June 7 2008

The forecast for the day was to be hot and humid. Temperatures into the 90s with sun beating down all day. The group decided very quickly that an early morning breakfast and departure was in order -- thus breakfast at 6am with most starting to pedal by 6:15am.

The route took the group out into the Ohio Hill Country. After several days of flat terrain it was a definite cultural shock to the legs to have to pull and push so early in the morning. But everyone prevailed. Up, up onto the plateaus above the valleys far below. Early in the morning the dew is hardly off the grass and the sky is covered in thin clouds shielding the group from the intense rays.

The first half of the ride found the road dipping down only to whip up again into the heavens. The degree of incline varied from a few degrees to as many as 12 degrees. Fortunately for the day the wind was to the rear and the downs were longer than the ups.

The Ohio Hill Countryside is covered with farmlands of corn, wheat and livestock. The Amish found this area years ago and live in harmony with neighbors of every walk of life. One turn of the road and the rider has stepped back in time only to round a corner and find modern life abound.

The state park of Mohican was seen briefly off to the side. It is known for its beauty and pristine hiking trails. Unfortunately, the time was too short to even venture into the entrance parking lot. Nearby too was Malabar Farm, the former home of playwright, Louis Bromfield. It was here that in 1945 that he hosted the wedding of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

On to Wellington and finally Oberlin. The area is renown for its role in the Underground Railroad and in later days the progression of free thought. Wellington was the site of a "near riot" that lead to the beginning of the Civil War. The Fugitive Act allowed black persons to be "kidnapped" and returned to the south. A man, John Price, was taken in Oberlin by slave bounty hunters and held in Wellington to wait for the train to the south. The students of Oberlin College, the towns people of Oberlin and many from the countryside around rallied around the hotel to free their "slave". John Brown's raid on Harper Ferry happened just after and as far as the history books go, won all the attention as to triggering the beginning of the war, but most in this area believe that it was John Price and his capture and release that started it at!

Oberlin is the last rest spot for the group. At dinner Liz Schultz from the Oberlin Heritage Council spoke to give everyone a better view of the role of Oberlin in the UGRR. Now with a non-riding day ahead there is plenty of time to investigate the area.