 Tractors must have steel wheels  The father, or one of them turned up in the buggy towing a trailer. They almost have a sinister look about them with the tiny windows and they are not slugs on the road  great gravel roads, even better unloaded. Thongs were dodgy. |
 Plain white house, typical for this group Amish, Buggy with steel wheels, amazingly well built  Not uncomfortable within and a key to switch indicator lights etc on  Typical scene around the dwelling at many properties |
Lansing all day, 78km,4hrs,18.56av.speed, total 2468 fine day 25℃
Arising early, I pottered and headed for town and a morning graze. Enthusiasm was abound, I had read articles about the Amish in Nat Geo over the years, these guys interested me.
They had produce stores in the outlying rural areas around a town west of Lansing called Waukon (pronounced walk on). It was 20m away.
Being a casual kind of day I rode in thongs, the ride involved a fairly long climb fom the river up to higher country, well it could be best described as a domestic garden on a grand scale. The greens were rich with the landscape supporting endless rows of soya beans and corn.
The most obvious difference between here and Minnesota is that the pick up trucks are by the most part driven by farmers.
Up at Waukon I got directions to the Amish area which was reached negotiating gravel roads, which were in good nick.
The first property I called in at the children were playing, with skill, volley ball using two buggies as anchors for the net.
A young boy,(maybe 4) cute as could be came up to me, we shook hands, his name was Mors. I asked if he wanted to sit on the bike, up I lifted him he was having a ball as we wandered to the all white house. His mum came and got him, said nothing ,obviously not to impressed.
Another lady told me she thought he may have fallen ,fair enough, but no chance.
I purchaesd some divine almond in white chocolate patties, had a brief convo with the lady and politely asked if I could take a photo of the kids playing Volley ball she said yes but qiuckly.
I watched and chatted with the children as they played. All the boys had bowl haircuts, quite trendy I might add. I wouldn’t have minded a couple of them on my team.
I headed off and visited another place. The lady here had all the kids pulling weeds around the house.
She was much more open and let me take photos of things,but no one. I gave all the kids a candy and we yakked on . Through the gate came a buggy and black trailer being pulled by a horse, it was classic, they have very small windows. The wheels are steel clad.
The kids told me they don’t ride pushbikes and dont use computers. They do however have drivers here who take them to town due to their not owning cars.
One of the older boys was mowing the lawns with a petrol mower, he left his duties and came to see what was up. Presently, stern words in a kind of German dialect came from an open window in the house to the effect of get back to the mower. I told him our boys used to cop the same deal, he chuckled.
This was a great experience being with these people, the womans openess towards me was a privilege. Not to mention the kids, like me, loved those almond numbers.
Along the road a bit further I saw a woman mowing her lawn with a push mower. I pulled in for confirmation of my interpretation of directions back to the main road.
We had a yarn together with her husband and son who incidently was a mad keen Harry Potter fan and was attired accordingly, his name was Avery, so American.
They gave me water and we compared lifestyles, they lived in a brilliant 100 year old small but lovely home. It was ironical that she was using a push mower and the Amish had a sly petrol driven unit, mind you getting a 14 year old to mow lawns with a push mower is obviously not restricted by boundaries of social beliefs.
I headed back to Lansing, pretty buggered I might add and went straights to Miltys bar and had pork chops again with 4 beers @ $2 each, happy afternoon was in progress.
I also had another ale back at the Red Barn and chatted with the girls behind the bar, before showering and hitting the nest most relaxed.
Arising early, I pottered and headed for town and a morning graze. Enthusiasm was abound, I had read articles about the Amish in Nat Geo over the years, these guys interested me.
They had produce stores in the outlying rural areas around a town west of Lansing called Waukon (pronounced walk on). It was 20m away.
Being a casual kind of day I rode in thongs, the ride involved a fairly long climb fom the river up to higher country, well it could be best described as a domestic garden on a grand scale. The greens were rich with the landscape supporting endless rows of soya beans and corn.
The most obvious difference between here and Minnesota is that the pick up trucks are by the most part driven by farmers.
Up at Waukon I got directions to the Amish area which was reached negotiating gravel roads, which were in good nick.
The first property I called in at the children were playing, with skill, volley ball using two buggies as anchors for the net.
A young boy,(maybe 4) cute as could be came up to me, we shook hands, his name was Mors. I asked if he wanted to sit on the bike, up I lifted him he was having a ball as we wandered to the all white house. His mum came and got him, said nothing ,obviously not to impressed.
Another lady told me she thought he may have fallen ,fair enough, but no chance.
I purchaesd some divine almond in white chocolate patties, had a brief convo with the lady and politely asked if I could take a photo of the kids playing Volley ball she said yes but qiuckly.
I watched and chatted with the children as they played. All the boys had bowl haircuts, quite trendy I might add. I wouldn’t have minded a couple of them on my team.
I headed off and visited another place. The lady here had all the kids pulling weeds around the house.
She was much more open and let me take photos of things,but no one. I gave all the kids a candy and we yakked on . Through the gate came a buggy and black trailer being pulled by a horse, it was classic, they have very small windows. The wheels are steel clad.
The kids told me they don’t ride pushbikes and dont use computers. They do however have drivers here who take them to town due to their not owning cars.
One of the older boys was mowing the lawns with a petrol mower, he left his duties and came to see what was up. Presently, stern words in a kind of German dialect came from an open window in the house to the effect of get back to the mower. I told him our boys used to cop the same deal, he chuckled.
This was a great experience being with these people, the womans openess towards me was a privilege. Not to mention the kids, like me, loved those almond numbers.
Along the road a bit further I saw a woman mowing her lawn with a push mower. I pulled in for confirmation of my interpretation of directions back to the main road.
We had a yarn together with her husband and son who incidently was a mad keen Harry Potter fan and was attired accordingly, his name was Avery, so American.
They gave me water and we compared lifestyles, they lived in a brilliant 100 year old small but lovely home. It was ironical that she was using a push mower and the Amish had a sly petrol driven unit, mind you getting a 14 year old to mow lawns with a push mower is obviously not restricted by boundaries of social beliefs.
I headed back to Lansing, pretty buggered I might add and went straights to Miltys bar and had pork chops again with 4 beers @ $2 each, happy afternoon was in progress.
I also had another ale back at the Red Barn and chatted with the girls behind the bar, before showering and hitting the nest most relaxed.
