About three o’clock this afternoon, right after I lifted my bike high over my head and had the requisite photo by the Red Sea snapped, one of the ride crew members congratulated me for accomplishing this great feat. Clearly she was thinking of the five-day, 282-mile journey. For me it was much larger. When I tried to describe the eight-month, eight thousand mile journey that got me here I was unashamedly farklempt (the Tower of David is neither a tower nor did it have anything to do with David—discuss).
Today was the big finish. We were promised a few good climbs and one particularly long, steep, and beautiful descent onto Eilat. During our briefing session last night David Lehrer, director of the Arava Institute, suggested that many of us had already experienced the thrill of high speed descents and that we might want to savor this one a bit more. “You may get to the bottom wishing you had taken more time to enjoy the ride”—or some words to that effect. Will the metaphors ever cease?
I took him at face value and coaxed every bit out of today’s ride, stopping a few times to take in the view, and once to assist a new friend with a flat tire. It lived up to expectations with sandstone, limestone, and granite topography creating a rugged and colorful landscape. Just before we entered Eilat we came around a bend to see the Gulf and the city of Aqaba beyond it framed by the two cliffs between which we were emerging.
When I reached the bottom, my friend with the flat tire right behind me, the entire assembly of 105 riders was intact. We took a “victory lap” around a traffic circle and then, en masse, rode through the streets to reach the beach across the street from our hotel.
The partying began and will continue as we have a final banquet in just a few minutes. In between there was the typical daily flurry of activity around claiming luggage and laptops and day bags, and checking into the hotel, with the addition of breaking down and packing bicycles for shipment. Amazingly orderly chaos.
I’d love to sum up this whole experience with a few pithy remarks or predictions, but I suspect its true meaning will be revealed over time. I have met a number of people who have similar interests in the environment or in Judaism or in cycling or in all of these. Where these relationships will lead remains to be seen.
One conversation I had with a fellow rider this morning does capture at least one aspect of the experience. Yesterday I wrote about the occasional pin pricks of consciousness that I had experienced during the ride. I described this to her as analogous to sitting out in the hot tub and seeing a shooting star. It is brief, exciting, unpredictable, and a particularly rare occurrence. The exception being during a forecast meteor shower such as the Perseids in August. At such a time one might see a dozen or more shooting stars in one evening! The Israel Ride was like one of those starry nights with meteors of uncommon consciousness abounding.
Today was the big finish. We were promised a few good climbs and one particularly long, steep, and beautiful descent onto Eilat. During our briefing session last night David Lehrer, director of the Arava Institute, suggested that many of us had already experienced the thrill of high speed descents and that we might want to savor this one a bit more. “You may get to the bottom wishing you had taken more time to enjoy the ride”—or some words to that effect. Will the metaphors ever cease?
I took him at face value and coaxed every bit out of today’s ride, stopping a few times to take in the view, and once to assist a new friend with a flat tire. It lived up to expectations with sandstone, limestone, and granite topography creating a rugged and colorful landscape. Just before we entered Eilat we came around a bend to see the Gulf and the city of Aqaba beyond it framed by the two cliffs between which we were emerging.
When I reached the bottom, my friend with the flat tire right behind me, the entire assembly of 105 riders was intact. We took a “victory lap” around a traffic circle and then, en masse, rode through the streets to reach the beach across the street from our hotel.
The partying began and will continue as we have a final banquet in just a few minutes. In between there was the typical daily flurry of activity around claiming luggage and laptops and day bags, and checking into the hotel, with the addition of breaking down and packing bicycles for shipment. Amazingly orderly chaos.
I’d love to sum up this whole experience with a few pithy remarks or predictions, but I suspect its true meaning will be revealed over time. I have met a number of people who have similar interests in the environment or in Judaism or in cycling or in all of these. Where these relationships will lead remains to be seen.
One conversation I had with a fellow rider this morning does capture at least one aspect of the experience. Yesterday I wrote about the occasional pin pricks of consciousness that I had experienced during the ride. I described this to her as analogous to sitting out in the hot tub and seeing a shooting star. It is brief, exciting, unpredictable, and a particularly rare occurrence. The exception being during a forecast meteor shower such as the Perseids in August. At such a time one might see a dozen or more shooting stars in one evening! The Israel Ride was like one of those starry nights with meteors of uncommon consciousness abounding.
2 comments:
Yeshaya-Mazel Tov on your fantastic accomplishment!!! I am sure this memorable event will be one you will never forget. Thank you for sharing this with us in your very descriptive,wonderful blog.
Steve Shapiro
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! WHAT A FABULOUS JOURNEY... I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT IT!
SAFE TRAVELS HOME,
MELINA
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