the Palmach Ascent and Yorke’am; so, they just passed through, but climbed a hill and then continued, leaving us again to enjoy the peace and quite of just us.
We saw the black crow watching us at the parking lot, and flying over us at the water holes. I understand that the black crow is quite rare in Israel. We saw three different black crows here.
Only when I saw the photo on the computer did I realize it had something in the mouth, I do not know what!
We also saw the speckled bulbul:
The hooded wheatear
All together a very nice trip into the desert, nice weather for walking. The Negev at its best.
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