The End of the Ride - Eilat

Thus it ends. We rode over 57 miles today, going from near sea level to 2700 feet, a few more ups and downs, then a spectacular descent through red cliffs into Eilat. Eilat is just across the border from the Jordanian port city of Aqaba (sp?).

The Israeli, Jordanian, Palestinian, European, American support staff were wonderful - cheerful, friendly, helpful, energetic, kept us very well fed and kept our bikes in good working order. The Arava Institute is an exciting place where a future generation of leaders are being trained. The land of Israel is truely spectacular. One little fact I picked up is that the "honey" in the phrase "a land flowing with milk and honey" is actually date honey - sort of a jam/extract made from dates (not from bees). It is delicious and goes great on fresh bread.

Thank you for following this blog. Feel free to e-mail me with your thoughts or questions when I return to Boulder later in the week.

- Pete

Ketura

We arrived at Kibbutz Ketura after a fairly easy 60+ miles through rolling picturesque desert. Ketura is located in the Arava valley, which is part of the African rift zone that runs up through the Dead Sea. Ketura is the home of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, as well as a research facility for arid climate agriculture. The main source of the Kibbutz's income is from dates. Fairly recently, agronomists at the Kibbutz were able to grow a date plant (it is about 3 feet tall) from a seed found in the ruins at Masada. The seed was found with other seeds that have been carbon dated to the first century - prior to the destruction of the 2nd Temple.


We also got to visit with students and alumni of the Arava Institute (the main beneficiary of the ride), and gained a better understanding of the work they do. The current and former students we met come from all over the world, but most notably from Israel (Jewish and Arab), Palestine (West Bank), Jordan, and the United States. The curriculum seems to be a mix of cultural diversity and environmental studies. One of the Alums is an Israeli Arab who has a fairly high ranking position within the Israeli government where he oversees the regulation of industrial air pollution.

A couple of interesting tidbits from today's ride:  

The ride is very well supported and there are mandatory rest stops every 10-15 miles.  Each rest stop has an abundant amount of food - fruit, nuts, etc., and the lunch stops are chock full of salads and cheeses and breads.  The rest stops are typically at a park or on the side of the road where there is sufficient space to set up some shade and accommodate 100+ bicyclists.  Today, the lunch stop was at an Ashram.  In the middle of the desert, there was this place called Shittim (not pronounced exactly as it is spelled), which is a meditative retreat center, and which hosts multi-day music fests.  Seems like a good out-of-the-way place for an office retreat.  I need to remember to suggest this to my management.  The other place of note was a rest stop, also in the middle of the desert, was a beautiful cafe complete with a lush garden patio, and which had homemade icecream.  ICECREAM.  This place was like an oasis.

Tomorrow is a shorter ride (apx 45 miles), but 

with a lot of elevation change. It is also the last ride as we end up in Eilat. There were quite a few really nice people on the trip and perhaps there will be some opportunity to continue to build relationships in the future.

On Toward Mizpah Ramon

Yesterday we biked about 45 miles, including about 7 off-road, to Mizpah Ramon. We really appreciate having a day of rest in the middle of the ride. This is the site of a quite large geologic feature known as a Makhtesh – essentially an erosional feature that resembles a large crater several miles in diameter. Mizpah Ramon is also the home of many many Ibex. They are everywhere; like Elk in Estes Park or deer in North Boulder.


The ride itself is passing through desert, the same desert south of Beersheva where Abraham lived in when he told King Abimelech that his wife Sarah was really his sister (way to go Abraham!?!). The vista goes on forever and is quite remarkable. Mizpah Ramon is the highest point in the Negev at about 2800 ft, so everything from now on is down hill – wishful thinking. Tomorrow, we bike down into an through the Makhtesh and then up again out the other side. The days are now quite warm, and the nights quite cold, and the biking seems to go on forever.


Team Boulder has now increased in size as the Secor’s have now joined us after completing the Alyn Hospital ride – Joe joining as a rider and Carol in support. Aside from a not-too-severe-but-definitely-annoying stomach ailment that seems to be making the rounds, and some sore legs and buts, we are all doing well.

Day 2, riding from Ashkelon to Kibutz Mashebei Sadeh. We covered another 72 miles today, which makes over 140 miles in 2 days! But we had lots of rest stops and ate lots of food. We skirted around Gaza, then headed East from the coastal plain into the Negev Desert. The landscape changed dramatically over the course of just a few miles. I learned later that there was a barrage of missles fired from Gaza into the area we were biking, but most of us were completely unaware.


Tomorrow we go further into the Negev, but it will be somewhat shorter in anticipation of the Sabbath (and a full day of rest!). There will also be an off-road component. Tomorrow and Saturday we spend in Mitspe Ramon, which overlooks a large crater (actually, an erosional feature). I'll try to update with more photos on Saturday night.

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.

I walked my feet off today in Jerusalem. A little of the old and a little of the new. First was a visit to the mosque complex on the Temple Mount, in the heart of the Old City. Although I could not get into the mosques, I was able to get up to the Temple Mount promenade. The Dome of the Rock was restored by the King of Jordan in the 1950's and dominates the Jerusalem skyline. It occupies the same realestate that is believed to have been the location of the ancient Jewish Temples (1st and 2nd) - the Rock under the dome is believed to be the same rock upon which Abraham almost made a sacrifice of his son Issac.

After sauntering through the Jewish and Arab neighborhoods in the Old City, I headed West to the newer part of Jerusalem and the Jewish Museum/Shrine of the Book (which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls).

Tomorrow is more of a wind-down day, and I move into the hotel where all the bicyclists are gathering. My next post will probably be on or about Thursday.

In and around the Old City

Went for a long walk today in and around the Old City and up the Mount of Olives. Along the way, I stopped off at the City of David (the original Jerusalem as conquered by King David) where an ongoing archeological dig is finding all sorts of fascinating stuff, visited King David's tomb, visited the the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, got lost in the alleyways of the Old City, and visited the multitude of ancient graves on Mount of Olives. The top picture shows the location of David's Tomb, which is open to the public and is also currently used as a synagogue, the space immediately above it is the location of Jesus' Last Supper, also open to the public and is currently used as a church, and a marinet evidencing it's once use as a mosque.

The second picture shows the Old City skyline incuding the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Dome of the Rock (which I may try to visit on Sunday).

The last picture of this set shows a typical alley/street in the Old City's Jewish Quarter. Throughout the Old City, the alleys are narrow and don't necessary go in a straight line. It is quite easy to get turned around and lost. But if you keep following them, eventually you will end up on a more major thoroughfare or at a landmark.

Arrive in Jerusalem!

After an all day, then all night, then all day series of flights, I am now in Jerusalem. I hooked up with one of my riding buddies (Bruce) and we caught some dinner then took a walking tour of parts of the Old City at night (see pictures - should be up shortly). Tomorrow I am contemplating seeing the City of David (currently undergoing extensive archeological excavations) and the adjacent Mount of Olives. It will be an early day as we have been invited to a Shabbat gathering/dinner somewhere in the Old City in the early afternoon.

Also, it was pretty cool to see all of the front page coverage of our election in the international press. Aside from the German and Israeli press (see photos), one of my seat-mate from Frankfurt had an Italian paper which had similar coverage.

Less Than A Week To Go...

It is just a week before I leave, and I am EXCITED about doing this ride.  Am I prepared?  I think so.  I have been riding frequently and don't expect the ride to be overly arduous.  The only uncertainty in my mind is the weather in Jerusalem - it might be cold and wet.  Nine of us from Team Boulder have had numerous rides, have tried to prepare ourselves with what to expect weather wise, and plan to next gather for dinner in Jerusalem before our ride.

Several faculty from the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies were in Boulder Colorado last month and gave an inspiring presentation. Several studies underway with cross-border cooperation between Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority. These included studies on water quantity (Dead Sea), water quality and air quality (particulates). Unfortunately, these just scratch the surface of what is needed. On the Hazon side (the other charity benefiting from my ride), our home congregation Bonai Shalom is teaming up with other  Boulder congregations to start a CSA (food coop with a local farm). If all goes as planned, we will be swimming in a cornicopia of good produce next summer (mmm...).

To find out more about the ride, go to IsraelRide.com.