July 15th - Harrisburg, PA, to Holmes County, OH

We got an early start for our six-hour trip to a reunion of all the progeny from Hank's Pre-Revolutionary War ancestor, Ludwig Wysong, who had a homestead in York, PA, in the mid-1700s. We had a tearful goodbye with Hank's Aunt Jean, then rolled out by 8:30 a.m.

We took the Pennsylvania Turnpike (first in the US) west towards Pittsburgh. We had to transit several tunnels through the Allegheny Mountains. It was clear why most pioneer emigrants chose to travel through the Cumberland Gap to the south. Finally, we dropped into the Ohio Valley. We soon left the highway and travelled over many miles of two-lane roads to the Ohio Amish County in Holmes County. 

We learned that this county has the largest concentration of Amish people in the US. They actually constitute more than 50% of the county's population! In a surprising contrast to Lancaster County, PA, many of the Amish here ride bicycles, in addition to horse-drawn buggies. Some of the bicycles were even e-bikes. We learned that each Amish community's rules are determined by a local Bishop. Rules change when the Bishop changes. Many of the Amish in Ohio wear muted colors, rather than the consistent black dress we saw in PA.

After docking, we headed to the Carlisle Inn in Sugar Creek for the reunion's opening dinner. There were about 40 family members in attendance, representing three of Ludwig's five Revolutionary War-era sons. We met a delightul pair of brothers from Georgia, accompanied by their lovely wives. 

After dinner, the family proceeded as a group to a musical theater performance at the hotel. There, we met a couple of sisters still living on and working their parents' farm in Missouri. The play was "Josiah for President", a story about how an Amish farmer stumbles into the Presidency during a tumultuous election. Josiah's common sense and goodness transcends the corruption and petty partisan politics of Washington and transforms everyone in the government and the country. It sounds corny, but by the end of the play, we were ready to vote for an Amish man for president! Is it really that complicated for us to stop serving ourselves and focus on the greater good - and the good in each other? For a few brief moments, at least, we let ourselves bask in the glow of the possibility.