A nod to Avraham and Yitzchok Avinu

Typically when I plan my trips to Israel I try to balance ancient biblical Israel with modern day State of Israel as well as some quirky "only in Israel" activities and sites.
Today was a nod to Avraham and Yitzchok Avinu, our forefathers. Our first stop was the Negev Camel Ranch near Dimona/ Mamshit. http://www.cameland.co.il/ You know, the mode of travel of the day, no Teslas in sight.
While setting up our itinerary, they recommended that we phone before coming in case of flash floods. I tried phoning that morning (especially since it was a bit overcast where we were) and the number was disconnected. Not a good sign, but I checked the weather forecast and everything seemed all clear, so we headed down south for about a 1.5 hour drive.
When we got there the employee informed us that a large tour group was on their way and it would be best if we came back at around 1:30. No big deal, we had places to go and things to do.
Our first actual activity of the day ended up being at the National Park Tel Be'er Sheva. This is the site of one of Avraham or Yitzchok's wells. They also uncovered an ancient city with a complex water storage system. We checked out the well, and then climbed up to the city. This is an easy hike that is fairly accessible (at least until the water system). Instead of trying to force Atara into her stroller I attached a harness with a leash to allow her some climbing freedom with peace of mind that she can't go too far or get into too much trouble. Atara thoroughly enjoyed playing with the gravel and sand, climbing on the rocks and exploring. The boys also loved the freedom to climb and check out the area with site map in hand. It was a good thing that it was empty that day. There weren't even any rangers patrolling the area. The boys climbed around the excavations, touched things and even found a hedgehog hiding in a corner.

In the center there was an observation deck. The view was pretty cool, but the main attraction was the water collection system. This was off to a corner that was almost over looked. Here is where the baby-friendly nature of the park ends. You need to walk down several (about 5) flights of extremely steep stone steps followed by wood platform steps deep under ground. Here you find a series of caves and cisterns that you are free to explore. Fortunately the way out is much less treacherous, but still involves stairs.

We did enjoy this National Park quite a bit, however, probably the highlight of the morning was the watermelon Popsicles the kids enjoyed.

It was time to get back to the camels, so off we went. We ate some prepared sandwiches before our ride.
We met our camels (2 out of 40 female camels at the ranch). There were already saddled so we were able to sit 2 and 2. The most important thing to remember is to lean all the way back as the camel stands up. The guide lead us through the rocky terrain. He, Achmed, told us about the British Police building from 1936-1948 which used camels to patrol the area. He also taught us about the Nabatian tribe in the area. He answered any questions we had about the camels (they drink 50 gallons of water in 10 minutes!). Our guide was very knowledgeable and soft spoken as we walked through the canyon cliffs. Our camels stopped to eat some of the local flora. We then headed back to the ranch. Our tour was about 1 hour long (and in my opinion more than enough!). You really give those who crossed the desert in ancient times a lot of credit, camel riding is not for everyone.

I had originally planned to go to the the Carusso Science Museum while we were down there, but the kids were tired and we knew we had another busy day coming up, so we went back to Ramat Beit Shemesh. Along the way the kids decided they really wanted to sit in the mall and eat dinner at a food court, so our final stop of the day was actually at the Beit Shemesh mall, BIG. I doubt the novelty of being able to eat Chinese food or pizza at one place will wear off anytime soon.