2024-10-30 31 34

Location

In an under-construction neighborhood on the outskirts of Ofakim.

Participants

Plans

It's been more difficult to reach Ofakim since the war started, because they've closed some of the train lines down south. But the point still seems to be reachable in decent time. Shacharit train to Tel Aviv, train to Be'er Sheva, train to Ofakim. Moovit wants me to take a bus to some ridiculous place then walk for forty-five minutes to a place where I can cross a dry riverbed that leads to the neighborhood under construction, but I can see on the map several other river crossings that are far closer and look more promising.

Expedition

Sometimes Moovit is massively incorrect. And sometimes it's smarter than you are. Today I got both.

I reached Tel Aviv at around 09:10, having taken the Shacharit train. Moovit insisted I take the express train to Be'er Sheva at 09:50. But there was a local train to Be'er Sheva at 09:20. I quickly confirmed with the information desk that the local is *not* over half an hour slower than the express, and took the local. Upsettingly, I left the base of my phone charger on the train when I got off in Be'er Sheva. :(

Still, though, the earlier train meant I was able to catch an Ofakim train an hour earlier than Moovit claimed was the best possible route. Suck it, Moovit!

I reached Ofakim and took the number 2 bus, but instead of getting off where Moovit said I should, I got off a lot earlier - at a place where the satellite imagery showed a good place to cross the dry riverbed (yes, I know you heard this before. Look, it's summer in Israel, there will be a lot of dry riverbed geohashes). And in fact there *was* a river crossing - but it was under active construction and not passable. I had to walk south, south, and more south - a lot more south, and even stop to eat and drink - before I found another crossing, at the place where Moovit said I should have gone in the first place.

I apologize, Moovit. I will no longer automatically doubt you.

After asking some more construction workers where a good crossing was (three different river crossings are being constructed all at once, to serve the new neighborhood being built on the other side of the river), I took a long and winding path to the point for a lengthy but uncomplicated success. Scratched out xkcd in the dirt with my foot (it didn't come out great, the ground was unsuitable), then took the lengthy walk back. I took a bus to a local shul for mincha, then another bus to the train station, switched trains in Be'er Sheva, switched again in Tel Aviv, and headed home.

Photos

Bridge over the riverbed, under construction
The riverbed. Deceptively flat and passable here - but quickly becomes overrun with undergrowth (or underrun with overgrowth?)
Panorama at the point, with the under-construction neighborhood in view
Badly-drawn XKCD in the dirt
Proof


Wed 30 Oct 2024 in 31,34: 31.3003970, 34.6437636 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox