MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–Pesach (Passover) begins this evening at sundown, but essentially the holiday has started today as people prepare for this evening’s family seders. The town has gone very quiet as stores have closed and traffic dropped to almost no vehicles moving. I spent the day walking around the periphery of Mitzpe Ramon enjoying the beautiful weather and occasionally making some accidental geological observations. As you can see from above, it doesn’t take long to leave the city and enter The Wilderness.
This is a small archaeological site on the western end of town. I don’t know much about it, other than it is likely Iron Age. Israeli archaeology students often map it for practice.
A view of the western end of Makhtesh Ramon because … why not?
This feature is called The Camel for obvious reasons. It perches on the edge of the makhtesh and has long served as a beacon for a route in and out of the makhtesh. An observation platform has been built on it as a “saddle”. The units here are the En Yorqe’am at the base and the camel itself made of the dolomitic Zafit Formation.
I took advantage of the quiet to visit a housing development and check out the problematic muddy dolomitic unit near the base of the En Yorqe’am.
Finally, I met this young, friendly Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana), one of hundreds that calmly wander the streets here. He was happily eating bread slices that had been thrown out in preparation for Pesach.
