Cycling

A rare sighting of Maira, age 11, outside during daylight hours.

I saw in the comments that Jean and Dana are wondering if I get out on my bike much.

It took me 3/4 of the year here to work up the nerve to start riding regularly. The roads are not so well suited for riders here, not like the quiet sprawling farm-land that Dana and I used to ride through in Howard County.

Here, if there is enough of a shoulder, the road is probably a major artery and not so fun to ride on. On the other hand, a minor road is likely to be too narrow. Not to mention that Israeli drivers have little inclination to share the road with other drivers, let alone cyclists.

This spring I finally got fed up with the sad sight of my bike gathering dust. I found an acceptable route that was actually pleasant. It goes north toward Haifa on a road with a wide shoulder, then up into the Carmel mountain with a hefty 10K or more climb, for a total of roughly 35 miles. There are many cyclists along this route, so I often ended up riding with someone which was nice.

What I like about Israeli cyclist is that they like company. If I ride in the states and come across a faster cyclist, or any cyclist, they just wave and move on. Here, when we meet, we adjust our rates to ride together. (Or, I should say, they don't seem to mind slowing down for me.) I see people waving each other down if they are going in opposite directions, then change directions so that they have someone to ride home with. Very nice.

That was all fine until summer hit.

The climb, like everything, is totally exposed and very unpleasant in the full sun. By summer, I would have to leave by 6 AM to avoid the heat. Anyone who knows me well, knows that 6 AM doesn't happen. Then the rockets started coming, so North became off limits (though I have friends that continued riding that route).

So after some more sad weeks while my bike sat neglected a corner, I finally found another route that heads south to Givat Ada. It is shorter, and less challenging. And to avoid the heat I go in the evening just in time for rush hour, which is not so bad going toward a small town like GA, but a little crazy around the train station in Binyamina. Remember what I said about adaptation?

Anyway, the rockets are once again tucked away in the bunkers of Southern Lebanon, and the days are shortening. So maybe I will resume my Northern route soon.