Eric on The Road

Journeys into the offbeat, off the beaten path, overlooked and forgotten - by Eric Model

Friday, March 09, 2007

New bicycle routes trace Underground Railroad (USA Today)

FROM USA TODAY:


By Jayne Clark, USA TODAY
March 9, 2007

In the 19th century, thousands of people who sought release from slavery followed the North Star to freedom. Now, bicyclists can follow a series of maps that approximate the historic 2,100-mile Underground Railroad from the Deep South into Canada.

The just-completed Underground Railroad bicycle route is chronicled in five maps of about 400 miles each starting in Mobile, Ala., and ending in Owen Sound, Ontario. The course meanders along back roads and through wildlife refuges and small towns. It highlights sites, from a former slave market in Mobile to Owen Sound, a town founded by freedom seekers and known as the final terminal of the figurative railroad. Also included are detailed lists of services, including lodgings and libraries, many of which will serve as "stations" on this 21st-century version of the route. Participating libraries will offer resources such as Internet access, plus displays related to the route.

The project was conceived by the Adventure Cycling Association, a non-profit group. Coming off the success of a Lewis and Clark heritage bike trail it created for the explorers' bicentennial, Adventure Cycling polled its 43,000 members for ideas on where to create a new one. The Underground Railroad route got the nod.

For more, see the complete article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2007-03-08-underground-railroad-bicycle-route_N.htm

1 Comments:

Blogger sftriman said...

There is a race this summer called the Raven's Chase (or something like that) which goes from Washington D.C. to New Orleans. I wonder if it'll somehow incorporate part of this underground railroad bicycle route in some way. They intend to make a reality TV show out of it, sort of like the Amazing Race. If I do the Raven Chase event, I'll post my updates on QBike.com - watch for postings related to this posting.

12:56 AM  

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