The road between Hadera and Afula goes through Wadi Ara (wadi is a small valley in Arabic). This road dates back to biblical times. The slopes of the valley are populated by arab villages. Here's a shot of one of them.
Some unusual architecture of newly constructed homes in one of these villages. Unfortunately it doesn't look too impressive in the photo. I believe the tree in the front is an olive tree. These trees dot the countryside.
On the road between Afula and Nazareth. Afula is in the Yizrael valley. Nazareth is on top of the mountains on the horizon. The road goes up the mountainside with serpentine curves, which always terrified me as a kid. This road still scares Emily.
This picture was taken at the top of one of these hair-pin turns. I was trying to capture the magnificent vista of the valley bellow, but the haze and the crash guard got in the way. Notice, btw, the rusted hull of a car a bit down the slope. There's more than one of them, serving as a reminder that this road can indeed be deadly.
From the top of the mountain ridge, looking eastward onto the valley bellow, one can see Mt. Tavor, which has quite a few references in the bible. The mountain has a very steep gradient and juts out from the relatively flat valley. It is a rather unusual sight, which this shot conveys rather poorly.
