Cycling the Underground Railroad

The Entire Trip--Mobile, Alabama to Louisville, Kentucky.    I decided to roughly edit this blog, add some actual maps from Strava (a cycling app), and put everything in one place for easier reading.  I have attached a link to the first draft of what I've entitled "Following the Drinking Gourd:  Adventures Cycling the Underground Railroad-Part 1. There's a lot to read here, but perhaps you'd just like to browse through the photos.   Enjoy! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PjdFpJj4US_YmOEg4_oMeknzZrRwge6W/view?usp=sharing 

DAY 29:  BRANDENBURG, KY TO NEW ALBANY, IN (LOUISVILLE, KY) In a Free State, but not quite free. The Brandenburg Bridge leading to Indiana  (not to be confused with the Brandenburg Gate in Germany). Today was the last leg of the first half of this journey.   I'm in Indiana, the 6th state on this trek.  I crossed the Ohio River once again, but this time via a bridge at Brandenburg,  Kentucky.  "Indiana wants me..." The attitude toward "runaway slaves" was still not friendly in this part of the country, and recapture was a serious risk.  They would need to go further up river to find reliable "conductors" to help them across to safety.  Little road through the big woods. On this final day of this trip, the pedalling took me through forests and farmlands. Little hills (and big hills, not shown) In trying to imagine what it it might have been like to be escaping enslavement, I felt slightly "exposed" as I rode through valleys where the land had b...

DAY 28:  LEWISPORT TO BRANDENBURG, KY Today was the 2nd longest ride of this part of the Underground Railroad route.  But it was also one of the most special.  I was joined by Mark and Cheryl Dobbs of Indianapolis.  Mark and Cheryl Dobbs.  Mark would be my riding companion for the day! I have known Mark for over 50 years.  His dad, the late Dr. Howard Dobbs, was the Minister at the church I grew up in.  He was a very important mentor and friend even into my adult life.  I say without hesitation that he was one of the most significant influences in my life.  His wife, Carolyn, was my long suffering piano teacher (of which I was a horrible student). Mark celebrating his 60th birthday riding over 60 miles on Highway 60. Today was Mark's 60th birthday.  There is a tradition among "mature" cyclists to ride your age in miles on your birthday.  Here he is (above) on his 60th birthday riding 60 miles on U.S. Highway 60. He actually rode 69 ...

DAY 27: OWENSBORO TO LEWISPORT, KY An IHOP restaurant was right next to my motel this morning, so I decided on breakfast there.  As I was getting on my bike ready to leave, a server who was outside on a break asked where I was going.  I shared my story and gave here one of my "travel cards." "Travel Card" I had printed to share my ride along the way. She was eager to know about the Equal Justice Initiative.  After giving a brief overview (trying not to be overly verbose), she reached into her apron and handed me $10 from her tip money.  I told her that really wasn't why I shared, and I thought she probably didn't make a lot, and that I really  appreciated her heart. "No.  I really want to do this!" I gratefully accepted her donation.  I was truly humbled.  What a way to start this day! More of Owensboro's Adkisson's Greenbelt. Owensboro, Kentucky's cross-town bike path is pretty impressive.  Yesterday and today I was able toi ride west ...

DAY 26:    HENDERSON TO OWENSBORO, KY Partly cloudy, but not threatening, clouds early this morning. Pedaled over more relatively flat Kentucky farmland today.  Morning sky was overcast,  but broke out into full sun by noon.  Temperatures in the mid- to upper 70s.  Very pleasant riding. Bridge over Green River, a tributary to the Ohio, The flatlands were broken up about halfway by the Green River.  Named after Revolutionary War General Nathaniel Greene, it reaches 384 miles from Bowling Green to the Ohio River just north of Henderson. Memorial to Teddy Joe Williams (?). Roadside memorials such as this one are not uncommon across the country to mark out victims of traffic fatalities.   This one was particularly colorful.  I thought it must be very recent. But Teddy Joe Williams met his end here in 2019 at age 55. Given the contents of the site, my guess was that Teddy Joe was a very colorful and well loved person.  But the memorial c...

  DAY 25:  MORGANFIELD TO HENDERSON, KY Today was a treat, in a number of ways.  Easier cycling today over gentle rolling farmland along the river. First,  this was the easiest riding day I've had in three and a half weeks. Not only was the distance short (29 miles), but I pedaled through farmland that was slightly rolling, with no monster hills!  I could get used to this. Fields of flowers, perhaps being grown for commercial purposes. The weather was also delightful--sunny with the high in the mid-70s and a slight tailwind.  I rode past fields of yellow flowers that looked like they were planted intentionally (although I was not able to identify them). An ideal Spring day on which to cycle.  First Missionary Baptist Church in Henderson, Kentucky.  It has been serving it's community, mostly African-American, since 1866! Henderson is the first sizable city I've encountered since Columbus, Mississippi.  Traffic was very busy on U.S. Highways 60...

DAY 24: CAVE-IN-ROCK, IL TO MORGANFIELD, KY Cave-in-Rock is a small town, only about 300 people.  But it has character! Cave-in-Rock is a place of interesting geology and history. The natural cavern in the limestone cliffs above the Ohio River was first noted by a French explorer in the 1700s.  During the 1800s it became a hideout for river pirates, counterfeiters, and a couple of serial killer brothers, among other famous criminals.  I tried to get up to the cave this morning, but the floodwaters from the recent storms made it impossible to get there.  Here is a view from the ferry.  Cave-in-Rock from the ferry. I found it fitting that today, on Easter Morning, I was attempting to get a look inside a cave, probably similar to the one Jesus was buried in and rose from.  Made this Resurrection Sunday a bit special (not that it's not always  special!). The Opry House provided entertainment for this small riverfront town. The town is not hopping, but it h...

DAY 23:  GRAND RIVERS, KY TO CAVE-IN-ROCK, IL Enjoying another (kind of) flat portion in the Kentucky countryside. Today's ride had a bit of everything--hills (of course), undulating farmland, riverside views, even a ferry ride.  I ended up in beautiful Cave-in- Rock State Park, IL. My first point of interest today was Smithland, Kentucky, which sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers.  It was a very strategic location for the Union Forces during the Civil War as they moved into the Deep South.  Smithland, at the confluence of the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers. Kentucky was unique during the Civil War, declaring itself "neutral," neither aligned with the North or the South.  Kentucky was a "slave state," but it's citizens strongly believed in One Nation.  Neutrality didn't last, as the Confederacy invaded Kentucky, who would then side with the Union. The strategic location of Smithland provided the North with a place to launch gunboats and ...