Happy 64th Birthday, Jordan!

Madaba and Mount Nebo, Jordan

From Birds of Mount Nebo

I celebrated with a Tareef Cycling trip. A lot of people cancelled at the last minute to go to Independence Day events, so it was a small group, giving Nader himself a chance to do a little biking.

From Birds of Mount Nebo

Mostly a flat trip, it had a couple good, long hills, and while I would have gone up them in 3rd gear instead of 1st a year ago, I would’ve had to walk 2 years ago, so I was feeling pretty good about myself.

From Birds of Mount Nebo

We had our barbecue at this gorgeous new tourist facility built behind the Mount Nebo church. Yet another way that Jordan has changed in the time I’ve been here. At the same time, as several people commented, it seems a waste of money to have built this beautiful facility and then to have it stand empty but for the nesting birds….

Speaking of birds, I went a little overboard trying to catch a couple decent bird photos, after Ghadeer told me on my last visit to the village that the funny looking bird I’d photographed on Amman’s Citadel Hill was the hoopoe bird that I’ve always wondered about.

From Birds of Mount Nebo