Thursday is a hard ride.

So it is Thursday.  The earth is continuing to shake after the election.  There have been protests in the street - but also the beginning of serious thought about what a Trump presidency will be... it is still very scary. And hopefully it will galvanize the left into a meaningful opposition.  My biggest fear is the Supreme Court...  but I really can't yet put into words my thoughts and fears - I suppose that's part of a defense against trauma... it will still take time to process.

In the meantime, we are riding in Israel.  Yesterday we rode out of Jerusalem to Ashkelon.  A fast ride with not much climbing.  Excitement and a bit of nerves keep my heart rate a little higher than I would like... but we arrive in good shape, and in time to gaze out onto the Mediterranean Sea.

Today we rode south, close the the Gaza Strip, and into the Negev - the beginning of the desert ride.  I have written before about the magic of riding in the desert.  There is really nothing like it... the stark landscape, the heat - it indeed engages all the senses.  We rode 81 miles, with our first hard climbs, and finally rolled into the small industrial town of Yerucham.

                                                         Gaza City

Usual routine tonight.  A little down-time, a beer, dinner, briefing for tomorrow's ride.. and then early to bed.

Tomorrow will be our hardest ride - shorter than today, but some intense climbing.  We ride into a Makhtesh (The Makhtesh Gadol or Big Makhtesh), and then have to climb out.  There is about a mile of incline between 12 - 15%.  That's pretty steep,  I will write more about what is a Makhtesh later (it's an erosion crater - look it up on Wikipedia).  Then to Mitzpe Roman (site of a bigger Makhtesh) for Friday night and Shabbat rest.

Until then,

L'hitra-ot

Lester