Cycling the Underground Railroad

 GETTING EDUCATED To get the most out of this journey, I'm continuing to read and explore.  Here is what I've delved into in preparation for experiencing the "borderlands"--along the Ohio River where the North met the South, and anti-slavery and pro-slavery sentiments were very strong. Beyond the River: The Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad, by Ann Hagedorn   is a meticulously researched and comprehensive narrative of the life of John Rankin, his family and his colleagues--both black and white--in the Ripley, Ohio area.  The author actually lives in Ripley, and brings a lot of local color to her work.  I plan to go to Rankin's home on this trip. Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe  is a classic, and arguably one of the most influential American literary works of the 19th Century.  I think most of us had read parts of this book in a high school or college English or literature class, but I can't say ever remember the entire ...