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.