Amish Country - Pennsylvania

We rose early, hurried to break camp and headed out for Pennsylvania and Amish Country.  The first 45 minutes or so of the trip took us through the winding, narrow roads and finally to the interstate highway.  We both gave a sigh of relief to be on the four lane highway even though it was still going through the mountains.  Once we crossed the border into Pennsylvania much of the steep climbing was behind us, replaced by tunnels.  I am a bit claustrophobic so going underground did not make me happy, but it was better than climbing up and down and around which would take much longer than going through.

For once the gps did not take us on a wild goose chase.  We passed through Lancaster and Strasbourg and on to our campground without a hitch.  Our new camp is very large and hilly.  When we arrived at our site, my first thought was oh my gosh how on earth will we get this rig into that spot!  The sites are very close together and are arranged at odd angles to each other.  It took us a try or two or three but in the end got the rig into the spot in a good place.  In short order we were set up and having a beer to relax.  While relaxing, we selected a tour for tomorrow.  It will take us through Amish country and give us a good understanding of their culture.

We were up early, dressed and out the door heading to meet our tour van.  We spent several hours learning all about the Amish way of life, seeing how they live and make a living.  A bit of background:  The Amish came to Pennsylvania from Europe during the Reformation to escape persecution because of their Anabaptist beliefs; the believe that a person must make a conscious choice to accept God and thus, only adults can be baptized.  This is one of the basic beliefs that brought them into conflict with the Catholic Church and even some Protestants as well.  They came to Lancaster, PA in the 1720s or 1730s and today they number about 30,000 and are the largest group in the US.  There is more to it than that but that is a bit of their history.

The Pennsylvania Amish believe that community harmony is threatened by secular values such as individualism and pride, which permeates the modern world.  They accept some modern conveniences in order to provide for their families but for the most part they live apart.  For them family is paramount and the family works together in all things.  Everything from how they dress to how their children are educated is influenced by their faith.  What blows my mind more than anything else is how the community at large accepts them and respects their ways.  It is amazing how the roads accommodate their buggies and businesses even provide areas for their horse and buggies to be tethered while they shop or visit the bank or whatever they may need.  It is such a stark difference in how they live their lives while the world around them rushes about chasing after the golden ring.

Okay, okay enough philosophizing.  Our tour took us to a number of farms.  The most common crops are field corn and alfalfa to feed their horses and cattle.  They also raise cash crops of tobacco and soybeans.  None of their tobacco is sold in PA or even in the US for that matter.  It is exported to make cigars and cigarettes.  Of course they raise vegetables and beautiful flowers.  We stopped at several stands where they sold them.  Oh my gosh, the tomatoes were so red and luscious they beg for white bread and mayonnaise for the perfect summer sandwich - mmmmm, good.

The Amish are very resourceful.  They find a way to use everything that the “English” (anyone who is not Amish) would discard.  For exam
ple, they turn used horse shoes into works of art.  We saw hand made quilts and placemats and other things that are amazing.  Everything is done by hand, even the quilting.  I would have loved to have one but $650 wasn’t in my vacation budget.

Beautiful Quilt

No visit to the area would be complete without eating Amish food.  We stopped for lunch at a place that served buffet style.  We knew we were in trouble, self control flies out the window when food is concerned.  There were all sorts of vegetables, fruits and meats and well anything you could want.  For me the most unusual thing was ham balls.  So I tried one and bless my soul, it was delicious!  Ground ham made into balls and cooked in a pineapple sauce; we are not in the South any longer for sure!  Sometimes good things are bad for us.  The food proved to be too rice for my system but it was worth suffering to try.

We enjoyed driving out into the country side.  The vistas are amazing with fields of corn and tobacco surrounding a lovely home and barns etc.  Keep in mind, the Amish do not have electricity in their homes.  They do not have cars but travel in several types of wagons/buggies or scooters, a type of pedal-less bicycle.  There are several types of buggies used.  There is a covered one large enough for a four.

There is a “convertible” or spring wagon and finally a work wagon.  The first two are pulled by elegant, well-trained horses.  The wagons are pulled either by draft horses or mules.  One must take care driving as you may encounter them around any curve or over any hill that will make your heart stop as well as your vehicle.  We wanted to see some of the smaller towns like Intercourse, Bird in Hand, Blue Ball, Fertility and Paradise.  Seeing such names causes one to giggle, but the history of all these names are examples of how our language changes.  For example, the word “intercourse” meant fellowship and social interaction, which was an integral part of early settlers lives.

As our visit came to an end, we came away very glad that we made this area a stop.  In the crazy world we live in and how self-centered we tend to be, it renewed my belief that people can be both kind and accepting of those who are different from us.