.: XT660.com - The #1 XT660 Resource :. - Israeli Tenere Club goes to the desert

After several trips to the north and center of Israel, the ITC decided it's time to hit the desert.
The problem was that eventually, the desert hit us. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Eight of us met at a gas station on the northern tip of the dead sea.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...1qeEhnvQ/1.JPG

We headed out to the cliffs of Dragot. An observation point on the cliffs that overlook the dead sea from the west.
We stopped along the way for our first breakdown of the day.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...gYzGomBg/2.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...5o68Ao4Y/3.jpg

One bike suffered a broken plug. This was fixed by replacing the plug with a small metal piece to connect the two wires.
After that we got to the observation point.
First we photographed the bikes:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...-fr9eznE/4.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...wH69CYJM/6.jpg

The we remembered that the view is on the other side.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...7P8H44XA/5.jpg

We moved on and met a little descent (the pictures doesn't do it justice, there are a couple of steps in the middle)
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...WwrzNQaU/8.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...vpgGaozY/7.jpg

Wondering if we're on track
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...evHwTY18/9.jpg

A Military helicopter on training. A few of those passed above us.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...JrVJetg/10.jpg

Since it's the desert, you have to make your own shade
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su..._m1CnWc/12.jpg

Here's another nice little descent with a couple of us looking at it and thinking how to go down.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...mgcIPzk/13.jpg

We wondered what's the best way to go downhill because just after the end of the downhill path, lies a patch filled with small gravel and a small bump.
If you come to slow, this will happen:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...rgGH_vY/11.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...RO8MJ8Y/14.jpg

First off of the day. Kinda silly as far as offs go, but we have a strange ability to fall in the simplest of places :-P
Not to long after that, yet another silly off. Not hitting the gas hard enough will do that to you. (Note the rock that was just missed).
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...tcGlnLY/16.jpg

The rider wonders where did it go wrong :-)
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su..._2qzR1o/15.jpg

Just after we picked the bike up and moved on, anther rider fell on that bump. This time we weren't so lucky.
The bike fell flat on it's right side. Only this time not missing the rock.
Rider wasn't hurt, but now we were in the middle of the desert with one broken water pump cover.
Two guys headed out to where they could get a cellphone signal and to call a rescue truck while the rest of us stayed with the downed bike.
While we waited, one of us managed to stitch the broken parts of the cover back on with the help of a plastic bottle and some duct tape.
(Hopefully I'll have some photos of that as well, and I'll post them).

With the water pump sort of back in shape, we decided to try and get the bike towards the nearest civilized place. So we set off again.
Only to suffer yet another off. Again a very stupid one, this time by my own hands.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_h_hIYKggHWM/Su...pPhU_zs/17.jpg

At this point the heat warning lamp on the bike with the broken water pump turned on. So we decided not to move it any more.
To top it all off, the sun was starting to disappear.
So the less capable riders of us (me included) rode on to the nearest road, since riding back in the dark will be to risky for us. We waited for the rescue truck on the road, while 2 guys (one with the downed bike and another one) waited for the rescue.
The truck arrived just before sunset, but had to make it's way back out to the road in the dark (with one guy riding his Tenere in the dark as well).

At the end we all arrived back home minus one Tenere that went straight to the shop for repairs :(

I think that this photo montage sums up the trip really well:
http://img2.tapuz.co.il/communafiles/38959714.jpg