"Taking the long way round..."

Sorry Dixie Chicks but that's something I would say!!!

Oh, did an old ride yesterday with some new twists. Ben Shemen to Latrun winding through beautiful fields and the ugliest building complex known to man (Modiin). I don't even want to spell the name correctly as it deserves nothing from those like me who love nature. Such construction is chewing up what remains of this beautiful region where Judas Maccabi roamed. It is huge. It is vile. It is a testament to the procreation of man that is really out of control. Okay, I know that's not an issue we really want to address, for we are so cleaver and are able to work around such trivial things like overpopulation, sustainability, blah, blah, blah. Drive big! Throw garbage! Enjoy.

Okay, back to the ride on a more sane note. I missed the almonds this year, but a lot of flowers are out now. Ran into a small pack of gazelles who ran from me only to come flying out in front of me on a bend. We both were kind of dazzled by the sight of one another. Also startled a coyote and I felt awful sensing how fearful he/she was after seeing me. I wonder what has happened to this beautiful animal that makes it feel like this. Forget it, I know.

It was great to do a real ride again too. Three hours and thirty minutes as well as almost 1,000 meters of climbing. No pain in my back or ankles, thank the biking G-ds, and everybody I ran into seemed happy.

Enough. First long ride at 50. There should be more I am hopeful. Even found a few Lost Roads and for sure I took the long way round! Chicks.