Underground Railroad Bicycle Route

Since I already own a touring bike and the requisite camping gear, I figure why not another cycling trip? I'm planning on cycling the Underground Railroad Bike Route this coming spring. The route starts in Mobile, Alabama and ends in upstate New York, or where at least it would end for me. I haven't spent much time in the South before, and I’m aware of the rumored bigotry, prejudice, ignorance and narrow mindedness overtones that supposedly persist there, yet I’m curious. I want to experience the South first hand and learn a little bit more about the Underground Railroad along the way, or as much as I can on a month and a half tour.

DISCOVER AMERICA'S LEGENDARY ROUTE TO FREEDOM

The Underground Railroad Bicycle Route honors the bravery of those that fled bondage and those that provided shelter. This route passes points of interest and historic sites along a 2,100-mile corridor. Beginning in Mobile, Alabama - a busy port for slavery during the pre-civil war era - the route goes north following rivers through Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Waterways, as well as the North Star, were often used by freedom seekers as a guide in their journeys to escape slavery. Upon crossing into Ohio, the route leaves the river to head toward Lake Erie and enters Canada at the Peace Bridge near Buffalo, New York. In Ontario, the route follows the shores of Lake Ontario and ends at Owen Sound, a town founded by freedom seekers 150 years ago.