|
On the road to paradise
The bicycling's great in Amish and Mennonite country
Author: By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff
Date: SUNDAY, September 21, 1997
Page: M11
Section: Travel
PARADISE, Pa. -- The road to Paradise threads its way through a patchwork
of farmland that has been tilled for more than two centuries by the Amish, the
``plain people'' who shun electricity and still ride to town in horse and
buggy.
On the surface, it may seem that the very ``progress'' the Amish work so
hard to avoid is rolling through the region. In nearby towns, signs guide
tourists to outlet malls and even a multimedia show on the Amish with
``100,000 watts of stage lighting and special effects.'' One is tempted to
think that they are literally paving over Paradise and putting up parking
lots, to paraphrase the old Joni Mitchell song.
While the commercial enterprises have their place and are undeniably
popular, it is easy to avoid the cacophony. Just take the road to Paradise on
a bicycle and keep on rolling, deeper and deeper into Amish and Mennonite
country, where you will find few cars and perhaps only a charming old country
store during a well-planned ride.
The gentle hills and the local respect for slow-moving vehicles -- the
horse and buggy is slower than the bicycle -- mean that the rural Lancaster
County area provides some of the nation's best bicycling territory. After a
couple of days here, you feel just a bit closer to the land and almost
certainly will have a better feel for the ``Amish experience'' than the
busloads of tourists.
On a recent trip here with my older brother, Clif, we rode the ridgeline
roads and valley byways, battling high winds that sometimes slowed our ascents
to a comic crawl. The scenery is reminiscent of lowland Vermont, and indeed we
encountered a couple of Vermonters who had come here to photograph some of
Lancaster County's 28 covered bridges. As I rode along, the fields seemed so
perfectly arrayed in rows and plots that the landscape resembled a giant flag,
the greenery rippling in the wind.
The Amish themselves don't ride bicycles because even these conveyances
are considered too modern, especially due to the gear system that lets a
strong cyclist ride 20 to 30 miles per hour. But the Amish seem to have a
certain respect for bikes; time and again, Amish waved at us while cars
whizzed by both bicycle and buggy at what seemed to be rocketlike speeds.
The Amish do, however, allow in-line skating. It is common to see boys
and girls, dressed in traditionally dark clothing and straw hats, racing
joyously down the streets on in-line skates -- and with better moves than
some citywise kids. Scooters are also popular.
By contrast, the bicycle is the primary mode of transportation for many
of the Mennonites who live in nearby towns. On one trip here, I watched in awe
as dozens of Mennonite boys and girls, wearing traditional clothing, biked to
church. The barnyard near the church was filled with bikes, black buggies, and
horses.
While some Mennonites do use cars, certain Old Order Mennonites allow
bikes and buggies but no cars, according to Dale Martin, a Mennonite who runs
Martin's Bike Shop in Hinkletown, just down the road from Paradise.
Martin said that while bikes hardly seem modern by today's standards, the
Amish banned them in the early 1900s, when the bicycle was considered a status
symbol. Today, the ban remains in effect because the bike can go faster than a
horse and buggy.
But for certain Old Order Mennonites, life without a bicycle would be
unthinkable.
``There are various Mennonites who use the bike not as a sport but as
transportation, and they go surprisingly long distances,'' Martin said.
Martin's shop repairs and sells bicycles, as well as a book put out by
the Lancaster Bicycle Club called ``Scenic Tours of Lancaster County.'' It is
available for $9.95. Given that the region's roads tend to twist and turn
without warning, I strongly recommend some kind of guidebook.
On my recent trip here, I stayed at the Harvest Drive Motel in
Intercourse. It is a somewhat typical motel, with telephone and television,
but it has an extraordinary location, well off the main roads and in the
middle of a spectacular farmland tableau. The adjoining restaurant is
reasonably priced and generous with its portions. There is also a large ``gift
barn'' on the premises.
However you experience Amish country, there are many side benefits. Aside
from the malls, many farms sell homemade furniture and food, although most
have a sign that says, ``No Sunday Sales.'' If nothing else, stock up on jams
and pretzels. And check out the many stores offering quilts, for which the
Amish are justly famous.
The area also abounds in farm-style restaurants, with all-you-can-eat
meals made to order for a bicyclist or anyone else with a large appetite. The
local specialties include shoe-fly pie, a crusty molasses concoction.
My brother, a train buff, also used the trip to explore some of the area's
railroad heritage. In Strasburg, we ducked out of a rainstorm to visit the
Pennsylvania Railroad Museum. I sat in the engineer's seat of a meticulously
restored GG-1, a sleek steel confection that reminded me of the age of New
York City's Chrysler Building. I must confess that my favorite part of
visiting the museum was a model train layout, thoughtfully set up so kids of
all ages can push the buttons that operate the miniature railroad.
If you prefer the real thing, cross the street and take a steam-powered
train ride at the Strasburg Railroad, a historic short line that offers
journeys through Paradise on beautifully restored coaches.
If that's not enough, you can stay at the nearby Red Caboose Motel, where
all of the rooms are -- you guessed it -- actual cabooses. The area also
features a toy train museum and numerous train shops. Thomas the Tank Engine
would clearly have a shining time.
The juxtaposition of trains and buggies, of plain people and powerful
machines, is part of the area's allure.
Lancaster County, about an hour's drive west of Philadelphia, is the
heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. William Penn, the founder of the
Pennsylvania colony, invited Anabaptists from Germany to the region in 1720.
The Anabaptists, persecuted in their homeland, came here and split into three
religious groups: the Amish, the Mennonites, and the Lutherans.
Ironically, the Amish attract the most attention because their ``plain''
dress and style of life is so distinctive, as dramatized in the popular film
``Witness.'' There is a beauty and elegance to their spare simplicity, the
women in their frill-free dresses, aprons and bonnets, the men in their
broad-brim hats, beards, and black clothing. Visitors should note that they do
not wish to be photographed or questioned.
Still, there are innumerable ways to learn more about the Amish
(pronounced AH-mish). One noteworthy institution is The People's Place, a
museum-like attraction located in the historic town of Intercourse (which
probably got its much-discussed name from its location as a crossroads).
Visitors can watch a film called ``Who Are The Amish?'' and marvel over the
exhibit of crafts and quilts.
If all of this somehow bores you, nearby Lancaster has an array of outlet
malls that are reminiscent of those found in Freeport, Maine, and North
Conway, N.H. But if you have heard the clip-clop of the Amish horse-and-buggy
and rolled down the back roads on a bicycle, the malls will seem far, far away
-- a world away, you might say.
SIDEBAR:
IF YOU GO . . .
Amish country is in southern Pennsylvania, about a six-hour drive south
from Boston, in what is broadly known as Pennsylvania Dutch Country. The
region is filled with hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfast inns, and farm-style
accommodations. For general information, phone (800) PADUTCH.
I also found a helpful site on World Wide Web: www.800padutch.com. The
site includes dozens of links offering information, reservations, and
information about the Amish. Here, you can learn about businesses such as
``Abe's Buggy Rides'' and many others. Good local publications for tourists
include the Intercourse News and Amish Country News. Note that many businesses
are closed on Sunday.
We stayed at the Harvest Drive Motel, 3370 Harvest Drive, Intercourse, PA
17534. Reservations: (800) 233-0176, (717) 768-7186. The motel offers bikes
for rent, a restaurant, and gift barn. The motel has the standard fare,
including air conditioning, cable television, and phones. It is nicely
situated off the main roads and amid the farmland.
For a classic Dutch Country meal, try the Stolzfus Farm Restaurant, in a
country farmhouse on Route 772 East in Intercourse; phone (717) 768-8156. You
can learn to twist a pretzel at the two-century-old Sturgis Pretzel House in
Lititz; (717) 626-4354.
Several introductory sites include: The Amish Experience Theater,
Intercourse, (717) 768-8400; The People's Place, Intercourse, (717) 768-7171;
The Mennonite Information Center, 2209 Millstream Road, Lancaster, (717)
299-0954.
Martin's Bike Shop in Ephrata sells gear and tour books; (717) 354-9127.
For the railroad buff:
The Red Caboose Motel and Restaurant, Strasburg. If you ever wanted to
sleep in a stationary caboose, here is your chance; (717) 687-5000.
The Strasburg Railroad offers steam rides, food and gifts; (717)
687-7522.
The National Toy Train Museum in Strasburg has an array of operating
model trains; (717) 687-8976.
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg has an extraordinary
collection of restored rolling stock, plus various exhibits; (717) 687-8628.
Traintown USA in Strasburg has 17 operating trains and 135 animated
figures and vehicles; (717) 687-7911.
For the quilt buff, a sampling of the many stores includes:
J & B Quilts, 157 North Star Road, Ronks.
Family Farm Quilts, 3511 W. Newport Rd., Ronks; (717) 768-8357.
Fisher's Handmade Quilts, Bird-In-Hand; (717) 392-5440.
Witmer Quilt Shop, 1070 W. Main St., New Holland; (717) 656-9526.
Zook's Handmade Quilts and Crafts, Gap Road, Strasburg; (717) 687-0689.
|
