Mad dogs and Enlishmen stand out in the noon day sun

I wrote this entry one day before my bicycle accident that sent me to Hadassah Hospital for one month. My recovery has been ongoing for I haven’t stopped going to therapy. In fact, on February 4, 2020 I’m having hand surgery, a tendon transplant for my thumb that was damaged on my fall.

I just realized that I never published it; consequently, I’m publishing it now.

Today was the first day of the ride and we are in the middle of a Hamsin or heat wave.The temp depending upon whom you talked to was between 104-106 degrees F with radiant off the highway up to 112 degrees. I was dragging the whole time and I couldn't understand why. I rode 24 miles out of 25 to lunch and I was always the very last person. I had to stop that one mile before liunch and hop onto the bus because I just couldn't go any further.  I had a charlie horse in each leg. Whe the person hung up my bike on the bike rack he told me that my back break was stuck.  I was riding on my breaks the whole way meaning I was working 3 times as hard as anybody else and that was the reason I was traveling at around 6 mph! Another perosn said he remembered me from the last trip and how I used to run and now I was the very last person!  Because of the heat , he didn't put 2 and 2 together. My riding was over for the day.  Tomorrow isn't supposed to be so hot.

After lunch we went to the Moshav Nitivay Asaarah, The way of the 10, named in honor of 10 soldiers hwo died defending tghe area. Originally the settlerss were in Yamit and when the government returned the Sinai to Egypt, they moved and created this Moshav.  It is ther closest Israeli settlement to Gaza.  There are two massive concrete walls protecting it from snipers. They are so close to the border when a rocket is shot form Gaza over the walls, the residents have 5 seconds to get to a shelter!