'Sounds pretty'

Blind bikers take break in Shoals

By Dennis Sherer
Published in: Times Daily (June 05, 2006)

A mocking bird rattled off an impressive collection of songs, and a hawk shrieked as Elizabeth Harville paused beside her bike Monday along the Natchez Trace Parkway.

"The birds sound really nice. This place sounds pretty," Harville said between sips of water.

Harville, 23, of Nashville, Tenn., is blind. She was riding a tandem bicycle piloted by Heather Ford, of Michigan, a sighted volunteer. They were part of a 10-bicycle caravan sponsored by Nebraska-based Christian Record Services.

The ride from Nashville to Tishomingo State Park, in Mississippi, began Sunday.

The riders took a break Monday from the 130-mile journey down the parkway to visit Helen Keller Hospital and attend a performance of the play "The Miracle Worker" in Tuscumbia. Today, they will visit Ivy Green, the birthplace of Helen Keller, before returning to the parkway for the final leg of their journey.

Volunteer Helene Elliott said Ivy Green is always a highlight of the trip for the visually impaired riders who come from all over the South. "Helen Keller is their hero," she said.

Sonny Wilmoth, the ride's coordinator, said Keller is an inspiration for the riders.

"We look forward to coming to Tuscumbia every year to learn more about the life of Helen Keller and her influence on all people," he said.

Harville, who made her first journey down the Natchez Trace Parkway on a bicycle in June 2005, has looked forward to this year trip ever since.

"It's awesome. It's a lot of fun," she said. "I had a blast doing it last year."

During the ride, each bike captain describes the scenery along the parkway for the visually challenged riders.

The riders use other senses to compensate for their impaired vision.

"They enjoy listing to the birds and wind rustling through the trees," Elliott said

Although she could not see the wildflowers, trees and animals along the parkway, Harville knows the parkway is scenic. "It sounds like a really beautiful place."

As the riders approach rest areas along the route, volunteers ring cowbells to alert them that water and Gatorade are available if they need a drink or to stop and take a break.

Ford, an avid biker, said riding the parkway with Harville was a great experience.

"Elizabeth does anything and everything. She's quite a trooper," Ford said.

Wilmoth said a long-distance bicycle ride through the rolling hills of southern Tennessee, northwest Alabama and northeast Tennessee is a good way to prepare the riders for the challenges of everyday life.

"We tell them life is like a bike ride. Sometimes it's uphill. Sometimes it's downhill. But as you keep God with you, everything will be alright," he said.