The 2,058-mile Underground Railroad Bicycle Route is finished and ready for action.
Actually, the route has been there since before the Civil War, when escaped slaves from the Deep South followed the Tombigbee to the Ohio River and beyond to freedom in Canada.
It's just now that the Adventure Cycling Association has completed more than three years of research and planning to chart that route along bike friendly, low-traffic roads from Mobile, Alabama, to Owen Sound, Ontario.
The recent completion of the last three sections of the five-section route has caused a minor buzz in the press, and at least one community along the route is preparing to welcome touring bicyclists with open arms (i.e. free camping in parks).
Joint project
The idea of a historically themed bicycle route brought together Adventure Cycling (formerly BikeCentennial) and the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Minority Health. While Adventure Cycling boasts 36,000 miles of bike routes criss-crossing the country, this is one of the more significant, right up there with the Lewis & Clark bike route and the first Trans-America route.
The route passes former slave markets, historical African-American churches, Civil War battlefields, and many museums and locations made famous in the struggle to abolish slavery.
Press
The Associated Press recently published a story, which has been picked up in many newspapers, telling how the route was conceived and that one of the goals is to broaden the interest in cycling beyond the “college-educated white guys over 40 group.” In another article, Steven Thomas, director of the Minority Health Center, tells USA Today that the project is “one of the most interesting partnerships to advance minority health and lift up black history.”
While the route skirts a couple of cities, it mainly sticks to small-town America. A councilman in one of those towns, Aberdeen, Ohio, has told city officials to expect plenty of bicyclists passing through town, stopping to eat and possibly staying in hotels. He wants the city to open the green space in town for tent campers.
Biking the route
Bicyclists can take the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route on their own (route maps with historical descriptions and services are available at Adventure Cycling), or hitch up with a self-contained tour.
In 2007, there's also a special 7-day supported ride from Buffalo to Owen Sound, scheduled to arrive at the Emancipation Festival in early August.
This sounds like a great bike route, and I wish I had the four of five weeks to tackle it. I'd love to hear from you if you're planning on making the trip yourself.
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