Cycling the Underground Railroad

  DAY 8: REST DAY IN SELMA, ALABAMA For a number of reasons, it was decided that a true "rest day" was warranted, so I opted to stay in the quasi-civilization of Selma for the day. So what did I do?  I rested!  Including a 3 hour nap this afternoon.  (I rarely take naps, so I must have needed it!) Room at the "Luxury Inn and Suites" motel in Selma.  Low price, great room! My theory is that if a motel has to put the word "Luxury" in its name, it usually isn't (luxurious, that is). The "Luxury Inn and Suites" in Selma may be an exception to this rule.  Extremely clean and well furnished (including a recliner). I would definitely give it an "A" for the price. A nice place to "rest"! 😀

  DAY 7: MONTGOMERY TO SELMA This is a day I had been eagerly awaiting waiting; the opportunity to retrace the route of the history-defining March For Voting Rights of 1965. There's a lot of history behind this, but I'll attempt to be concise.   Since the Civil War, Alabama, along with most other Southern states, made it almost impossible for Blacks to "qualify" to register to vote.  Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 asserted the right of everyone to vote, it seemed impossible to prohibit states from erecting unreasonable barriers.  But people were persistent, among them Amelia Boynton Robinson. Monument honoring Amelia Boynton Robinson and Marie Foster for their leadership in the Selma March. Some citizens of Selma peacefully protested this unjust situation, only to be brutalized by police.  On February 26, 1965 in nearby Marion, a young unarmed military veteran, Jimmy Lee Jackson, was fatally shot by a former Alabama State Trooper as s result of pr...

  DAY 6: MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA  As I type this blog, there are tornado warnings all throughout Alabama, including here in Montgomery.  Fortunately, I am dry in my hotel room (instead of camping in a tent).  Hotel management will inform me if I need to go hide out in the bathroom (seriously!).   Montgomery became the center of the Southern domestic slave trade when the railroad was completed from Mobile. Today, there was a little bit of rain, but not enough to put a damper on my day exploring the history of this fascinating city.  Jefferson Davis was installed as President of the Confederacy in Montgomery.  The order to attack Fort Sumner to start the Civil War came from here.  Rosa Parks and the year-long city bus boycott (the start of the modern Civil Rights Movement), the Freedom Riders, and the Selma to Montgomery March for Voting Rights all centered in this city.  It also became one of the largest domestic slave markets in the South....

DAY 5: LINDEN TO MONTGOMERY,  BY TRUCK Last night the storm moved in, and by this morning the sky had broken open and rain was pouring down.   The ride to Montgomery during the day-long downpour. As we had discussed last night, my riding partner Susan found two great gentlemen,  Butch (on the right) and Robert (left) who drove us and our bikes two hours in the deluge from Linden to Montgomery. Robert, Susan (riding partner for part of the trip), myself and Butch arriving in Montgomery. According to the Weather Service, the storm is supposed to move through early Thursday morning.  We'll wait out the thunderstorms here in downtown Montgomery tomorrow,  and visit several of the museums related to the "second" Civil Rights Movement (the original being the Underground Railroad/Abolitionist Movement). View of downtown Montgomery, Alabama from my 4th floor motel room. Thursday, weather permitting,  I'll ride the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail....

  DAY 4: GROVE HILL TO LINDEN  When those seeking freedom from slavery attempted to escape, they often encountered obstacles of weather.  They didn't have National Weather Forecasts, radar or cell phone alerts.  I do. Yesterday one elderly lady cautioned me about "a storm that was a-comin'!"  She was right.  A 3-day system is on its way through,  complete with lightning, thunder, heavy rains and high winds.  The next two nights I had planned on camping.  This might not be a good idea. The Adventure Cycling route has me going a circuitous route over the next two days to Linden, Alabama.  (Today I will discover why.) From Linden I planned on breaking off the Underground Railroad route, and heading to Selma to ride the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.  But since my brother Kent and I have experienced this severe kind of Southern weather while cycling Route 66 through Texas, I thought it wise not to challenge the elements....

  DAY 3:  HUBBARD LANDING TO GROVE HILL  Hills. Hills. And more hills. Yes, I did my research, and I knew that parts of this ride was going to have ups and downs.   But, until today, I had NO IDEA what I was in for.  I realized as I was pedalling how extremely difficult it would be for someone to try to escape on foot, with minimal belongings and probably inadequate shoes, though this terrain.   In addition to the hills, the trees in these Southern forests are not all that big around, but they grow close together, creating an environment of dense vegetation.   The undergrowth is thick and woody, making it slow going.  As a result,  there is a darkness to the forest, and it all starts looking alike; getting disoriented could happen easily.   Especially if most of one's life had been lived in the close confines of a single plantation.   Today's ride brought the reality and difficulty of this struggle to life. ...

  DAY 2:  MOBILE TO HUBBARD LANDING  Today was the start of our journey north, to "Canaan," the Biblical Promised Land, which is the code name slaves used for Ontario, Canada, which outlawed slavery in 1793.  (The British Commonwealth banned slavery in its territories worldwide in 1834.) I started out by going back through Africatown and crossing the bridge over the Mobile River.  It was a bit foggy,  so I had to ride carefully on the shoulder. Foggy morning crossing the Mobile Bay bridge. For the next 15 miles I rode along the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.   The tide was in, and sometimes it felt like I was pedalling right on the water!  The route took me past the USS Alabama, "The Mighty A."  This battleship served in both the North Atlantic and Pacific during World War II, and led the American fleet into Tokyo Harbor in 1945. It is one huge boat! Retired WWII battleship U.S.S. Alabama, docked in Mobile Bay. At Spanish Fort (I bet it's...