Thursday, October 1, 2009, started out in a normal way, with occasional "Rabbits" greetings being exchanged. Little did the five adventurers know what would befall them this day.
Adventurer #1, Cameron, pick up the car from the rental agency that morning with Adventurer #2, Ian. Number 1 picked up Adventurer #3, Alana, and her adventure gear in the early afternoon and went to the school where the picked up #2, #4 (Liz), and #5 (Christiana). By 4:45 they were all packed like sardines in the car and ready to begin their adventure.
They headed west out of Jerusalem, and then north, trying (and failing) to avoid traffic. They were headed for Haifa, but it was getting late and they were getting tired. Suddenly, a road sign appeared, indicating that Caesarea Maritime was near! Perhaps this would be a good place to spend the night, they thought. They drove to the aqueduct and extracted themselves delicately from the car, checking to make sure every limb was still attached to its original owner. Once everyone was again standing on their own too feet, the intrepid explorer proceeded to the beach. It was mostly deserted. As they looked around they noticed several signs, all in Hebrew. In fear and trepidation they wondered if said signs forbid camping. No answer to this dilemma was forthcoming, alas, as none of them had extensive knowledge of modern Hebrew.
Wanting to stay, they got back in the car to explore a little further. Alas, their lust for adventure lead them into mis-adventure. In their heavily loaded car, they forgot to take notice of the softness of the sand over which they drove and shortly became stuck. Adventurers 2-5 tumbled out of the car and pushed. Good progress was made and solid ground was but 20 feet away when an even softer section of sand was reached and the car spun out and high-centered itself, simply out of spite. Pushing availed nothing. The adventurers started digging around the tires and searching for things to put under them, still to no avail.
Growing more hungry and more tired by the minute, they finally paused to eat a meager meal of pita, hummus, and apples. Then the digging commenced in earnest. The tires were propped up by pieces of wood they had found and then they attempted to clear out the sand that the car was resting upon. The hour was growing late and things were beginning to look more hopeless when they made their final attempt. They again pushed with all their might, and this time the car moved, much to their excitement and relief. Even the magical garden gnome found by #4 and #5 in their wanderings shouted for joy when the car reached firm ground.
Time had not passed slowly in all their diggings, however, and it had now become quite clear that they were too tired to try to find another camping spot, whether or not this one was legal. They found a stretch of sand near their car, to watch, lest it be towed away in the night, and bedded down, stretching out their sleeping bags under the nearly full moon, in the shadow of Herod's Aqueduct.
Sleep was coming quietly when a jeep roared past, down the road they had failed to pass through. During the night several vehicles passed, some within mere feet of their sleeping place, most of them blaring loud Israeli pop. It was probably not the most restful night any of them had ever had. Nevertheless, the stars and moon and roar of the ocean made it pleasant.
In the morning they awoke to a sun nearly invisible because of the haze. The car had not been towed away during the night and they were able to pile into it for day two of their adventure, after admiring the hole they had dug themselves out of by the morning light.
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