Minnesota vs Israel at the Same Moment in Time

I woke up to -16 air temps today (nearly -40 with windchill). A few days ago, I was toasty warm in Israel. I promised Joanna, the founder of Kinetis, that I would show this pair of photos once I got back. A few days ago, Pharmie and Henry were outside shoveling 5 inches of fresh snow. Pharmie sent me these pics:

At that same moment, I was mountain biking in the Timna Valley (an Israeli National Park):

I'm sorry I'm not sorry. :)


p.s. If you're wondering about Kinetis and how I got sent to Israel, here's a bit of an explanation. Kinetis is an Israeli non-profit that works to spread the message that Israel might not be what you think it is: it's not all conflict and war and ghettos. Kinetis has done 10 "tours" of different groups of bloggers, like contemporary art, sustainability, fashion, food, architecture, etc. And I was 1 of 5 bloggers sent in their triathlon/athletic group. (I was maybe one of the "smaller" bloggers sent [I don't work for SlowTwitch or have 20,000 twitter followers], but I don't work for anyone here, so I can just post more fun, random photos that don't have to be "article" based.) They're trying to show us - and in turn have US show YOU - that Israel is a hotbed for start-up companies and ground-breaking technological advances.

Kinetis finds people/companies in Israel that are doing things related to each tour so they can talk to the group. During our time there, we talked with all kinds of awesome people, that do things like:

- create better endurance foods/fuel
- manufacture bike lubricants that practically work on a molecular level with 20,000 ball bearings / drop
- host running tours in Jerusalem
- use 3D imagining to prevent running injuries and fit bikes
- create copper-infused clothing and materials that resist bacteria (used by athletes and hospitals)
- build custom orthotics for athletes
- create anti-flat technology for road cyclists and mountain bikers
- use GPS to pre-program routes through national parks or other tourist areas
- build technology into bike helmets (and other things you'd use normally for a workout) that can transmit and store data like heart rate
- etc, etc.

I'll have more about those things in the coming weeks. And maybe a giveaway or 2.

During our first meal in Israel, one of the other bloggers asked what we were all thinking: "What do you want us to say? What are we supposed to be writing about?" The response was "Nothing. Something. Whatever you want to." Anything I've said (or will say) about my time in Israel are only my words.

Thanks to the great people at Kinetis for the amazing trip! Back with more soon!