Tour Blog

Monday, June 17
After 41 days and 3700 km. my journey following the Underground Railroad has finally come to an end in Owen Sound at the Black History Cairn. At the beginning of this bike tour it seemed so far off. Throughout this journey I was constantly told to have a safe trip and indeed it was. All the well wishers really helped to make me feel that there were so many people supporting me along this (at times a daunting trip) that I thought would never end. This trip by no means was an easy thing to do. As the Buddhists say, “life is suffering” and there was no shortage of that. There were the incredible steep climbs in Kentucky and Tennessee, the all day rain events with logging trucks screaming by you and the intense humidity and heat in Alabama and Mississippi and of course the aches and pains in the body.

Along the way I met the kindness of strangers. There were the folks in Alabama who gave us a fresh caught meal of catfish, hush puppies and fries. There was the man (Sammy) who gave Randy a ride to a rental car when the riding on bicycle was too dangerous. There was the Camp Host who waived the camping fee for the night because he believed and admired us cycle tourists. Then there is the natural comradery that you feel with your fellow cycle tourists. Travelling with Matt and Nancy for several days was a real joy.

All the time on this journey I was always thinking about the escaped men and women slaves who endured incredible hardships to win their freedom in Canada. The many brave men and women who offered help and offered sanctuary to these poor souls who just wanted to be free.

Finally I would like to thank all the well-wishers and people who supported me on my once in a life time journey here in Peterborough and abroad. And those who generously donated to the cause.

Special thanks and much love to my partner Isabel Stukator who supported me on this venture from the beginning, did the blog and came to Ohio to support me in the last 11 days of the trip.

Finally I must thank Jamaican Self- Help for giving me the opportunity to give something back to the people of Jamaica who I dearly care for.

What a fabulous adventure!!

Sunday, June 16
Last day of riding! On my way to Owen Sound.

Yesterday I rode a century ride – 100 miles/160km. It was sunny and 23C. Lots of beautiful climbs through the Forks of the Credit which looked a bit like Switzerland. Then mainly flat terrain from Orangeville north. The last section to Collingwood was all downhill along the Pretty River Road. Isabel went ahead and had everthing ready for my at Craigleith provincial park along Georgian Bay.  Great to have her support.

Saturday, June 15
Yesterday started with a big climb up the Hamilton Escarpment. I shot down into Dundas and had lunch there at the Brown Dog Cafe. The traffic really started to increase as I had to navigate through some of the most congested areas of the whole trip. It was a beautiful sunny day though I had a headwind that slowed me down. Tough ride – about 105km.

Friday, June 14
Today I’m riding to Georgetown. It’s Isabel’s birthday so we’ll get a motel room and celebrate with a nice meal. And then just 2 more day to go – Saturday to Collingwood and Sunday to Owen Sound.

Wednesday was a beautiful day in more ways than one. After breakfast Isabel and I went to Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls and observed many amazing exotic birds. Then I was off, up the Niagara River to Niagara on the Lake where I picked up the waterfront trail to St. Catherines (a ride I’ve done several times before) – about 90km. Camped at Fifty Points conservation area with the RVs. Decided to take a day off on Thursday because there was more rain! It cleared up in the afternoon so we went for a walk on the beach with Zorro.

Wednesday, June 12
Monumental day yesterday. After cycling 3300km. in 5 weeks I’ve finally made it back to Canada. It started out drizzly with a favourable tailwind. Nice roads with minimum traffic along the American side of Lake Erie which is very similar to the Canadian shore. Buffalo was easier to get through than I thought it would be. I had to walk across the Peace Bridge. Then I met Isabel in Niagara Falls – she had already got a hotel room. And the sun finally came out in Canada.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Today I am riding to Buffalo, and finally crossing back into Canada! Starting to see a lot of Tim Hortons.

Yesterday the wind was more favourable but I had rain, drizzle and showers all day. The distance was shorter, 78 km, uneventful except for meeting another rider cycling west who stopped when I was fixing a flat tire. He looked down at his front tire, noticed something stuck and when he pulled it out he also had a flat tire. Camped at Evangola state park which has a beautiful beach and high cliffs, though it was very wet from all the rain. Isabel and I went out for an excellent perch dinner.

Sunday I rode through 3 states – started in Ohio, went through Pennsylvania and ended at the New York state line. It was 117km with a head wind of 15-20km/hr. I rode through Erie which had a lot of industry along the lakeshore, but also some beautiful residential areas that reminded me of Oakville. Then it turned into more work-class neighbourhoods. Along the shorelines there some incredible estates and lots of vineyards. It was a long day and we camped at a private campground right on the shores of Lake Erie.

Saturday, June 8
Beautiful 125 km. ride today. Conditions were perfect, the roads were flat to rolling. Went through a 10 km. section of Amish homes which was very interesting. These Amish seemed to be more progressive. Still no electricity but they used gas weed-wackers and I saw a solar panel on a roof of a barn, and a couple of saw mills. Everyone was doing laundry now that the sun was coming out. The final 20 km was all on a beautiful rail trail that led directly to the Hide-Away campground.

Friday, June 7
Today was cool and cloudy and I rode eastward through Medina which had a lovely central square. I had lunch there and then rode through Cuyahoga National Park. After 105 km. I end up at a KOA between Akron and Cleveland. The weather was still lousy so Isabel and I went into Hudson for dinner.
On Thursday I decided to ride because it stopped raining around noon, but as soon as I was on the road it poured, but I continued for 67km. to Finley state park. I had been seeing quite a few Amish driving the horse and buggies, and I rode through an area filled with Amish farms. It made me reflect on our modern way of life and their simpler way of life which doesn’t even include electricity. Isabel drove ahead and set up camp, though the weather didn’t improve.

    

The day we went to the Freedom Center Matt and I rode with anticipation about what we were going to see. We had difficulty finding the building. Once we stepped inside the whole story of the Underground Railroad became vividly alive through all the photographs and text. Seeing the photos of the hiding places made me realize how many people were involved with hiding escaped slaves. The places varied from churches to attics in houses, basements and caves, and even an underground tunnel in a cemetery. The dedication of the people involved was beyond remarkable.

Thursday, June 5
This morning we woke up to pouring rain so we drove into town for breakfast and found a Starbucks to use their wifi. Tomorrow the journey continues – I’m headed towards Cleveland and then along Lake Erie. I should be at the border in another 4 days.

On Wednesday we travelled to Malabar and I said my goodbyes to Nancy and Matt who were continuing on while I was staying to meet Isabel who was driving from Canada. But when I go into the park there weren’t any showers, cell service or water so I left and rode to Mifflin and found a private park on Charles Mill Lake. Isabel arrived mid-afternoon which was fantastic. She brought Zorro (our dog), a new tent and another thermarest so my comfort level has increase and now I can continue without carry my gear.

The next morning we cycled through the rolling hills of Ohio. Nice weather, sunny, mild temperatures – covered 128 km. Stayed in a state park where the camp host was so impressed with our journey that he let us stay for free.

Monday we left Nancy’s house in Williamsburg and rode 140 km, 100 which was on a paved bike path. When we stopped in London we went into a grocery store and I had the best cream-filled donut ever (Rob would appreciate this). Then we stayed in a tiny RV park camping between giant RV buses (ugh!).

Sunday, June 2

 

 

Matt and I rode to Cincinnati to visit the National Underground Railway Freedom Center. There were lots of bike paths but it still was an 85 km ride. The museum was very interesting though we didn’t have a lot of time to see all the exhibitions because we had to ride back to Nancy place. There were also lots of decorated bicycles for their Bikes in Bloom festival.

 

 

 

 

Saturday, June 1
We left Ripley Friday morning and did another 900ft. climb, this time on winding roads up to a plateau. We were headed to Williamsburg, just outside of Cincinnatti. I had met a woman my age riding the same route back in Mississippi though she was always a day ahead of me. She had invited me to stay with her when I got to  Williamsburg. She would be taking the weekend off from cycling too. So Matt and I arrived last night with another major storm moving through the area. Nancy lives on 5 acres, raises her own chickens and is retired. She made us dinner and then we went to a local bar in an old school and listened to bluegrass music. We’ll have a rest day here today.

The ride to Ripley on Thursday was very hot with a strong headwind. On the way we past this small town Washington that had an area with original log cabin buildings still in use – like the post office.

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, May 30
Today the plan is to ride to Ripley which will take us into Ohio.

The next day we had great conditions – a tail wind and 85F. At Folsom we had another climb that took us up to a 900ft. ridge. Fantastic ride with beautiful views. Past the 2000 km. mark – half way through the tour!  Last night Matt and I stayed at Kincaid Lake state park in Concord (pop. 27). 110km.

On Tuesday we rode into Kentucky again but the bridge at Milton across the Ohio River was under construction so we had to do a 5 mile detour to get to another bridge. Not a great route – it had the toughest steep incline so far on the tour. After that we rode along the Ohio River and stayed in General Butler state park.

Monday, May 27
Today we had a beautiful ride through the tip of Indiana along a ridge and then a great downhill back to the Ohio River. Crossed over to Louisville where Matt had googled a tavern which serves 1,400 different types of beer. We had to partake before we finish our ride at the Charlestown state park in Indiana.

 

Last night Matt and I stayed in a motel in Brandenberg and feasted at an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet.
  

Here’s a very friendly family who recognized Matt at the campground at Hawesville. They insisted on making us dinner and then breakfast the next day.

Sunday, May 26
I’m headed east now, along the Ohio River and the northern border of Kentucky. Another cyclist, Matt, is riding with me. We stayed at the Audubon state park near Henderson on Friday night – were lucky to get a spot because of the Memorial Day long weekend. And it was a lousy park – even the attendant said she wouldn’t stay there herself! We got lost riding through Owensboro on Saturday so we ended up riding an extra 20 km – about 135 km total to get to Hawesville. Much flatter terrain and beautiful clear, mild weather.

  

Friday, May 24
I rode into Kentucky and am near the Ohio River now which I crossed on a ferry to get to the Cave In Rock state park. There I met some other cyclists (one was 78 yr. old) and we had breakfast together before heading our separate ways.

    

They use to mine iron-ore in the Land Between the Lakes area until they ran out of ore, wood and slaves to do the work (in 1856). It was made into a recreational area during the Kennedy era.

Tuesday, May 21
This is Loretta Lynn’s house and my tent and bicycle. I left that strange place and cycled to Dover in the Land Between the Lakes area. Lots of tough climbs and more rain but I’m feeling good.

Monday, May 20
A rest day near Waverly in a campground at Loretta Lynn’s ranch. There’s a lot of Loretta Lynn around here as you can see in the photos. It’s hot and humid. Lots of steep hills ahead tomorrow.

Sunday, May 19
After another 120 km ride yesterday I camped on the Tennessee River and stayed most of the time in my tiny tent because of hordes of mosquitoes. The weather was hot and humid after all the rain the day before. The terrain has been hilly and very scenic. Lots of logging and pulp mills, not much agriculture.  I have a couple of very steep climbs to look forward to on the upcoming ride today.
    

Friday, May 17
A really challenging day riding through rain for 85 of the 122 km route. I arrived in Crump in Tennessee and decided to stay at a motel to dry out.

Thursday, May 16
Below are a couple of photos from Aberdeen where I stayed an extra day in one of the Core of Engineer parks.  The route to Aberdeen was on the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is a 444-mile route that was used by Native Americans for centuries and then later by European traders and explorers. It is a very beautiful roadway, fantastic for cycling. Tonight I’m staying at the state park in Tishominogo.

 

Tuesday, May 14
We’ve crossed over into the Mississippi. The weather is warmer, about 30c. We’ve ridden on some great quiet roads (as you can see from the photos). Maybe not so quiet because of all the roadkill we see, lots of armadillos and possums. We’ve been staying in campgrounds run by the Core of Engineers – they have wonderful facilities and are really nicely managed. We’re taking a day off today in Aberdeen at a campground on the Tombigbee River. Never seen so many huge barges on a river.
Tomorrow Randy heads back home and someone in the campground has already offered to drive him to Columbus to the airport where he’ll rent a car.
   

Sunday, May 12
Rode 138 km to Aliceville yesterday. In total we have traveled 490 km. So far no flats or mechanicals. Weather is around 20c . There are so many nice people (southern hospitality) really does live here.
Yesterday we had lunch in Epes – you couldn’t tell if it was a garage, pool hall or diner – you can see the photos below. Reminded me of Jamaica.

Friday, May 10
After a relative short ride on Thursday (65 km) we stayed at a campground in Coffeeville. Super friendly people – some who were cooking up some catfish and hushpuppies gave us more than enough for dinner.
Rode to Linden today – just a bit of rain. Someone I talked to at the campground gave me $10 for JSH.

Wednesday, May 8
Arrived at the campground in Grove Hill after a long 120 km. ride – very hilly. They didn’t have any showers so we stayed in a seedy motel. The next morning Jack Roe from CBC radio called to do an interview for Ontario Morning to run on Friday at 6:45am.

Tuesday, May 7
I arrived in Mobile Alabama on Sunday and met up with Randy Albon, a friend who is cycling with me for the first 8 days. We stayed at the Holiday Inn in the old part of Mobile and spent Monday checking out the city. It is a very friendly, funky town, a bit like New Orleans. There are lots of bars and restaurants.  Randy and I checked out a few of their home brewed beers and local fare. They also have their own Mardi Gras.
We rode 65 km. on Tuesday through pretty flat and very rural countryside. At the RV campground people seemed pretty accustomed to cyclists passing through following the Underground Railroad.