The Ride Begins - Chilly and a Little Damp

Wednesday morning.

Dawn came Wednesday morning chilly with roads wet from overnight rain, but clearing skies.  We started our descent out of Jerusalem from Har Hertzel, through the Jerusalem Forest, with fog hugging the hills (photos will be posted later).  A beautiful descent through the valley along the Green Line.  What a stark difference between the landscape of Israel, where forests have been planted and cities planned, and the West Bank where none of that has happened.

Lots of climbs through the hills of Judea to Be'er Sheva  where we spent the night.  75 miles of hard riding.

It is wonderful to be riding with a team. We are the Lexington Minutemenschen! Friends who ride regularly at home are now sharing the magnificent experience of riding through the Land of Israel, where the sites, sounds, feel, and even the taste of this special place is alive and real.  Our team is diminished by the absence of Rabbi Lerner, who has been planning on counting on this ride for three + years.  Sadly he took Ill the week before the ride and was unable to join us.  Good news is that he is recovering, and we are looking forward to his return to riding as the snow stops flying in Boston (and we are planning on a return to the Ride in 2016!)

Tomorrow we to the Makhtesh Gadol.  It's not a crater.  It's a Makhtesh! (perhaps I will explain that in a later post.)

L'hitraot,

Lester