Bob Barnes, a resident of Syracuse, New York, is making his way through the United States on a nationwide bicycling tour. Earlier this month, Barnes’ travels took him through the Yellowhammer State.
Fox News Digital is covering Barnes in his travels across the country and recently spoke with him regarding his tour through Alabama, which was his 30th stop of the tour.
What Barnes found to be most fascinating about his Alabama experience was to learn of the rich history the state holds regarding civil rights. Barns admitted to the outlet that he was unaware of Montgomery’s significance in the campaign for black rights.
“I didn’t know the Confederacy started in Montgomery and I didn’t know the Civil Rights Movement actually started in Montgomery… That fascinated me,” said Barnes. “And to actually see it all — you actually feel it. You can feel the history in Montgomery. It’s really an experience.”
While in the Cradle of the Confederacy, Barnes visited various landmarks paying recognition to the events that occurred throughout the civil rights movement. He said some of the monuments were “hard to read.”
“But it is part of history,” Barnes acknowledged, “so you have to know about it.”
While describing other capital cities he had visited as “inert,” Barnes said he found Montgomery to be “eye-opening.” He said the city “was a fun town” to visit and had “some life to it.”
Barnes also paid a visit to Selma, where he said he began to “get the shivers” taking in the history that occurred in the culture-rich city.
“When you’re in Selma and then you realize where the march started — you get the shivers,” Barnes said. “You look around and you literally feel the history… It all comes rushing back to you, all the textbook stuff.”
“Because to read [about] it and see pictures is different than seeing it in real life,” he added.
As he was preparing to retire for the night, Barnes said he was alerted to a severe thunderstorm warning and wind advisory. Barnes was proud of the manner in which he handled Alabama’s unpredictable weather.
“I was kind of proud of myself because I don’t fare too well in the rain that often,” Barnes admitted. “Everything tends to get wet… I’m not a survivor man at heart. I have to work at it. So I was proud of myself.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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