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Underground Railroad Bicycle Route stops in Grove Hill
Created after three years of research and planning by Adventure Cycling Association, the largest bicycling organization in North America, the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route travels 2,058 miles from Mobile, Alabama, to Owen Sound, Ontario. 18 riders stop in Grove Hill Eighteen cyclists rode the inaugural ride that left Mobile Sunday. They were a diverse group- Californians, New Yorkers, a Maine logger and his wife and a seasoned 66-year-old cyclist from Japan. The route isn't the most direct or the easiest for the bicyclists. "The Underground Railroad Route has to be one of the most historically important bicycle journeys ever created - plus it's fantastic riding," said Jim Sayer, Adventure Cycling Association's Executive Director. From Mobile, the cyclists crossed over to Spanish Fort and biked up through Baldwin and Monroe counties, turning on Highway 84 at Perdue Hill and continuing to Grove Hill where they camped Monday night at Hudson Park.
The route is designed to take in scenic beauty, small towns, museums and other attractions. Visited Clarke County Museum Monday evening, many of the cyclists visited the Clarke County Museum, which stayed open late especially for them. Joy Santee with Adventure Cycling said she was in the group that helped design the route. She said when they first visited Grove Hill everyone was so nice that they wanted to make it a night stopover. Steve Hayford of San Diego, Calif. said he was especially interested in learning more about the region's history and the history of the Underground Railroad. Yuji Komoto, 66, of Japan came the farthest to ride. "I want to make adventurous treks every year. Last year I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro [in Africa] and I have ridden during the winter in Siberia," he explained. His English teacher suggested this trip as a way to see the country and to learn more about U.S. history. Scott Spaulding of New Gloucester, Maine has been especially intrigued by the log trucks he's seen on the highways because he's a logger in Maine. "I noticed all of the trucks and figured this must be logging country. In Maine I use chainsaws and cable skidders because the trees are so big it is easier than trying to use a feller-buncher [a mechanical cutter used a lot here]. Right now it is our wet season with all of the ice and snow melting, so it gave me time to make this trip." His wife, Pamela Fischer, is also a bicyclist with the group. Shawn Sweeny of Annapolis, Maryland may be the group's most experienced rider. "I make about 12 trips a year. Some are a weeklong and some last about 90 days. I have taken a 5,000-mile trip cross-country so this trip of 2,000 miles will not be as long. I enjoy seeing different types of wildlife…I did see a turkey Monday coming up from Stockton." Tuesday they were headed for Coffeeville but by an indirect route-on county roads through Hebron and McVay to Highway 69 and then north to Coffeeville where they spent the night at the U.S. Corps of Engineers Service Park on the Tombigbee River in Choctaw County. Wednesday they came back into Coffeeville, biked through West Bend and picked up Highway 69 and continued north toward Linden. Average about 50 miles per day They are to continue northward, crossing through the northeast corner of Mississippi and continuing through Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York and into Canada. The ride will take seven weeks, the cyclists averaging about 50 miles a day. The Underground Railroad Bicycle Route honors the bravery of those who fled slave bondage to Canada in the 1800s. The route is mostly symbolic because enslaved blacks used a variety of routes as they headed north. However, through Alabama it does stay close to the Tombigbee River, a waterway that led blacks northward from lower Alabama, according to a 19th century song that blacks learned as a roadmap to freedom. Promotes healthy lifestyles, exercise Mario Browne works with the Center for Minority Health at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. He said the center is promoting bicycling and other physical activity for everyone but especially for blacks who are disproportionately affected by heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, and obesity The trip costs about $2,600 and that goes for food and camping fees and other costs along the way. When the trip is over any money not spent is divided among the riders.
To learn more about the route, visit www.adventurecycling. org/ugrr.
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