Day 83, From an Israeli Prison, Part 3

From the border with Lebanon I head for the Golan Heights.  The morning view is of snow capped Mt. Hebron, a place where skiing is possible.  I stop to tour an ancient fort built by the Crusaders to control the trade route to Damascus.  It's just another reminder of the series is of conquerers who have held this land.  The Israelis have held the the Golan Heights for 49 years, a mere moment by the standards of this place.

The Golan Heights is mostly agricultural land with small villages on a large plateau. It is damp and cool relative to the desert floor below on all sides.  Beside the roads are many memorials to the soldiers lost in the wars, mostly the Yom Kippur War in 1973.  One of the memorials shows the remains of an aluminum troop carrier supplied by the U.S.  I also see several tank and artillery depots from the road.  Iam too engrossed to remember to take photos.

It is common to see hitch hikers in Israel, some of them armed soldiers.  I reroute my trip to take several down the heights to a doctor's appointment. I end up in Tiberius for the night.

 The next day I follow a border fence 20 feet tall made of welded rebar so tight you couldn't put your finger between the rebar lattice work.  A duplicate fence protects the inside fence about a foot away.  The installation is topped with immense amounts of razor wire, cameras and other electronics.  I follow the road inside the fence to abandoned observation post.

Just inside the fence are the modernly developed hot springs Tiberius is famous for.  Roman generals and pro counsuls relaxed here over 2,000 years ago. The nascent Jordan River flows by a few yards away through the high reeds.