I just had one of the most amazing experiences ever. I was invited by Carlys other dad, Alon אלון קולט, to take a bike ride in the Judean desert with some of his friends. He told me it would be 60 kilometers mostly downhill ending near the Dead Sea. I figured riding 36 miles to the lowest point on earth couldnt be too hard. Right. The night before started out great. We unloaded the gear into bedouin tents in the desert, then cracked open some beers, barbecued beef and chicken on wooden skewers and made french fries in a pot of oil over a flame. Just when I thought I couldnt eat any more, they brought out surprise birthday cakes with sparklers in them. All the guys whod barely just met me sang happy birthday. We hit the sack in the giant tent (which was open on one side all night) and a couple hours later (literally - Israel sprung forward that night and we got up at 5 am), we packed up and headed out. During the drive there, I had asked Alon how long the ride would take and he said 5-6 hours. I was thinking these guys must go pretty slow, I can handle that. Then I asked him if the road we were driving on is the same road wed be biking and he casually answered no, were riding a trail through the mountains. All the sudden 7 m.p.h. didnt seem so slow. Well at least its mostly downhill, I thought. OMFG! The first 10 miles or so were like 80% uphill on rocky, bumpy trails. I thought I was gonna die. Then the short downhill sections were so steep I had to squeeze the brakes nearly as hard as I could to keep from breaking the sound barrier. Some of the uphill sections were so steep several guys had to push the bikes up and one was so rocky no one could ride; it was better to carry the bikes. This was the one time in my life I really NEEDED a helmet cam. The terrain was hair raising and the scenery was breathtaking. The group of 20 guys (15 riders and 5 drivers to drop us off and meet us at the stops along the way) were some of the most easy going people Ive ever met. I never heard one complaint (granted I dont speak their language) and most of them took the time to chat with me and often checked on how I was holding up along the ride. At the end we went to soak in the sulphur hot springs at the Ein Gedi spa and then munched on schnitzels and leftover skewers rewarmed by the driving crew. I was so tired and sore when we got back that I went to bed shortly after a delicious homemade dinner (made by Alons wife Sylvia and his father-in-law Avram) and then slept about 11 hours. I am EXTREMELY grateful to my brother Alon for including me in this great adventure, lending me the bike, gloves, and camelback and keeping me supplied with water, energy bars and gel packs. He took such great care of me that I started calling him Abah. This trip also gave me a clear understanding of my son Ryans love for football. Ryan used to tell me how miserable camp, 2 a days and summer practices could be and I always wondered why he kept going back if it was so awful. When I was climbing those hills under the desert sun, I was really hating it. During the ride I asked myself why I was doing it and promising myself that Id never do anything like it again. I likened it to childbirth; something I wont consider doing again until the memory of the pain has faded away. But now, less than 48 hours later, Im sure that I would - and will - do it again.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 11:42:29 +0000
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