Follow the Drinking Gourd-The Underground Railroad Bicycle route

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Greetings to All-

I am writing on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Minority Health, and our efforts to bring an historic event to the attention of as many people of African descent as possible.

The lyrics of “Follow the Drinking Gourd” supposedly guided 19th-century American slaves north toward freedom (the gourd apparently being the Big Dipper). More recently, these lyrics guided the creation of a 2,058-mile-long simulation of an Underground Railroad route for 21st-century cyclists.

After three years of research and planning, Adventure Cycling Association, North America’s largest bicycling organization, and the Center for Minority Health are pleased to unveil the newly completed 2,058 mile Underground Railroad Bicycle Route (UGRR).

This unique bicycle route honors the bravery of freedom seekers and those that provided shelter, by following the most fabled trek to freedom in American history. While we have all heard the story of slaves who escaped to freedom, the UGRR Bicycle route offers us a chance to feel that story.

A 48-day guided tour of the entire route is scheduled to start April 14, starting in Mobile, Alabama. The route winds north through river valleys and wildlife refuges to Kentucky and Ohio, Lake Erie, Niagara Falls, and its end-point in Owen Sound, Ontario on Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay, the final destination for many freedom seekers. Besides the lush green scenery and the many small towns the route passes through, a host of museums, historic parks, and visitor centers bring the history of this remarkable period alive. A shorter, seven-day guided ride will begin on July 30, ending at the 145th Emancipation Celebration in Owen Sound, Ontario.

Here is a little known black history fact: What was probably the 1st "long-distance" bicycle expedition was made by a group of Black Men. The soldiers from the 25th Infantry Regiment better know as the Buffalo Soldiers accomplished that feat in the 1890's, in rugged Missoula Montana.

The Center for Minority Health urges you to take part in this historical endeavor however you can, whether it is by participating in one of the tours, riding part of the route, or cheering the riders as they begin this historic journey.

Please pass this information along to your colleagues, membership, networks…..everyone you can think of who might be interested.

To learn more about the route, visit www.adventurecycling.org/ugrr. For photos and other media materials, visit www.adventurecycling.org/ugrrmedia.cfm.
Underground Railroad Bicycle Route maps can be viewed at www.adventurecycling.org/routes/undergroundrailroad.cfm. Adventure Cycling also offers instructional courses for beginning bicycle travelers (viewable at www.adventurecycling.org/tours/index.cfm?menu=EDU).

To learn more about the Center for Minority Health, please feel free to contact me at 412-624-5665, and visit us at: www.cmh.pitt.edu.

With warmest regards,

Victoria A. Garner
Project Director
Training and Communications
Center for Minority Health
University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School of Public Health
130 DeSoto Street, Suite 127A - Parran Hall