Tom did a great job of driving here for the first time, and there was much joy at being able to stop anywhere we pleased and wander at will. So, we made a lot of stops on the way to Hermel .
First was the mouth of a river just outside the city, where various conquering armies of the ages have carved inscriptions into the steep sides of the gorge. They include those from Nebuchadnezzar II, the Roman Emperor Caracalla, and various French generals. Most are difficult to see--hence no photos here.
We headed away from the coast and into the hills. Next stop was for a coffee and a manouche “cocktail” (fresh cooked flat bread with thyme mixture and cheese). Thus fortified, we continued into the mountains.
Next were the ruins of Fakra.
There is a tower with an inscription in Greek, dating from 43 AD dedicated to Emperor Tiberius Claudius, but the tower predates it. Not a whole lot to see, but wow anyway.
Next a quick peek at a natural bridge:
Over the mountains and into the northern Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah stronghold. Every male child we pass seems to have a realistic looking toy gun. We ask for directions several times and people are very nice. T stops to get a coffee, but the store sells only coffee in bags. The store keeper invites us to her house for a cup!
Next stop, the Hermel pyramid,
a 27 meter (88 ½ feet) high tower built in 175 BC, in the middle of nowhere.The area reminds me of Ellensburg, the Manastash. Brown rolling hills with scrubby bits of vegetation, and then, hidden in a low valley, a narrow, lush green belt and the Orontes River (Nahr al Assi in Arabic).
Going through a small town we get briefly stuck behind a walking wedding party that filled the street.
We had to ask for directions to the hotel several more times--each time we were greeted with a big smiles and helpful directions. With no street names and very few signs, finding it was a challenge. We knew the hotel was at a waterfall; at one point we were at the right waterfall but on the wrong side of the river. But we made it, and found ourselves the only guests there.
The hotel’s restaurant
is on the river at the base of some lovely waterfalls, about 60 feet wide and dropping about 20 feet (see photos). The room is basic but comfortable, and though we have no cell phone reception here in the river valley, there is satellite TV with a bazillion (400) channels, including Qatar 1, BBC Arabic, Turkmenistan TV, Dubai Sports 2, 
Spacetoon, MBC Persia, Libya Educational, a Russian station in English, Nickelodeon in Arabic, and lots of others beginning with “Al something”. We catch some of the VP debate on Kurdistan TV… The second night we watch the original Spiderman on TV--they have edited out the two kisses!Photo is us at breakfast
RAFTING! Tom talked me into it--seeing the falls next to the hotel where the trip would end made the prospect all too real. But it was great fun, and the falls were definitely the grand finale. Most of the trip was paddling along the lovely, quiet river, startling the occasional fisherman and stopping to pick berries or at one point rescue a floating watermelon… Some kind soul at the hotel got some great pictures of us going over the falls.
We also went to Deir Mar Maroun,
an old 3 storey cave monastery carved into a hillside above the Orontes. It had blackened ceilings from years of cooking fires. We walked along the River to try to get to the source of the Orontes. We know we will see the other end of the River in Antakya (Antioch) in Turkey on our Christmas trip, and thought it would be way cool to see both ends. We found a clear blue pool and jet of water seeming to emerge for sheer rock. A man showed us a magical place nearby, where a shelter has been made of reeds lining the river bank. 
Dinner both nights we were the only ones there… There had been a few other customers during the day but by 7 pm we were alone. Yet all the traditional mezze dishes were available, along with fresh trout (a real rarity in Lebanon). The owner sat with us for an arak for a few minutes.
The stars were fabulous--so unlike Beirut.
We set out the next morning on the last phase of the adventure, across the Bekaa and back over the mountains by a different, not well traveled route that would hopefully get us
to the cedars and back to Beirut. After a number of false starts we locate the road (no signs!). Winding, climbing, spectacular scenery, few guard rails, some sections with big potholes, all with thankfully very little traffic. An odd sight: a flotilla of Harley Davidsons, dozens and dozens of them, pass us by. We later learn it is a 3 day Middle East tour that began in Beirut.We take the time to visit the Khalil Gibran museum in his hometown of Bcharre. We wind our way along toward Beirut, through the ski areas and along the spectacular Qadisha Valley.
The next day we will be back up in this area for a hike!
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