Newest Adventure Cycling bike route is a detour to Motor City

The home of the American auto industry is one of the cities on an alternate route unveiled today for the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route.

The Adventure Cycling Association didn't choose Detroit for its status as an auto maker, however. It was chosen for its place in history as the last stop for some slaves before reaching freedom in Canada.

The 2,000-mile Underground Railroad Bicycle Route, launched five years ago, roughly traces the paths of escaped slaves from the Deep South. The original bike route rolls out between Mobile, Alabama, and Owens Sound, Ontario.

The new 518-mile long Detroit Alternate, announced today to celebrate Black History Month, breaks from the main bike route at Oberlin, Ohio, and heads west around Lake Erie. (The main route heads east toward Buffalo.)

Along the way, the new alternate passes through Toledo, Ann Arbor, and Detroit and skirts the scenic countryside of Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron.

Students of history can find plenty of evidence of Detroit's role helping slaves reach freedom before the Civil War. There's the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, as well as the Living Museum at the Historical First Congregational Church which offers a “flight to freedom” tour and storytelling programs.

Adventure Cycling's Ginny Sullivan also credits Detroit's recent efforts to improve conditions for cyclists with bike lanes and greenways.

Among other historical stops along the route are Oberlin College and the Oberlin Heritage Center and Adrian, Michigan's Lenawee County Historical Museum, which houses many documents relating to the underground railroad.

In Canada is the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum. The town was a successful settlement for fugitive slaves and free blacks.

Aside from the historical aspects of the route, cartographer Jenn Milyko points out the alternate route can be used for one- or two-week loop rides that encompass parts of the Northern Tier or Lake Erie Connector bicycle routes.

If you live in that region, you might get a chance to visit with members of the Adventure Cycling staff and executive director Jim Sayer when they make presentations in Troy and Detroit, Michigan; Toledo, Oberlin, Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio; and Pittsburgh between Feb. 22-28.

This is a great endeavor for Adventure Cycling, and I'm glad to see the non-profit continuing to add this historical dimension to its 41,399 miles of bicycle routes that criss-cross North America.

Next on tap for Adventure Cycling: Route 66 — The Mother Road.