We Are in the Desert

Day two of the Ride.  Day one seems like a distant memory. Another early morning rise. Breakfast at 5:45. A short bus ride to where the bikes are waiting for us. (Most of them. Max's bike has still not arrived from Rome. And several others are lost.  Thankfully they have some extra rentals.)

A tough ride south and east from Be'er Sheva.  Many rolling hills, but mostly up hill for the morning, through Bedouin villages and settlements.  We are truly in the desert. Much of the landscape is barren, dry and hot. Amazingly though, we are also riding through one of the largest forestation of the Jewish National Fund, which has had a mission of restoring the land to its ancient state of greenery (it's true, the descriptions of forests and greenery in the bible did not come from nowhere!). So in this land of desert and sand, there are also forests and restoration.

From the highest point in the forest, we descend through winding roads and rolling hills into the Makhtesh Gadol (the Large Crater).  This makhtesh, like at Mitzpeh Ramon, is an erosion crater.  Centuries upon centuries of water seeping through the limestone, creating craters of such magnificence and drama that they are difficult to describe.  The Makhtesh Gadol is actually smaller than the one at Mitzpeh Ramon, and not as dramatic.  But is was special to see nonetheless. There was a thrilling descent from the forest on the way to the Makhtesh.  Several kilometers of steep switchback turns (if I can, I will come back with the actual numbers).

The climb out was... Really hard.  Miles of rolling hills up, with a peak climb steeper than anything I have ever tried (harder than the Great River Ride).  Several of the team actually rode all the way.  I walked some of it.

We are spending the evening in a lovely kibbutz. Great food. A campfire later on.

So, a surreal note.  There have been a couple of terrorist incidents in Jerusalem.  Two drivers plowing into pedestrians.  One a group of soldiers (in the West Bank), the other a group of civillians.  At least one fatality.  What is surreal is that we continue our ride, and it really has no impact on us in the south.  As with the students at the Arava Institute (who have a much more visceral experience of the politics here), we continue our ride and our mission - which is to support the vision of the Institute - and the belief that the people of the this region can... will... and must learn to trust one another - and that this is the only way that peace will come.

Tomorrow we ride to Mitzpeh Ramon, where we will spend shabbat.

L'hitra-ot,

Lester