Day 2 and 3 - Adam Martain

There was no internet access at Kibbutz Nir David so you are getting 2 for the price of 1.


Riding4Reform: Day 2 – Monday 19 March

Got up today at 6:45 so that we could eat and stretch by 8:15. We left the northern shores of the Dead Sea and started riding north towards our 2nd “sea”. The ride was totally on-road covering flats and rolling hills. Our destination at was Kibbutz Nir David which is cut by the waters of the Amal River. The Kibbutz is just north of the city of Beit She'an in the Jordan Valley which has been on the trade route to the East since the earliest times. The area that we went through was a contrast of desert corridors and cultivated fields.

I’ve held of from telling people (especially mum and the grandmas) the exact route, but if you look at a map and trace from Jerusalem to the northern tip of the Dead Sea and then up to Nir David you will understand why we had a police and army escort for most of the time. The drivers are much better in Judea and Samaria/The West Bank/the Occupied Territories!

Today we over doubled our distance and went 100 kilometres (about 60 miles), it was mainly uphill and north which is up anyway! We were also met along the way by both other members of the Mechina (where some of the money raised will help) and a few HUC students.

Go to www.riding4reform.org to read other riders BLOGS and see pictures.

Riding4Reform: Day 3 – Tuesday 20 March

Due to the English weather Israel has been getting recently today’s route had to be changed as the original one was too muddy. The route took us north from Kibbutz Nir David to the shores of Lake Kinneret, our 2nd “sea” (the Sea of Galilee). The army kindly opened up their paths for us and we cycled along the boarder with Jordan, being careful not to cycle on their “intruder traps”.

We negotiated a series of undulating hills and valleys crossing the Yisakhar River and the mountains of the same name. Lake Kinneret (the only natural freshwater lake in Israel and therefore one of the many ‘issues’ in any peace process) is located in the northern part of the Dead Sea rift in the Afro-Syrian rift valley. Luckily this isn’t as active as the San Fernando Valley, although it does move Syria 1 cm away each year, possibly an answer to that peace process!

After what has been 3 hard days of cycling we are off to relax in the Chamei Tiveria spa, on the shores of the lake and recharge our batteries for tomorrow which will be the hardest day.

Went back down to a more sensible distance of 65 kilometres (about 41 miles) but climbed 900 meters.

Go to www.riding4reform.org to read other riders BLOGS and see pictures.