November 3rd, 2017

The Spokes on the Bike go ‘Round and ‘Round 

 

Northern Negev –> Mitzpe Ramon

Today the Israel Ride entered the heart of the desert, and in doing so, climbed, and climbed some more. Once again I was mostly with the Chalutzim group. We spent almost the entire day riding along the Egyptian border on a road that has been inaccessible to us for the past four Rides. Coolest of all, we had a military truck escorting us along the way. The climbs were long and steep, but the views were magnificent, and overall it was a truly incredible experience.

The other two groups, Tzofim and Shomrim, experienced the equally magnificent dessert landscapes along their route. Together, they ate lunch at Sde Boker, the gravesite of David Ben Gurion – the first Prime Minister of Israel. The Shomrim hiked to a beautiful desert spring in the afternoon, and then all were greeted at the end of the day by one of the most breath-taking sites of the trip, Mitzpe Ramon – home to the largest of the five makhteshim in Israel.

After three days of riding and non-stop work, we look forward to enjoying a restful and rejuvenating Shabbat. The day will feature optional programming including communal prayer, discussions, hikes, and yoga. There will also be opportunities to learn more about the work of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and Hazon, and of course, catch up on some sleep. We’ll then close out Shabbat with Havdallah overlooking the maktesh.

Shabbat Shalom, and a great big Mazel Tov to all of our riders who have made it past the halfway point of their journey.

Sincerely,

Carlee
Program & Logistics Coordinator – Hazon