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Underground Railroad Cycling
  • Ride To Freedom
  • UGRRtrek
  • Kris McCain
  • Ride To Freedom
  • UGRRtrek
  • Kris McCain
  • Brian Miller

Underground Railroad Cycling

4 MSD of Steuben County teachers will travel along the Underground Railroad Cycling Route from Mobile, Alabama to Owen Sound, Ontario Canada with the generosity of Lilly Teacher Creativity Grants. Leia mais
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  • Underground Railroad Cycling

    Day 1 In The Books

    6 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ 🌙 82 °F

    It was a very long and hot day. We started at the site of the Slave Market in Mobile. We rode 9 miles to avoid going through a tunnel 2 blocks from our hotel. They said we needed to! It was frustrating figuring out the GPS so we were glad we drove that part yesterday. We rode along the bay and out into very, very rural Alabama. It was extremely hot and humid. A month ago we made ourselves do a training ride and it was 32*! Today was 95+! The tough part was the lack of places to get drinks. We hit a construction zone and that fresh asphalt just radiated the heat. And who wrote that it was a fairly flat route? Compared to what I would like to know!

    So, after riding up yet another 6 % incline hill we pulled over to rest in the shade and hydrate. The two men in the gator came by and asked how we were and I said we sure could use some water. "And ice?" They asked! So Kris and Marlene hopped on the back and they took us down to the hunting cabin (with quartz counter tops) and filled us up! They were angels from heaven!

    We finally made it to our pick up point and our amazing Conductor, Brian, brought us to the hotel! We were whipped!

    So many places are closed. After googling it I think Hurricane Katrina displaced a lot of people and the economy has taken a hit.

    It was sobering thinking about mothers with their babies trying to navigate their way north at night, barefoot, no extra clothes, shoes, cold weather gear, food with bounty hunters and dogs chasing you. I also thought about the slaves, young and old, forced to work long hours in this brutal heat with little water or sustenance. It is humbling to say the least.    Leia mais

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  • Underground Railroad Cycling

    Is it only day 2?

    7 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    We had to drive back to the route this morning and it was so humid. The road looked like ribbon candy and the heat index was 95*. The real temperature was 93*. We started early but... we stopped 20 miles in and our trusty SAG/Brian (SUPPLIES AND GEAR) and a local let us know there wasn't another place to refuel for quite a ways. True. There wasn't another place to get a drink for 40 miles. So we got a gallon of water to fill up plus enough extra waters to put one in each of our jersey pockets. That is a significant amount of weight to carry but necessary. What would have been a 4 hour ride at home turned into a 8 hour ride in Alabama.

    We we on HWY 69 most of of the ride. There were so many logging semis flying by. Whew!!! Kris and Marlene got chased by a few dogs but other than the heat it was uneventful. There were a few historical markers and a few historical churches but nothing that you could visit.

    Brian found a small municipal golf course and got to hit a few balls in between catering to us.

    We are greatfull for a nice room and dinner at The Red Barn. It was unique and delicious.    Leia mais

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  • Underground Railroad Cycling

    Day 3

    8 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Today was definitely better. The road resembled Laffy Taffy instead of ribbon candy. It was still hot but we had a cloud cover and some shade most of the day. While we were riding Brian was scoping out the route for us. Bless him because there isn't a coffee shop, McDonald's or even a Gass station for miles. Today it was 40 miles between places to get water. At home that would not be a problem unless it was mid August but here we have really had to pay attention and carry as much as possible.

    We stopped in Gainesville at the dollar General. As we were leaving a man waved me over and inquired about our ride. He is a HOT SHOWER host. It was good to talk with him.

    It is challenging to document the day with pictures because it is so rural. It's of the "towns" might just have church and so much is shut down or boarded up. You can see from yesterday to today the change in topography.

    Brian got to play a round of golf when we got in to Columbus which he most definitely enjoyed.    Leia mais

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  • Underground Railroad Cycling
    Time to go!
    What a good husband.Where you all going?Is this for real?Here...get my skinny side :)You've got to be kidding me!Time for a new one...just saying.We made it and just in time for FedEx.The Master ChefWhen will it be ready?Rolling in to Amory, MSGas station / Post Office combo.OMG! We made it!They were rode hard and put away wet!

    Day 4 is in the books!

    9 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    Today started just outside of West Point, MS. It actually felt cool when we started and we had a nice cloud cover for a majority of the day.

    We got stopped by a train leaving town. We had to stop and get a picture of the large, black cow grazing outside of a house. When I went back to snap a picture he wandered across the road so we could get a picture of his good side! We decided we had better get moving on.

    In our grant we wrote that our favorite question is "Where you all going?" Not only have we been asked this question frequently but people stop us on the road to ask. We have learned that the locals of AL and MS are not used to seeing bikers this time of year because of the heat.

    Our first challenge was Old 25. I am grateful that Kris had the foresight to get wider tires put on the bikes because it was a couple of miles of gravel. I do think it is time for a new STOP sign.

    I thought of Terri Wyatt when we started seeing lots of Sweet Gum trees. Lots of grits and sweet tea, too.

    We stopped to refill on Aberdeen and saw a gentleman smoking meat. I wished at that moment I could eat a helping of that delicious meat but had to pass. I did think about how much Jim Savage enjoyed the art of smoked meats thanks to his Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant. I had a delightful conversation with this gentleman about racism in the south. We agreed that it would be wonderful to get to a place where we don't see color. There are answers where everyone is a winner. We just have to find them.

    The terrain was mostly flat with a few hills. Lots of water showed up on the GPS but most of the time you can't see it. We traveled on to Amory which is a very cute town. We rolled in to town to find our Conductor video taping us! You never know where Brian is going to pop up but it is always just when you need him.

    The next little berg of Smithville had a unique combination of a gas station and post office. Just a bit different than Taco Bell or Subway sharing the space. The ladies asked about our trip and wished us well.

    We made it to Fulton, MS with over 60 miles today. We were on some desolate roads and some heavily traveled ones with no shoulder. They have started putting in rumble strips when there is a small shoulder so it makes it difficult to get over. Most drivers are very considerate but for those who aren't it can make it very scary. They are always bigger than us.
    So PLEASE always be considerate of bikers and SHARE THE ROAD!    Leia mais

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  • Underground Railroad Cycling
    Who grew up with fried bologna?2What would you think if you drove by?Brian finds all the fun places to eat!Brian thought " They did what?"

    Day 4 continued...

    9 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ 🌙 72 °F

    Kris and I had fun picking up dinner at the Rib Shack right behind the hotel. Brian got in some putting earlier today and then played a round at Tupelo National. He took some pictures in Amory and the Golf course.

    We took a little time to lube up the bikes, rearrange some things and do a little laundry. I can only imagine what people thought when we were rearranging stuff at the truck.

    So, here is to a good night's sleep so we can get back on the road again tomorrow. We get to ride on the Natchez Trace.    Leia mais

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  • Underground Railroad Cycling
    FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD

    2nd Day Riding the Natchez Trace

    11 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    What a perfect place to ride! We finally saw some other cyclist. It is definitely my happy place to be peddling along with beautiful weather, nature and good company.

    I spent some time thinking about all those that came before us and how hard their lives must have been. We find it challenging to travel 60 miles on a smoothly paved road with plenty of water and food. I cannot imagine how life must have been for the indigenous people, the settlers and the slaves.

    The Natches Trace offers so much history along the route. We learned about Lewis Merriweather, the Native Americans, and the war of 1812. In 100 years what will people think was hard about our lives?

    We also talked about the prevalence of suicide after we drove across the impressive bridge. Kris read to us that numerous people choose that bridge as a fatal means of finding peace. Please find help if you or someone you know is struggling with depression. It is a serious issue and there is help and hope. https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/    Leia mais

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  • Underground Railroad Cycling

    Riding Tandem

    11 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Jan wanted to know what it would feel like to ride tandem. I said no! She improvised…
    Probably more help then I would be!😂😂😂

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  • Underground Railroad Cycling
    So close yet so far!Best coffee ever!Brandenburg history11Quilt symbols were very important because slaves couldn't read.

    Epic Day 8 Across The River To Freedom

    12 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    We left Nashville, Tennessee this morning. We had to stay on the edge of town because of 2022 CMA Fest.

    We have had to adjust our trip because of the heat wave starting on Monday. We would have been riding in the hills and hollers of Tennessee and Kentucky with access to water becoming inconsistent and sometimes 40 miles apart. We were already struggling sometimes to stay hydrated with it being 90*. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022…

    So we headed north from Nashville and our first stop was for some GOOD coffee and we were not disappointed.
    https://www.dejamoocreamery.com/

    We drove on to Braydenburg, KY and explored. We decided to change into our biking clothes at The Riverfront Park and get to the trail so we could ride across the Ohio River. We stopped to get water for our journey and pulled into a parking lot to unload our bicycles. While we were getting ready a police officer pulled in to see what we were doing. He said he would escort us across the river. WOW!
    We were already feeling pretty emotional because of the significance of crossing the river from the south to the north into freedom for slaves. Brian drove ahead to get some photos of us crossing the bridge.

    We rode a short distance and got off the 4 lane highway. It came with it's own challenging hill but the one on the side road was...well, the hardest I have ever climbed and definitely the hardest on the tandem. Kris agreed it made the top of the list for difficulty. The fun hill was probably a mile long and we climbed for a bit before it got rrreeeaaallllllyyy steep. My GPS showed it at an 11.8% grade! We were sweating bullets but Jan, Kris and I made it up that bad boy!÷_5_]%*_=@>6"_)>7@&_!!! We only road 18 miles today but we weren't expecting to ride and it was hilly like southern Indiana hilly and not Steuben County hilly. We were very proud of ourselves. AND GO JAN MILLER! This is her first multi-day ride and the first with hills like we have been riding. She rode that hill like a SHE BEAST!

    Brian got to play on the course that his dad was playing on when 9/11 hit. What a special moment for him.

    Tomorrow we plan to take a rest day from riding and travel through New Albany and Madison, Indiana and take in some of the historic sites of the Underground Railroad. We are going to move on to Ohio and travel on the OHIO TO ERIE TRAIL. It will be fairly flat and have stops along the way so we will be able to take frequent breaks and stay hydrated.    Leia mais

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  • Underground Railroad Cycling
    1Remodeled kitchen that fed the slavesWhere slaved hid

    Travel Day

    13 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ 🌧 77 °F

    Today we started in lovely Corydon, Indiana. We drove around because of the heat. There were lovely houses, buildings and views. It is a historic small town. We drove to New Albany and went to the Carnegie art Museum. It has a permanent exhibit titled: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage: Men & Women of the Underground Railroad. It was fascinating and thought provoking.
    https://www.carnegiecenter.org/

    The staff suggested that we go to the Second Baptist Church.
    http://www.townclockchurch.org/contact-us/
    It was interesting seeing the church and the dedicated garden and exhibit behind the church. Beneath the church are spaces that slaves hid after crossing the river and we were determined to see it. Nobody answered the phone so Jan called City Hall. The person that answered the phone went to ask the Mayor and he gave us two numbers to call. We struck out with the first number but found success with the second. He contacted someone who was willing to take us a tour. We had to wait a bit so we got a bite at the wonderful place next door. It was worth the wit. I wish I could tell you all of the things we learned but hopefully you can discover some of it by clicking on the links above.

    We all took pictures so they will come in more than one post today.

    We ended by watching the storm out our hotel window and then eating at a German restaurant. It was fabulous 👌    Leia mais

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  • Underground Railroad Cycling
    Getting sticks caught in our chains was a real concern today.
    Can't stop us!If anyone ever doubted that Kris was a superhero!Mission accomplished 😎On the road again...Oooops! What's a girl to do?The river was so flooded and rolling.Not sure anyone was kayaking or canoeing today.Loveland is a cute small town.Take me out to the ball game...Nice idea!

    Ohio To Erie Trail #1

    14 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    This morning we crossed into Indiana and found the trailhead at Milford. We were all a bit anxious about the storms that went through Steuben County and anxious to hear about damages. Brian's parents sustained quite a bit of damage at their home. Marcus reported some trees down but no major damage. Hailey, our house/pet sitter said we didn't have any damage at our house that she could tell.

    We got up early so Brian could make his tee time and we could beat some of the heat. We were peddling by 7:30. Unfortunately, due to heavy traffic, Brian missed his time and played at Heatherwood in Springboro instead.

    The heat ended up not being a problem while we were riding because it was shaded 97% of the way. There were good stops along the trail with restroom 🚻 and drinking fountains to fill our water bottles. It was definitely scorching when we got off the trail.

    The storms last night definitely left LOTS of debris on the trail. We picked up quitw a few sticks and had to maneuver around and over some fallen trees.

    We saw numerous other cyclists on the trail. There was a group of mean at breakfast that were also riding the whole trail this week but we didn't see them out there.

    The trail had one section that said it was closed and it looked like it would be quite an adventure to navigate around it. However, I always think that it doesn't hurt to ask and we were able to proceed ahead without devouring! Whew!

    Tomorrow our goal will be to either ride to Columbus (60 miles) OR through Columbus to the north side (76 miles). It is still a heatwave tomorrow so we will see. In the meantime we are enjoying our nice BIG hotel room!    Leia mais

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  • Underground Railroad Cycling
    2

    A VERY UNPREDICTABLE DAY!

    15 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    Lots of changes in the route today. Marlene and Kris rode about 6 hours today, 70 miles. We had to change our pick up location due to rolling power outages around Columbus. We couldn’t find a place to stay within 50-100 miles. The closest hotel room we could find, with power, is in Akron, which has an “air quality alert” until tomorrow night. No guarantee of 100% power either. Not sure what the ride is going to be tomorrow.

    At one of the stops, we found an old log cabin right next to the rail trail which gave our brave riders some shade for a few minutes.

    We’ve decided that Brian is THE BEST SAG DRIVER in the world because his bikers don’t have to stand around and wait!

    https://www.wkyc.com/video/news/local/northeast…    Leia mais

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  • Underground Railroad Cycling
    Just rude!Please don't move on our account!Boardwalk trail over Summit Lake.Where's Jan?We finally get to say "On your left!"Heron center right!Please join us for a moment of silence 🙏The scene of the accident...where the Wahoo GPS was ran over.Tears falling from heaven.Glad we're loaded up.Golfing buddies!🏌‍♂️Off for some male bonding.👣

    Making The Best of It

    16 de junho de 2022, Estados Unidos ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

    We hade to move past Columbus last night and drive 2 hours north to find a room because of the power outages caused by the heat wave and storms that went through Monday. We decided to stay here for two nights.

    Jan, Kris and Marlene rode the OTET south today. Even though there was a heat advisory we were in the shade most of the ride. We started at the Summit Lake trailhead where the ducks don't even bother to move as you ride through! RUDE!!! A majority of the trail was crushed limestone but our bikes handled it with ease.

    We stopped in Canal Fulton to get a snack and cold drinks. While there, Kris got a message from the house sitter that the garage door wasn't working. Hailie followed our instructions and when that didn't fix it she sent a video to show what was happening ! Nice... A call to Bradley Overhead Door and the problem was fixed. So, as we started to leave I noticed that the Wahoo wasn't on the bike. I checked evey pocket, bike bag, ground...Kris walked back to the road where we had a problem mounting the tandem to find it smashed to smithereens! What are three girls to do?

     We rode on the canopied trail for 10 or so miles. We exited the trail because of a detour right at Ernie'@ Bike SHOP! As luck would have it they had a Wahoo so we were back in business.

    We attempted to follow the detour to get back to the trail but without success. We were out in the hot sun during that time and getting sun whipped. We decided to head back to the trail and call our trusty SAG to come pick us up. Jan made arrangements with Brian to pick us up at Canal Fulton so that gave us a few more miles or riding and made it shorter for Brian. About 5 miles from the end it started to sprinkle. By the time we got the bikes loaded back in the trailer it was a downpour. Great timing!

    We have passed many people that are doing the Ohio To Erie Trail bike packing. My heart goes out to all those people! BE SAFE!

    Brian enjoyed a down day and worked out on the treadmill and got some laundry done. He has been so good to us that we got him a "male escort" for the night! Ryan Sanders drove over so the two friends can play golf tomorrow morning. Brian needs some "man time" after catering to 3 women for 2 weeks.

    We'll see what adventures and obstacles lie ahead. Heat, humidity, logging trucks, big (huge) hills, fire alarms, storms, power outages, detours, fallen trees, air quality alerts, and a broken GPSs haven't stopped us. We just keep "REROUTING" and keep on peddling!1    Leia mais

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