Comings and Goings
March 18, 2007HILARY HOWARD
The New York Times
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. The Underground Railroad Bicycle Route — a brainchild of the Adventure Cycling Association and the Center for Minority Health in Pittsburgh —runs from Mobile, Ala., to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, passing through river valleys, wildlife refuges and small towns. A guided tour of the entire route is scheduled to start April 14. The 48-day journey costs $2,649, with stays mainly in campsites, and includes maps and groceries (meals are prepared by participants, who will rotate responsibilities). On July 30, there will be a seven-day guided ride ending at the 145th Emancipation Celebration in Owen Sound, Ontario. The fee is $699 and includes luggage transport and catered meals. Cyclists who want to tour the route on their own can buy maps at www.adventurecycling.org/ugrr/
Yellowstone Ed-Ventures, day trips offered by the Yellowstone Association Institute, is expanding beyond the Northern Range into more areas of the national park. The eight-hour family-friendly programs are led by institute naturalists who instruct participants on how to use spotting scopes and binoculars. Daily rates are $495 for a group of fewer than 6; $625 for 6 to 14 participants; and $1,250 for 15 to 28. (307-344-2294; www.yellowstoneassociation.org/institute) ... Through April 22, the Omni San Diego Hotel and the San Diego Museum of Art are offering a special package coinciding with a touring exhibition, “Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005,” which includes the image (above) of the actress Nicole Kidman. The package includes accommodations, breakfast, valet parking, two tickets for the show, a copy of Ms. Leibovitz’s recently published book and a disposable camera. Why the camera? Guests may use it to snap an image for inclusion in the hotel’s amateur photo contest. The one-night package costs $339. Omni reservations: (800) 843-6664. ... The DoubleTree Grand Key Resort in Key West (www.grandkeyresort.com) has reopened after two months of work in response to the death of a guest who died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The hotel, managed by the Heartland Hotel Company, has new, upgraded boilers — with built-in stabilizers to protect against high winds — on its roof, and a new fire alarm system with carbon monoxide detectors that is linked to the fire department. "Small steps can lead to big rewards," he said. "Cycling is something that people can do basically year round at a gym or in their basement... You don't have to be Lance Armstrong to do it and see the benefits."
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