Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, picked a majestic final resting place. The mountains of the Wilderness of Zin are finely sculpted in bright and dark colors. The next morning, we bike to a solar energy center for a tour, then to Avdat, ruins of the Nabateans, a traveling people. Avdat was founded as a small inn in 4th Century B.C. as part of an ancient spice route that began in Petra, Jordan. Here is a feast for archaeology lovers.
Marble still remains from old churches.
So do complete walls with arches. Steel statues of the Nabatean people and their goats and camels add a bit of whimsy. After Avdat, we go deeper into the Negev, site of Israel's military training areas. Several times, fighter planes fly over. Natural cracks in the Earth's surface created the crater.