Home Again

Well, Newark is not exactly home, but you get the picture.  I am back home in Lexington after a long day of travelling that started in sunny Eilat.  Quick flight to Tel Aviv, and a lot of time to wait for my flight home.  So friends who live in Tel Aviv picked me up for lunch and tour around parts of the city (where I have never really spent much time).  Then I was handed off to my cousin for dinner and back to the airport.  It took FOREVER to get through security.  Finally on the plane. I sat next to a young Israeli man who was heading to North Carolina for a short-film festival that he hopes will help launch his carrier, and an Israeli woman who had left her husband and children in New Jersey before the Hurricane - she said they had been without power for 10 days!  And I owe Robin a lot for leaving her with 3 days without power!

There is no way to make an 11 hour flight pleasant (unless you spend a zillion dollars to get one of those beds in first class), though I did manage to sleep for a couple of hours, I think.  As the hours tick by, the exhilaration of the Ride starts to slip away.  Work begins to seep into my consciousness, as do the chores that are waiting for me in my real life.  Of course, I am anxious to see Robin.  We think this is the longest we have been apart since we got married (Yes Virginia, that would be 34 years ago...).  But it is friggin's cold here... and damn it has started to snow!

We were in the air as the election here was taking place.  As we approached the end of the flight, the crew announced the preliminary results.  I think they did not want to wake anyone earlier with the news - and I suspect they did not want to announce a final result while we were still thousands of feet in the air.

Some facts about my ride:

According to my bike computer, I rode 354.30 miles, and spent 24 hours, 36 minutes and 38 seconds in the saddle. If I include the ride I took with my kibbutz friend, the total mileage over 6 days of riding was 417 miles.  I climbed 19,661 feet, descended 24,028 feet, and I burned 15,538 calories.  My bike computer does not tell me how many calories I consumed - but with all the Ride crew fed us, I imagine it was a close match.  I hope I stop getting hungry every hour and a half or so!  I hope I never again come within a mile of lemon-lime Gatorade - especially when it's warm.  Yuck!

I got pretty good at posting stuff on Facebook from my iPad, reconnected with a few folks who were on the 2010 Ride, and made new friends this round.  Several riders overcame great challenges to make it to this ride, and I was impressed by the strength and perseverance of all the riders - from the  youngest to the oldest among us.  My anticipation of the highlights of the Ride were confirmed.  The North is beautiful and lovely to ride through, but the South is inspiring.  There is nothing that compares to riding in the desert.

It meant a lot to me to become reacquainted with the Arava alumni who worked on the crew, several of whom I had met the last Ride.  I have written in earlier posts of my respect for their commitment and courage to break down historical and political barriers in this region in hopes of bringing peace a little closer to this troubled land.  

As the reality of this Ride begins to fade, I can't help but think about next time.  Tentative plan is to return in 2014 with a group from our synagogue (Nov 4-11, 2014 - mark your calendars).  But I was also inspired by a father-daughter pair who rode this year.  Maybe I can talk Molly into coming with me the year after (for my 60th birthday!).

I may have some more thoughts to add in the days to come, and I wll try to put some photos together
to share.  But until then,

L'hitra-ot,

Lester