It was harder than I thought to leave Jerusalem. A multi-cultural city with diverse contrasts. Ancient alleys and Internet cafes, cell phones on every ear (almost) and the shuks, Arab cab drivers and Hasidim everywhere, holy places and hula bars, priests getting into fist-fights, etc. A very vibrant city. But I left Mount Zion and Mount Moriah for the coastal plain and the Mediteranean.

The weather has been great and the bike I rented is working out OK. It is a 24 speed Fuji, and I swapped out the seat and pedals for the ones I brought with me. From here on out, our rides begin at about 5am (!!) and go until late in the afternoon, with numerous breaks in between.



Today, we biked over 70 miles, past the location where Samson met Delilia, past the Ha’Ela valley where David battled Goliath. We had lunch at the Bell Caves National Park (ancient chalk quarry that resulted in bell-shaped caverns). In the afternoon, we went near Kibbutz Negba, the site of a battle in 1948 where the residents of the Kibbutz prevailed over a much more numerous and better equipped Egyptian Army. Of particular interest is that Martin Small (a friend and Holocaust survivor and current resident of Broomfield) participated in that battle. Martin recently published a memoir which detailed this event. In essence, the Egyptians arrived late in the day and encamped just below the Kibbutz in preparation for an assault the next morning. The Kibbutz residents quietly filled barrels with rocks, and at a specified time rolled the barrels downhill and made as much noise as possible. The startled Egyptians abandoned their encampment as well as numerous Matilda tanks, with which Martin had some expertise (another story – let me know if you want to hear it).

We arrived in Ashkelon after 71 miles under sunny/hazy skies and now need to 1) eat, and 2) get ready for tomorrow’s ride into the Negev.