American Trails selected the Adventure Cycling Association for this year's American Trails National Partnership Award.
The local bicycling group partnered with the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Minority Health and based the 2,028-mile route on an old spiritual, “Follow the Drinking Gourd.”
The downtown nonprofit earlier landed on one of Outside Magazine's “Best Places to Work 2008” lists. American Trails is based in Redding, Calif., and bills itself as the only national nonprofit working on all kinds of trails, from hiking to water to snowmobile to motorcycle trails. The Pittsburgh center addresses health issues among ethnic and racial minorities, including African-Americans.
The route follows historic points of interest from Mobile, Ala., to Owen Sound, Ontario. Mobile was a slave port before the Civil War, and Owen Sound was founded by free blacks in 1857, according to an Adventure Cycling news release. In fall 2005, Sullivan herself rode a stretch in Ohio from Ripley to Georgetown.
“It was beautiful,” Sullivan said. “You have to come up the embankment of the Ohio River, which is quite steep. And as you travel along that, you're basically going along little rivers and streambeds, thick dense forest and you really can picture people trying to hide and make it up that embankment as they were trying to escape in the dark of night.”
Adventure Cycling selected the route to map based on the old song, though Sullivan said it isn't clear whether this particular one is authentic. But spirituals were used to guide slaves to freedom.
Part of the “Drinking Gourd” goes like this: “The riverbank makes a very good road. The dead trees will show you the way. Left foot, peg foot, traveling on, follow the drinking gourd. ... When the great big river meets the little river, follow the drinking gourd. For the old man is a-waiting for to carry to freedom if you follow the drinking gourd.”
The path is rich with history. Ripley, for instance, was home to John Parker, a man who purchased his freedom and then turned his back on fellow slaves for a time, Sullivan said. Later, though, he risked his own life crossing the river to help slaves escape. Once, some plantation owners heard their slaves were going to try to escape. To foil them, they took one couple's baby in their master bedroom for the night, she said. Parker, though, sneaked in and rescued the child.
“He was really an amazing man,” Sullivan said.
So far, 4,150 maps of the new route have sold to date, according to Adventure Cycling. The organization also cites a “significant leap” in the number of African-Americans on its tours.
Adventure Cycling has mapped a total of 38,158 miles and employs four cartographers. Mapping bike routes is detailed work, Sullivan said. Because cyclists like to travel on back roads, many unnamed, the maps provide visual and written instructions turn by turn. They fold up so one panel can be visible from a handlebar bag.
“Unless you've tried to go somewhere by bicycle and you're in an unfamiliar area, you may not have the perspective of how important the maps are,” Sullivan said. “But you can imagine. Just imagine yourself trying to get around an unfamiliar area and not use major roads that are signed.”
Maps
The Adventure Cycling Association maps bike routes and just won a big award for creating the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route. Located at 150 E. Pine St., the nonprofit sells maps for as little as $9.75 for one route section and as much as $56.25 for a five-pack. Members pay lower rates.
On the Web
For more information, go to www.adventurecycling.org.
Reporter Keila Szpaller can be reached at 523-5262 or at keila.szpaller@missoulian.com.
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