We made it! We rode en masse into Eilat on Tuesday afternoon, said a Shehecheyanu, and jumped into the Red Sea to celebrate our journey - 282 miles in all.
I haven't posted anything the past couple days due to logistical difficulties. i am now back home, so I will catch you up from my last post on Shabbat. But first, a word about the Arava Institute of Environmental Education, the primary beneficiary of the ride. Students come to the Arava Institute from Israel, Palestine, Jordan and the US - Jews and Muslims. They study together and live together for one to two years, learning about environmental education, peace and leadership. The education is technical, political, and pedagogical. Shabbat afternoon our support crew, who are all alumni of the Institute, spoke to us about how the Institute has impacted their lives. Their stories were inspirational. They spoke of how their families and friends, especially the Palestinians and Jordanians, opposed their entering the program because of the location in Israel and the mixed population. But they persevered, and their goals are to become leaders in their respective communities for environmental preservation and co-existence and cooperation. Their numbers are small (about 45 students per year), but their ambitions are great.
Our Shabbat hotel was on the edge of a huge canyon called the Machtesh. We had Havdalah services outdoors on the observation deck overlooking the Machtesh. (Did I mention this was a Jewish trip?) The services included singing, dancing, and drumming which went on for quite a while - a real outpouring of communal joy. The festivities continued as a raucous procession through the streets of Mitzpe Ramon as we returned to our hotel.
Sunday morning we started out with a long steep downhill ride to the canyon floor. But you know, what comes down must go up. A longer, but less step climb up the other side soon followed. Surprising to me, my legs felt stronger this day than they did at the beginning of the trip. People were actually joking with me: "There goes Steve, he really loves to climb." As usual, the crew set up rest stops every hour or so with water, energy drinks, fruit, nuts and snacks They marked the stops by standing and drumming alongside the road, cheering us on as we approached. This was great motivation, especially at the top of a long climb. We ended the day after 62 miles at Kibbutz Ketura, home to the Arava Institute. We met the current students, who are extremely impressive, and there was more singing, dancing and drumming, and even a campfire.
Monday was a day of stark beauty in the mountainous desert. It started with 30 miles of gradual uphill riding to our lunch spot on top of a hill on the Egyptian border. We could see for miles in every direction - the mountains of the Sinai to the west, the Jordanian mountains to the east, and the Red Sea and Eilat to the south. The ride ended with an exhilarating descent into Eilat. We had our last group dinner at the hotel, followed by goodbys to my many new friends, all of us weary but proud.
I return from the ride a stronger person - physically, certainly, but also mentally. My will to keep pedaling outlasted even the longest hill. This was something I had not taken for granted before the ride. The camaraderie of the group was terrific. I told everyone that I love doing group bicycle touring trips - you meet the nicest people. My friendship with my riding buddy, Dave Edman, grew deeper. Dave introduced me to this ride and convinced me to do it, and encouraged me along the way. I am grateful to him for that. I experienced Israel in an intimate way not possible from the seat of a bus. And importantly, my appreciation and respect for the two organizations I spent time with - the Arava Institute in the Negev and Or Hadash Congregation in Haifa, grew tremendously.
Thank you all for your interest and support for my ride. It was a tremendous adventure and experience for me, and I hope this photo blog was an adequate repayment to you for your support and encouragement, which made my ride possible. God bless you all.
Today is the day of rest - Shabbat. Thank God for that! A little time to heal tired muscles and mind. Biking this much is a mental as well as a physical challenge. I was a little worried whether I would be able to do this ride - I’ve never done a ride this far on consecutive days before, and the terrain is pretty hilly. So I’m feeling good that I’ve not only survived, but am feeling strong each day.
Our group is large, but we have great camaraderie. Sometimes a rider pulls up to you on the left to pass, but then slows their pace to chat with you for a while. We all encourage each other on the long stretches, especially the climbs. On Thursday, we rode on highways where the shoulders were strewn with glass and debris - we must have tallied 30 or more flat tires - including one for me. Other bikers always stopped to help immediately, not just leaving the help for the overworked support crew.
Friday was a terrific day of biking. We started out at 5:30 am, biking further into the Negev desert. As we rode, we watched the sun rise over the desert hills. What a gorgeous sight. There were lots of rolling hills, and it was exhilarating to gather speed on the downhills to get momentum for the uphills. For a while, I had a group of riders drafting me down and up the hills, riding at maximum effort, for about 15 minutes. It was a thrill. Friday I took a backpack to bring my camera, so most of the pix are from Friday’s ride. The morning prayer service was at a spectacular desert overlook where Ben Gurion is buried. The female drummer in the headdress is a ride crew member, who accompanied the prayers. It was a very spiritual event.
Dave and I are visiting our friends and family in Haifa at Or Hadash congregation. Rabbi Nof organized a special Shabbat dinner in our honor, where we shared a meal with the good friends we have made at Or Hadash, including Rabbi Nof's wife Deborah and their children. It is always a great pleasure to spend time with our Or Hadash family. I am enjoying the wonderful hospitality of the Berger family here. Today, we went to visit their son Yuval at his army base in northern Israel - sorry, no pictures allowed on the base.