Jerusalem to Ashkelon

The day began at 4:45 a.m. as my phone rang with my scheduled wake-up call. It's a rare thing when I get up before the sun. At 5:15 I was ready with my talit and tefillin and joined a group of riders for morning Minyan. There is something special about being in Jerusalem as the sun comes up over the city...as it reflects upon the stones of the city, beautiful...the City of Gold. The beauty of that moment combined with the anticipation and excitement of the coming day was inspiring.

After a hearty breakfast we gathered for stretching and the send off ceremony. Tefilat HaDerekh (Travellers Prayer) was recited in English, Arabic and Hebrew; Miles Herman sounded the shofar and then we started the ride out of the city. The route took us past the government center, Supreme Court, Keneset, Har Herzl, Yad Vashem and Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem. The ride was downhill at good speeds. It was a blast. Then we rested for a bit and started one of the hardest climbs I have ever done. It wasn't so long, but it was steep. I had to stop two times on the way to catch my breath, but I pedaled every mile. It was very rewarding to get to the top for lunch and to know that I had done it! It was also amazing to see the landscape, one I have travelled many times before by bus, from a totally different perspective. There were so many trees! I kept remembering the writings of Mark Twain and Theodore Herzl, who 100 years ago complained about how barren the land was -- no trees! But today, millions of trees. Thank you JNF. Did you know that Israel is the only country that began this century with more trees than the last. That's an amazing accomplishment.

After lunch we began the descent into the coastal plains. The landscape changed dramatically. It was flat, with some rolling hills, farm country and land for grazing. We saw sheep, goats and horses and all sorts of crops. The sunflower seeds were especially beautiful. Stuart remarked how the scene of sunflowers against the hills reminded him of Tuscany.

From there on it was just pedalling...a total of 60 miles to Ashkelon. When we arrived it was exihilarating! The Mediteranean was beautiful. Barry ran to the water and swam laps! His own mini triathalon! (I hate him! He's soooooo skinny too!) Me, well...Sue Carson and I started to dance with the alumni of the Arava Institute who met us with drums and tamborines! It was so exciting to know that we had accomplished something so challenging and wonderful. What a great feeling! Especially since I'm not feeling much else!

Needless to say...it's time for bed. Lilah tov...more to come.