Riding Through Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania again, and Ohio

It doesn’t look like an exciting day, but for us the ride is the most important part of the trip.  It is not necessarily the destination; it is the ride.  To get through the Allegheny Mountains on the way back, we decided to do the Interstate, and the best East to West Interstate was I 68 through the top of Maryland.  To get to that road we went down through a valley (all of these valleys remind me of Sequachie Valley back home; they are between two ridges of the Alleghenies.

That was the best part of the day because it was two-lane and because of the cool of the morning and the shade over the road.  We agree that interstates get you there faster, but what you give up is shade and comfort.  The interstate was hot, hot, hot–and crowded with trucks.

There was time to think about the contrast between Monday and Tuesday.  Both days were enjoyable, but the contrast strikes me in a worldview sort of way.  The Amish–a simple life–school through eighth grade, then as a adult (16) one goes away from the community to experience life among ‘the English’.  If they decide to remain Amish,, they are baptized into the faith forever.  They will work the fields plowing behind three mules or raking hay or spreading manure.  They will live with all the generations on the same campus of houses (for grandparents and maybe for great grandparents) for the rest of their lives.

The American display of audacious consumerism represented by Hershey Candyland.  Parents forking over tons of money to try to please spoiled (in many cases) little kids who do not know how fortunate they are to be among the richest people in the world–who in many cases are more distracted by their phones than by the $39.00 per ticket ‘attraction’ in the park.  Just reporting the contrast.  I too am an American affluent consumer.  And by the way, I do not want to plow a field behind 3 mules!

The ride got hotter and hotter during the afternoon.  I guess the most significant event other than the ride was to see this truck.  Andy says his friend Rod worked for this company for many years:

   This one’s for you, Rod.

Good night all.  Love you, Lil.