Holy Roads in the Holy Land
01-01-2008, 01:55 PM
#1
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Holy Roads in the Holy Land
Just got back from 2 weeks in Israel. Talk about some roads that will cause you to swear under your chin guard "Holy Sh-t"! In the "hills" around Jerusalem and especially up north in the Golan area there I roads that make Deals Gap look tame. Very little run-off if any or guard rails and shear drop-offs down 3~700 feet. But switch-backs and hairpins up the wazoo and + & -camber turms you would not believe. The drivers are not too bad (certainly not as bad as I expected and no worse than in NYC) and usually very courteous, as they pull over to let you pass in the same lane or pull off and let you by. I only saw 5 or 6 "big" bikes total, an newer R1, a later model 750 oe 1100 Bandit (ridden by a female), maybe a couple BMW GS and a late model Ninja 1200. Otherwise they are awash in scooters and a fair number of super scooters. Helmets are mandatory and insurance is expensive and though while minimum liability is required many choose not to "subscribe". Most cars are late model subcompacts that we don't get here, and they have a lot of pretty cool minvans and utility/deliver vehicles I realy wish we had here. Big SUVs are rare as are US cars, vans or trucks. Taxis and vans are diesel (like Skoda and Mercedes) and turbo-diesels, and Hundai sells a lot of medium and full size vans. Top selling brand and model, probably Mazda 3.
I'll post some pics soon.
I'll post some pics soon.
01-03-2008, 08:16 AM
#4
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Pics
I was cage bound while in Israel but did have access to a neat little Alfa Romeao ("Cage Driven"). Attached are some pics that give one an idea of what to expect in Israel. You DO NOT want to block the "Speed Racers" on a tight road, as they will literally blow you off it! The 2 "Golan Track" pics give you only a vague idea of the roads up north. Note in the "Typ Small City Mall" pic the chick starting her scooter. Not as bad as in Italy but scooter pilots can be a menace.
BTW, during the Christmas season there is NO Christmas music, advertisements or lights! Even in Jerusalem.
BTW, during the Christmas season there is NO Christmas music, advertisements or lights! Even in Jerusalem.
01-03-2008, 10:01 AM
#7
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Thats along an old abandoned military emplacement overlooking Jordan but better wire maybe than a 500 foot drop. The roads are pretty well maintained though sometimes very narrow higher up and gravel from rock slides can very occasionally be a problem. Kind of like Rt 1 in CA. No cops to speak of, though gas is like $6.40 US a gallon. And we thought gas was expensive here. I'd loved to have had my VTR there!
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