So I have not gotten around to making a slide show of my photos, but one of our teammates, Eyal Eshel, made an awesome video - check it out at:
http://youtu.be/gMt5ZwRV19E
Also, you can look a lots of ride photos on the Israel Ride web page. go to www.israelride.org, and click on 2014 photos, or you can go directly to the album page at:
https://plus.google.com/photos/115300688347842383282/albums
Still flying (riding?) high from the trip. Can't wait 'til 2016!
l'hit-ra-ot,
Lester
Friday, November 28, 2014
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Some Photos from Day 5 and after
We ride from Ketura to the Egyptian border and into Eilat.
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| Leaving Ketura |
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| Up the very steep valley wall |
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| This is the view from the climb we just completed |
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| Minutemenschen at the top! |
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| We spend most of the day riding though desert like this. |
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| The Egyptian border - now scarred by a security fence its entire length. |
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| Lunch on the Egyptian Border |
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| The Lexington Minutemenschen! |
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| We made it to the Red Sea! |
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| At a lovely spot. |
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| Right near the border crossing to Egypt. |
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| Aqaba, Jordan in the background. See you in 2016!!!! |
Some Photos from Day 4
Here are some photos from Day 4:
We begin the day davening at the Makhtesh
We begin the day davening at the Makhtesh
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| Which is a Really Big Place |
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| We are joined by some friendly neighbors |
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| Down this really steep, windy road. |
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| And across the floor of the Mkhtesh to the other side. |
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| There are some unusual road signs in the desert. |
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| We arrive at Kibbutz Ketura |
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| The solar panel field |
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| This is a beautiful spot |
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Day 5: The Best for Last
Day 5: The Best for Last
Day 5 of the ride was in many ways the best. We were given the option of a bus ride up the hill from Ketura. It is a 3.3 mile climb back up the steep road we came in on yesterday. With some trepidation, since I remember it as a very difficult slog, I decided to give it a try. It either became more difficult in my memory, or I have become a better climber. Not that it was by any means an easy climb, but I made I made it to the top without stopping, and I was by no means the last one up. This ride is about many challenges, large and small. This was one of those challenges, and I feel great satisfaction at having met it.
Today's ride is through some of the most stark desert landscape we had seen. (I will post more photos, but the Internet connection here is very slow. I will have to wait until I get back to the states. You'll just have to come back!). Miles upon miles of scorched barren land. As one of our guides tells us, we are farther away from any settled part of Israel than we will ever be. We are riding west across the desert to the Egyptian border. It is mostly flat, and we have the opportunity to cruise at a good clip 2 abreast. Gives us time to have long conversations along the way. I also like to spend some time riding alone with my thoughts. Can't say they are always profound. Sometimes I just sing!
Our lunch break is on a hill right along the border. We have not seen any Egyptian soldiers have we have in past years. The border used to be a fairly open affair, with a just a chain link fence and some barbed wire and many open spots. Sadly there was a terrorist incursion from the Sinai several years ago. As a result Israel has built a high fence along the entire length. It is high tech, double dense, topped with wire. It glistens in the sun and scars the landscape. It is also something of an environmental disaster, as it blocks the migration of wildlife across the desert. (Remember the Arava Institute's motto: Nature knows no boundaries.). Another example of the imperatives of security that guide so much of life in this troubled region.
Lunch on the 5th is always photo day. We are in our Lexington Minutemenschen bike jerseys, and we have some great shots, front and back (you'll just have to wait to see!). The Team has made this a very different ride for me. In past years when I have done this ride alone, I have had the opportunity to make friends and chat along the way, but it has always been an essentially solitary experience. I mean that in a positive way. I have enjoyed the long stretches of solitude during which I could just be within myself. But this time I am here with a group of friends with whom I share a passion for riding. I am proud to have recruited them, and take great satisfaction as they have come to also share my passion for the cause we are supporting. I also have a group of friends who now share the physical, spiritual and emotional experience that this ride is. It is life changing? Maybe. But it is certainly adds a dimension and depth to our riding experience that until now I have only been able to try to explain.
The descent down into Eilat is, as always, thrilling, breathtakingly beautiful, and a little scary. It isn't the steepest of our ride, but it is the longest. This is the stretch where on my first ride, one very experienced rider had a catastrophic fall at high speed. He survived but was seriously injured. His story has become the bedrock of the safety lecture that is repeated at every steep hill. But with a little sense and good luck, this hill is as manageable as any. We begin high in the rocky hills, through switch backs that give no real clue as to where we are headed. Then around a final bend, suddenly the Red Sea and the city of Eilat glisten ahead of us, and across the water is Aqaba, Jordan. This is a place where on a clear day you can see 4 countries. Standing in Israel, you can see Egypt to the right, and across the harbor is Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Back to the Ride: We speed into town, stopping at the first traffic circle, where the crew waits for us with popsicles. Why popsicles, I don't know. But it is a tradition! We then ride in a triumphant procession to the hotel where there is food and drink and general celebration. Bikes are packed, we have a closing ceremony, complete with a slide show of photos the crew has taken thought the ride, songs and a few tears.
And suddenly the Ride is over. Riders begin to trickle out; some are going right home, others on extended trips. Hugs all around. Promises to stay in touch, at least on Facebook. And that's it. I have a day to relax at the hotel, will have lunch with my cousin Hagai who is in Eilat for a conference, and then we (Neal and Derek are on the same flight) too Iwill depart. Back to Boston, work, family and every day life.
As usual, it will take me some time to reflect on this experience, and I may post my thoughts in the weeks to come (though if history is any predictor, I will not be as good at keeping up this journal as I would like.). High in my thinking right now is how much the ride has brought me in full cycle in my recovery from prostate cancer. Two years ago this ride was part of my bargain with my urologist. One more long ride, then several months off the bike to see if my PSA would come down. It did not, and an MRI confirmed cancer too advanced to ignore. I am fortunate and blessed that the surgery was successful. I did not require follow up treatment, and now, nearly 18 months later I am cancer free, strong, and once again riding through this Land of such beauty, history, and deep connection.
As I write, tensions between Israel and and Palestinians are increasing. There has been more violence in Jerusalem, and even in Tel Aviv. Are we naive to believe that we can raise money and ride in support of a vision of cooperation and trust that will ultimate lead to peace in this troubled Land? Perhaps we are. But what is the alternative? I cannot accept that we are condemned to a perpetual cycle of death and destruction. Will peace come in my lifetime? My kids'? Their kids'? I pray it does not take that long. In the meantime, we have no choice but to support those who are actively engaged in building the foundations of trust that will - that must - bring about that peace that we so desperately need.
And so, except for photos that I will post later, I close this episode of my journey the seat of my bike. It has been everything I could have hoped for, and more.
L'hitra-ot. Until next time
Lester
Day 5 of the ride was in many ways the best. We were given the option of a bus ride up the hill from Ketura. It is a 3.3 mile climb back up the steep road we came in on yesterday. With some trepidation, since I remember it as a very difficult slog, I decided to give it a try. It either became more difficult in my memory, or I have become a better climber. Not that it was by any means an easy climb, but I made I made it to the top without stopping, and I was by no means the last one up. This ride is about many challenges, large and small. This was one of those challenges, and I feel great satisfaction at having met it.
Today's ride is through some of the most stark desert landscape we had seen. (I will post more photos, but the Internet connection here is very slow. I will have to wait until I get back to the states. You'll just have to come back!). Miles upon miles of scorched barren land. As one of our guides tells us, we are farther away from any settled part of Israel than we will ever be. We are riding west across the desert to the Egyptian border. It is mostly flat, and we have the opportunity to cruise at a good clip 2 abreast. Gives us time to have long conversations along the way. I also like to spend some time riding alone with my thoughts. Can't say they are always profound. Sometimes I just sing!
Our lunch break is on a hill right along the border. We have not seen any Egyptian soldiers have we have in past years. The border used to be a fairly open affair, with a just a chain link fence and some barbed wire and many open spots. Sadly there was a terrorist incursion from the Sinai several years ago. As a result Israel has built a high fence along the entire length. It is high tech, double dense, topped with wire. It glistens in the sun and scars the landscape. It is also something of an environmental disaster, as it blocks the migration of wildlife across the desert. (Remember the Arava Institute's motto: Nature knows no boundaries.). Another example of the imperatives of security that guide so much of life in this troubled region.
Lunch on the 5th is always photo day. We are in our Lexington Minutemenschen bike jerseys, and we have some great shots, front and back (you'll just have to wait to see!). The Team has made this a very different ride for me. In past years when I have done this ride alone, I have had the opportunity to make friends and chat along the way, but it has always been an essentially solitary experience. I mean that in a positive way. I have enjoyed the long stretches of solitude during which I could just be within myself. But this time I am here with a group of friends with whom I share a passion for riding. I am proud to have recruited them, and take great satisfaction as they have come to also share my passion for the cause we are supporting. I also have a group of friends who now share the physical, spiritual and emotional experience that this ride is. It is life changing? Maybe. But it is certainly adds a dimension and depth to our riding experience that until now I have only been able to try to explain.
The descent down into Eilat is, as always, thrilling, breathtakingly beautiful, and a little scary. It isn't the steepest of our ride, but it is the longest. This is the stretch where on my first ride, one very experienced rider had a catastrophic fall at high speed. He survived but was seriously injured. His story has become the bedrock of the safety lecture that is repeated at every steep hill. But with a little sense and good luck, this hill is as manageable as any. We begin high in the rocky hills, through switch backs that give no real clue as to where we are headed. Then around a final bend, suddenly the Red Sea and the city of Eilat glisten ahead of us, and across the water is Aqaba, Jordan. This is a place where on a clear day you can see 4 countries. Standing in Israel, you can see Egypt to the right, and across the harbor is Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Back to the Ride: We speed into town, stopping at the first traffic circle, where the crew waits for us with popsicles. Why popsicles, I don't know. But it is a tradition! We then ride in a triumphant procession to the hotel where there is food and drink and general celebration. Bikes are packed, we have a closing ceremony, complete with a slide show of photos the crew has taken thought the ride, songs and a few tears.
And suddenly the Ride is over. Riders begin to trickle out; some are going right home, others on extended trips. Hugs all around. Promises to stay in touch, at least on Facebook. And that's it. I have a day to relax at the hotel, will have lunch with my cousin Hagai who is in Eilat for a conference, and then we (Neal and Derek are on the same flight) too Iwill depart. Back to Boston, work, family and every day life.
As usual, it will take me some time to reflect on this experience, and I may post my thoughts in the weeks to come (though if history is any predictor, I will not be as good at keeping up this journal as I would like.). High in my thinking right now is how much the ride has brought me in full cycle in my recovery from prostate cancer. Two years ago this ride was part of my bargain with my urologist. One more long ride, then several months off the bike to see if my PSA would come down. It did not, and an MRI confirmed cancer too advanced to ignore. I am fortunate and blessed that the surgery was successful. I did not require follow up treatment, and now, nearly 18 months later I am cancer free, strong, and once again riding through this Land of such beauty, history, and deep connection.
As I write, tensions between Israel and and Palestinians are increasing. There has been more violence in Jerusalem, and even in Tel Aviv. Are we naive to believe that we can raise money and ride in support of a vision of cooperation and trust that will ultimate lead to peace in this troubled Land? Perhaps we are. But what is the alternative? I cannot accept that we are condemned to a perpetual cycle of death and destruction. Will peace come in my lifetime? My kids'? Their kids'? I pray it does not take that long. In the meantime, we have no choice but to support those who are actively engaged in building the foundations of trust that will - that must - bring about that peace that we so desperately need.
And so, except for photos that I will post later, I close this episode of my journey the seat of my bike. It has been everything I could have hoped for, and more.
L'hitra-ot. Until next time
Lester
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Day 4: Into Ketura and the Arava Institute. This is why we ride.
Shabbat in Mitzpeh Ramon was lovely. Restful, a massage, a schvitz, strolling around the town. A nap - much needed, but I slept through the student presentation.
This morning dawned clear and crisp. We gathered at the Makhtesh for morning prayers and a group picture. Then a thrilling descent into the Makhtesh. Speeding down through literally millions of years of erosion resulting in one of the most spectacular geological phenomena you can imagine (photos will follow). We rode across the Makhtesh, criss-crossing ancient Nabatian spice routes, out the other side. Down another steep descent into a dry river wadi, and up the other side. Much of today's ride was through long straight stretches of desert, without too much traffic, so plenty of time to chat with other riders, as well as to open up for long sprints. Much welcome after days of rolling hills and steep climbs (not that there weren't some of those today too). We took a long spur towards the border with Jordan, and were treated to two young gazelles sprinting across the road right in front of us.
Our final climb of the day was to the rim of the Arava Valley, followed by a three mile step descent to the floor of the valley, and another mile to Kibbutz Ketura, home of the Arava Institute. Such an important grounding for our ride.
The kibbutz sits in the shadow of the mountains of Jordan; the site of so many biblical dramas, including the point from which Moses gazed into the Promised Land, which he was forbidden to enter. We had the opportunity to tour the facilities here, including the Arava Power Company's solar panel field - Israel's first commercial solar panel field. There are plans for expansion so that the field will be able to supply up to 7% of Eilat's power needs. And new fields are in the works in cooperation with Palestinians in the West Bank, and with Jordan. These are examples of the vision of the Arava Institute at work. Environmental technology developed here, and deployed across political boundaries, showing the potential for peace when it is coupled with the trust engendered by these cooperative ventures. A highlight of the evening is the opportunity to meet with current students from Israel, Jordan and the West Bank to hear of their journeys to this piece of desert, and to share their dreams of sustainable environmental initiatives that will sow the seeds of peace, maybe even in this generation.
Tomorrow we retrace our route out of the valley, up the steep and winding road, and on to Eilat.
L'hitra-ot,
Lester
This morning dawned clear and crisp. We gathered at the Makhtesh for morning prayers and a group picture. Then a thrilling descent into the Makhtesh. Speeding down through literally millions of years of erosion resulting in one of the most spectacular geological phenomena you can imagine (photos will follow). We rode across the Makhtesh, criss-crossing ancient Nabatian spice routes, out the other side. Down another steep descent into a dry river wadi, and up the other side. Much of today's ride was through long straight stretches of desert, without too much traffic, so plenty of time to chat with other riders, as well as to open up for long sprints. Much welcome after days of rolling hills and steep climbs (not that there weren't some of those today too). We took a long spur towards the border with Jordan, and were treated to two young gazelles sprinting across the road right in front of us.
Our final climb of the day was to the rim of the Arava Valley, followed by a three mile step descent to the floor of the valley, and another mile to Kibbutz Ketura, home of the Arava Institute. Such an important grounding for our ride.
The kibbutz sits in the shadow of the mountains of Jordan; the site of so many biblical dramas, including the point from which Moses gazed into the Promised Land, which he was forbidden to enter. We had the opportunity to tour the facilities here, including the Arava Power Company's solar panel field - Israel's first commercial solar panel field. There are plans for expansion so that the field will be able to supply up to 7% of Eilat's power needs. And new fields are in the works in cooperation with Palestinians in the West Bank, and with Jordan. These are examples of the vision of the Arava Institute at work. Environmental technology developed here, and deployed across political boundaries, showing the potential for peace when it is coupled with the trust engendered by these cooperative ventures. A highlight of the evening is the opportunity to meet with current students from Israel, Jordan and the West Bank to hear of their journeys to this piece of desert, and to share their dreams of sustainable environmental initiatives that will sow the seeds of peace, maybe even in this generation.
Tomorrow we retrace our route out of the valley, up the steep and winding road, and on to Eilat.
L'hitra-ot,
Lester
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Friday, November 7, 2014
Day 3. There is nothing like riding in the desert.
Last night the moon was so full and bright, it nearly blocked out the stars. Not that we stayed up so late star gazing, since morning comes early on the Ride. And indeed it did! After wonderful kibbutz breakfast we are off. It is sunny and a little cool. And windy. We head off on a busy highway on our way south towards Mitzpeh Ramon. The first 30 miles or so are on the shoulder of a 4 lane highway. (Can you imagine that in the Sates.) Not that we would choose this kind of road..it's just that there aren't that many roads here! And since we are riding farther to the east than usual (a result of the war in Gaza this summer) there really isn't any choice.
We finally turned west and headed down a much quieter road towards the Egyptian border. Past army bases and firing ranges (quiet today, thank you). Rest stop was across from Israel's two maximum security prisons. One for "political" crimes, i.e. Terrorists, and the other is for regular crimes. As we remembered this week the 19th anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, we noted that the Israeli who killed him is in the prison of political crimes.
Onward towards the border, and lunch at a point about 5km from the fence. Did I mention it was windy? Well the strong wind - mostly a cross wind, slowed us down such that there was not time to make the last leg after lunch. Not to worry, it was a beautiful ride nonetheless. The desert is so stark and striking (photos to follow). Funny thing about a cross wind. It feels like it is in your face in both directions. This was a hard ride with many rolling hills and several steep climbs.
But finally we rolled into Miztpeh Ramon, where we will spend shabbat. This is a lovely respite from the first three days of very hard riding. The ride people say the first two days where the hardest for the group i ride in ever. That made the third day, which is always hard, even tougher. Did I mention that it was really windy?
Tomorrow we will spend shabbat wandering around this desert town. Peering into the Makhtesh. Maybe even hiking in a bit. We will also hear from students and alumni of the Arava institute who will tell us their stories. Always an inspiring part of the ride. And we will all celebrate Havdalah (the end of Shabbat) in the overlook at the Makhtesh. But no biking!
More later.
L'hitra-ot,
Lester
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Some Photos
Here are a few photos of the ride so far. More to come later..and even more when we get back an combine the ones that we have all taken.
Images from Mahane Yehuda - the Jewish Market in Jerusalem:
Day One of the Ride - Down from Jerusalem. I got to blow the shofar sending us out.
Day two. Into the Desert:
Images from Mahane Yehuda - the Jewish Market in Jerusalem:
Day One of the Ride - Down from Jerusalem. I got to blow the shofar sending us out.
Day two. Into the Desert:
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