Sunday, June 24, 2007

Amish Country

If someone had asked me where the largest concentration of Amish is in the US, I would have probably answered Pennsylvania or Indiana, and I'd have been wrong! It's Ohio, with Penn second and Indiana third. Discovering this fact, we adjusted our schedule to include a two night stop in Holmes County, Ohio at the Scenic Hills RV Park. The Amish are a very interesting subculture of America, with a strong sense of family values and morality. We thoroughly enjoyed our visits with them while there. The cooking is world-famous, and we took full advantage of it, eating at two of the better Amish eateries. Driving through Amish Country is a challenge for a 40-foot motorhome to avoid horse-and-buggies conveying families to and fro. The Amish adhere to "the old ways" of doing everything and even they have trouble distingushing whether it is a matter of social tradition, religious persuasion or both. In any case, there is much of value in their appreciation of family closeness and simplicity. Those of us "on the outside" can learn much. Their settlement in this area dates back to the earliest parts of the 19th century.
The Amish-Mennonite Heritage Center in Berlin, Ohio is well-equipped to teach visitors the history and relationship and differences between the two similar groups. The director, Paul Miller, a family relation of a good friend of ours in San Antonio, is shown here at the Center giving us some directions for our drive around Amish Country which provided us with a wonderful view of the area. Thanks, Paul!

Of course, exploring a new area always allows time for geocaching and we found a couple in Berlin.
It makes a very pleasant way to learn new and interesting facts about our wonderful land!



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