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Interestingly, the most surprising revelations experienced by Robert Cousineau, as he rode 1,500 miles along the Underground Railroad last summer, were the packs of dogs that chased his bicycle and the amount of Native American history he encountered while tracing the story of African American slavery.<\/p>\n
Cousineau, a social studies teacher in the Southern York County (Pa.) School District, shares these and other stories of unexpected instances, unique occurrences and eye-opening realizations when he visits Elizabethtown College\u2019s Bowers Writers House at 8 p.m. Monday, April 14. His presentation, \u201cBiking the Underground Railroad,\u201d is a peek into the story of the iconic route that brought African Americans from slavery and how this educator turned his trip into a learning experience for students in his school.<\/p>\n
“Robert Cousineau is an innovator of education in that he makes use of his personal experiences exploring the Underground Railroad in his middle school social studies classrooms,” noted Jesse Waters, director of Bowers Writers House, which is hosting the event.<\/p>\n
Though I had to stay to the roads and couldn\u2019t go along the terrain that they did, it was interesting following in the footsteps of the slaves.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This wasn\u2019t the first history-chasing pedal Cousineau undertook. He checked off two shorter treks in past years as he explored the Erie Canalway Trail<\/a>, riding 500 miles in eight days from Buffalo to Albany, N.Y., and the C&O Towpath<\/a>, riding from York, Pa., to Washington, D.C., and then to Cumberland, Md., over five days. The C&O took Cousineau through important Civil War towns: Leesburg, Va.; Harpers Ferry, W.Va.; and Sharpsburg, Md., where the Battle of Antietam took place. \u201cThe battleground is very interesting,\u201d he said. \u201cI studied it even more than Gettysburg. The loss, there, was higher than other battles in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both pathways follow rivers that employed locks to move boats from one elevation on the river to the next. \u201cI found the locks to be really interesting. You can take a boat in Albany, for instance, and take that boat all the way through the canal,\u201d Cousineau said. \u201cAt one area there are five locks in a row. They are a marvel.\u201d He noted that every 10 or 12 miles riders can stop and take in the towns. \u201cPeople lived around the locks. Their businesses were based on where the locks were located.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before leaving for that trip the educator read about the miter-v gates on the locks, discovering that they actually were invented in the mid-1400s by Leonardo DaVinci.<\/p>\n
After completing those two rides Cousineau, a 2007 graduate of Millersville University, wanted to try something more challenging. Because of the subjects he teaches, he wanted the rides to have meaning. His personal interest in the history of slavery\u2014it was his concentration when he was studying for his master\u2019s degree\u2014drew him to a ride along the Underground Railroad, a mostly-road route that led from one safe house to another. The houses were used as resting points by black American slaves as they escaped to freedom.<\/p>\n
Cousineau\u2019s tour began in New Orleans, La., just after school ended on June 8, and finished 21 days later in Pittsburgh, Pa. Cousineau spent an average of 80 miles on his bike each day, with just one rest day. \u201cI had to be back for my first wedding anniversary,\u201d which was taking place June 30, he said, chuckling. \u00a0\u201cKnowing that I had that deadline made it a little more challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along the way, the educator stayed in camp sites; Warm Showers<\/a> sites\u2014homes of hosts who welcome touring cyclists; and \u201cwith random people about half the time.\u201d Staying in the homes of community members gave the teacher the opportunity to talk to locals and eat home-cooked meals. Along his journey Cousineau was able to visit historical sites, museums and some safe houses that are being preserved.<\/p>\n
In addition to the history lesson and stories he shared with students through daily online blogging, Cousineau also used the trip as a money-raising venture. \u201cThe school raises money each year through a dance marathon for the\u00a0 for kids with cancer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Before the trip, while students danced for seven hours, raising $18,000, Cousineau stayed on his bike pedaling for cancer research. He also brought in funds from cycling sponsorships. \u201cOn past trips people asked if I was raising money for something. I wasn\u2019t but thought this would be a good opportunity to do so.\u201d His goal of $5,000 was reached and exceeded. \u201cThe students really got into the fundraising.\u201d<\/p>\n
Planning the trip\u2014which he admits he probably over-packed and over-planned\u2014took patience as Cousineau learned how he would need to survive with just the equipment he could carry on his bike. \u201cI had to plan where to stay, who to stay with, and the heat was a concern in June in the Deep South,\u201d he said. \u201cThe heat was like nothing I\u2019ve ever felt before. It\u2019s at a whole other level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keeping enough water on the bike was a challenge. A few days he ran short. \u201cThat was not good,\u201d he said. \u201cIt got a little dangerous until I hit a town.\u201d<\/p>\n
As he set out he wondered what the Deep South would be like, out \u201cin the middle of nowhere, being submersed in that, taking my time, traveling at 11 miles an hour, taking in the terrain, the culture and the people\u2014cotton plantations, Cajun country, swamps, terrain and heat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Referring to his other trips, it\u2019s hard to get lost on trails, he said, and the terrain is mostly flat; however on the road it\u2019s a different story.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a network of safe houses,\u201d he said of the route. \u201cYou don\u2019t just follow a single path.\u201d The slaves stayed along rivers to help them find their way to the north. Also, it was less populated in those areas and the water gave food and liquid for the slaves\u2019 survival. \u201cThough I had to stay to the roads and couldn\u2019t go along the terrain that they did, it was interesting following in the footsteps of the slaves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Rain also posed an especially trying problem for Cousineau, he said. \u201cThe lightning storms and weather were horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Worst, however, were the dog pack that had the cyclist continually on guard. \u201cI was attacked 20 to 30 times,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Tennessee they don\u2019t lock up their dogs. They run free and pack.\u201d He took, semiseriously, a warning from another cyclist until he encountered the first group. \u201cI couldn\u2019t believe it. I learned to stop pedaling. If you stay calm; they stay calm.\u201d One pack was wild and didn\u2019t want to back down. \u201cI kicked; I sprayed. Luckily a truck came around the bend and they scattered.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pleasurable surprise was the amount of Native American history he learned along the way. \u201cI am part Cherokee so there is a personal interest,\u201d he said, noting that part of his journey connected him with the Natchez Trace<\/a>, a highway through Mississippi and Tennessee that originally was used by natives. He also encountered the Trail of Tears<\/a> region where 2,500 natives died as their tribes were relocated from their homes to \u201cIndian Territory\u201d in the 1800s. \u201cAll of this was Native American land that was taken from them.\u201d<\/p>\n