Cycling the Underground Railroad--Part 2

-

 DAY 4: Falmouth, KY to Aberdeen, OH

This afternoon I entered the third state on this trip--Indiana, Kentucky, and now Ohio.  I'll be pedaling the Buckeye State its entire length, south to north, so I'll be here for about 10 days.


But getting here today was not a simple task.  The last two days I've ben chased by TWELVE dogs!  I haven't had to pull the trigger with the dog spray yet, but one mutt almost got a stream of pepper spray in the snout.  He made the right decision not to take a chunk out of my calf.

Today was another "ridge and hollow" day, but with a lot more and steeper hills.  Strava  (the cycling app) said I climbed almost 3,800 feet today (and it felt like it!).

Perhaps the scariest part of the day was crossing the bridge over the Ohio (almost a mile wide) from Maysville. KY to Aberdeen,  OH.

Bridge across the Ohio River from Maysville, Kentucky to Aberdeen,  Ohio. 

It's a narrow two lane affair with no shoulder or bike lane.  And it really vibrated when the cars were on it.  I pedaled as fast as I could (which isn't very fast when the bike is loaded).  Everyone was courteous (but I'm sure also annoyed) and no one tried to run over me.

A few things of interest...

I saw some interesting "yard art" as I rode the backroads through the Kentucky hills.  This was one of my favorites--


I saw several barns with these quilt-like patterns on the side.  It reminded me that this was how those on the Underground Railroad communicated safety, provisions and directions. (See https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/underground-railroad-quilt-codes)                                   Here's one of them I saw--

I'm not sure what the meaning of this symbol today.

Old Washington, near Maysville, was one of the earliest settlements west of the Appalachians.   Buildings dating from the late 1700s on Main Street have been preserved and labeled.
1795 home of Marshall Key.

Local lore has it that this home was visited by Harriet Beecher Stowe in the 1830s-40s.  It was here she learned the details of slavery which eventually found their way into her exceedingly influential book, Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Unfortunately,  this site is not uncommon in today's South, even 160 years after the Civil War. 

I saw this flag today.  It represents a system of dehumanization and brutality.  I don't understand how Americans can still fly it!


Today's milage: 52.3
Total miles this trip:  197.3
Total miles on the Underground Railroad:
     1,385.2 miles

Comments

  1. Quilt Lover in PrescottSeptember 8, 2021 at 7:55 AM

    The quilt patterns you see decorating buildings are called Barn Quilts. They are meant to provide colorful decorations to homes and buildings. There are whole communities that have embraced barn quilts, with some creating Barn Quilt Trails that get people out to discover the beautiful countryside. Ohio has 11 Barn Quilt Trails so you may see quite a few of them on your travels across the state. Here is an excerpt from the Ohio Barn Quilt Trail Map: "Throughout Ohio, barn quilts reflect the community, whether it's Athens County, where custom-designed blocks showcase the pawpaw fruit and the scrollwork on the university grounds, Harrison County, with its emphasis on the Underground Railroad, or Coshocton County, whose barn quilts are the product of a documentation of local quilts." Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AzPedelarSeptember 13, 2021 at 6:15 PM

      Thanks for that! In the last few days I've learned a little about that. I wonder if that started on the Underground Railroad? Who knows!?

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Underground Railroad, Canada: Day 2

-
Image
Along some of our route this morning we saw these signs.  I never saw any Underground Railroad signposts (except once on the Little Miami Trailnear Milford, OH) in the 2,000 miles I cycled on it in the United States! Our morning  "adventure." The detour took us on several miles of gravel roads, which we managed to navigate successfully.  Harvest season in Ontario! The highlight of our day.  An excellent exhibit, including a short video, interpretive displays, outstanding guided tour and restored 19th century buildings. The Dawn settlement (now the town of Dresden, Ontario) was founded by Josiah Henson for the purpose of educating and training those who escaped slavery in the U.S.  Ontario had outlawed slavery in 1793. Josiah Henson was the inspiration for Uncle Tom in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin (which was the most read book besides the Bible in the 1800s). Canada has recognized Henson as a significant person in its history.  "Uncle Tom...
Read more

Cycling the Underground Railroad--Day 1

-
Image
DAY 1: MOBILE, ALABAMA After a 2 hour car ride from Prescott to Phoenix (starting at 8am), almost 5 hours on three different flights, and two Uber rides of 30+ minutes each, I finally arrived at my motel, the (not so) Quality Inn, around 10:30pm.  That's a long time to wear a mask...just sayin'. I met some interesting people.  Ginger from Dallas is a chiropractor who owns a business which manufactures and distributes restorative medicine for horses, and was interested in this ride.  She and her husband did a 100 mile bicycle fundraiser in Ireland.  Omar, my Houston Uber driver, writes theology books (you can check him out, Omar V. Gearty, on Amazon).  Beth, who was on her way to Mobile on my flight, is a hospital chaplain who is doing a Kindness Rock project with her hospital staff.  (I shared one of Carolyn's Kindness Rocks with her). And Taylor, the young man who was my Mobile Uber driver and a Mobile native asked me, "Is the Underground Railroad actually...
Read more