I was in Lancaster County, PA for a couple days this past week with my wife and we were enjoying the amazing beauty of the outlying countryside. Tracked down a few covered bridges and generally enjoyed getting off the beaten path and taking some pictures.

As we tooled along, I just kept thinking: "Man, I wish I was in my 914 right now." Some of those roads have the best banked turns, multiple curves, hills, dips, etc.

Do you local guys ever take advantage or is that not cool, given the heritage and serenity of the area? Is that something you guys do when you converge on Hershey?

Cuz....if you say it's OK, I'm bringin' it!! (when it's off jack stands one day )

It's not like their going to whip out a cell phone and call the cops on ya

Years ago I was working on a project down in Dover De. Went for a drive around the back roads after work one evening and saw a buggy coming toward me. As we came together I noticed some sort of square sticker under the center of the windshield and as we passed I looked over to see what it was.




A Harley Davidson sticker....



Harvey

I would say go for it. Haven't been to Lancaster in a while, but the last time I was there I found a guy who sold old beer steins. Found some local (as in Maryland) beer glasses from a bygone age.

Those Amish buggies just might give a 1.8 a run for their money!

Just watch the movie "Sex Drive." The Amish dig cool cars.

I live in Southern Maryland - Mennonite and Amish country. Awesome fall day here today, leaves are just starting to turn. Drove 60 miles through the back roads, passed several buggies but that is life here. Can't go blasting through blind curves or hills - never know what is lurking ahead. Every few years there is buggy/car accident - needless to say the buggy always comes out the loser and the car is typically to blame - stupid drivers.

The real challenge is avoiding horse droppings in the road - OK city folks, I'm sure you are laughing or saying WTF, but they make a good slalom course!

Go a little further north into the mountains and you'll find even "more funner" roads above the farmland!


(dad's old '75... not mine)

Just slow down and don't kick loose road top at their horses when you pass. Otherwise cry havoc and let loose the dogs of 30+ year old technology.

BTW on a hot day, a slow drive through Amish country can reveal some smoking hot ankle skin.

:shudder:

I wouldn't want to be leaning into a turn and have horse poo cause me to crash. That would be not only painful but embarrassing.

Last time the 914 was running we toured Lancaster & western West Chester counties. It was a Teusday. Bought lots of great food & veggies. Next weekend, we mage the mistake of going back on a Sunday afternoon, in a DD. On the Sabbath, all stands are shut down & the yougsters parade in buggies. Horse crap everywhere on the roads & miles of parading buggies on both sides of the road. Limied passing but it makes no difference. since you'll catch up with the next clan parading. Guess it's thier day in the sun,

Went to an Amish funeral 5 years ago (long story). 200 year old building converted to a funeral home. Service was almost enough to change your lifestyle, No shoes, no cars (except for the hearse), super clean, ultrarespactable people.

What a spectacle! Lovely people!
Pat

And by the way, what's passing protocol out there?

We were behind a couple of guys clip-clopping along at 7 mph and on a 2-way road with a double yellow line. If the conditions are safe, is passing legal? I mean, not that there are traffic light cameras out there or anything. Just wanted to be mindful and respectful of the culture (and keep everybody safe).

Around here the major roads have paved shoulders for the buggies. On these roads most drivers fly by, I slow down and give them some room. On the back roads we share the roads, when approaching from head on, I slow down to about 25 well in advance and keep well right. From behind I don't fly up on them, slow to about to 15-20, short beep on the horn if they don't know I'm behind them, ensure it is clear and pass keeping well to the left. Not sure of the technical side of crossing a double yellow, but it's an accepted practice here.

Oh, at night they do run tail lights and head lights, but generally they are not real bright.

I just spent the weekend in Amish country in the Indiana farmlands and they were everywhere. Most are very friendly and move over to give you passing room. Even saw a sport version buggy with three Amish babes in it. The menonite are a little looser though. No power in their houses so most are home before dar. We even went to an Amish village and ate at a nice Amish buffet. Although quite harry and not real clean, they were still pretty tastee.

No but they might track you down and cut your hair and beard!

Amish Radicals in the news...

Excuse my ignorance but isn't jmill bang on the money? I have heard that the Amish men have to have a 'blow out' when they are late teenagers or early 20's?? To get the frustration out of their systems before they settle down for the long life of marriage?? they have loads of money (because they don't spend any of their earned cash on anything) so they blow it all on fast cars and nitros in a 6 month period??

I remember something about that - and I guess thats what the films about?

Rumspringha ( probably misspelled). The choice to retain the lifestyle is a choice and to make it they are set free for a bit to experience modem life. Not all come back to wear the black and in some areas the Amish community is shrinking.

Passing varies depending on the roads. I usually act as Pat does and give them room. You do have to be careful in the corners. There are lots of high banks on either side of the rural roads - many of which were cow paths and game trials 100 years ago and have literately been carved into the countryside.

Please use caution. The Amish can not move quickly and a 914 will demolish a buggy and it's occupants if you burn around a corner and a buggy is there. On the fun roads there is often no shoulder and at places the buggycod not get off the road even if it wanted to.

Once a few miles east of Lancaster you get the same roads but no buggies.

I think you're thinking of Rumspringa.

I think you're thinking of Rumplemintz

I think I'm thinking of rum and Coke.

Hi Pat,

I lived in Pottstown, PA (Amish area) in the early 70's and I miss "Shoo-Fly-Pie" The deep bottom kind, yum, yum. I think it's only available in PA Amish country & no where else in other states Quaker/Amish land.

Tom

Yep thats the one

Thanks for confirming I wasn't going totally crazy!

I don’t like to lead people astray, but if they’re going to go that way I’ll tag along for the ride.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9QeqbASaSc

Please drive carefully through Amish country- everyone deserves to get home safe.

Was north of Berlin OH, and some livestock or rodeo event let out. The Amish left early, and then the cars came barreling out. There ws an Amish or Mennonite buggy heading home on the hilly 2 lane road and it was stuffed with a family. I saw each of the 6 asshats in front of me get really pisssed that they had to wait, and some were honking. When they could pass, each one passed the buggy by flooring it and deliberately staying as close as they could to the buggy. I guess they wanted to let the people in the buggy know how pissed they were with the delay.

In the buggy, the little kids were crying, the cute young girls in the bonnets were badly scared, and the mom and dad's knuckles were white. I didn't think they were going to get home safe. When I passed, it was as wide as I could, and slow as to not to spook the skittish horse. Wife waved at the kids as we went by.

If one of those drivers had caused an accident or death, I was either going to hang around to testify , or follow the car to get the tag number. In either event, I would have suggested a murder charge to the cops.

And yeah, my wife is redheaded Pennsylvania Dutch.

Ken

I ride a bicycle, and although I haven't encountered that kind of hostility on the road, I totally sympathize with the Amish. You wanna go fast, take it to the track. Or at least the freeway, where nobody can pull out of a side road in front of you.

This happened in July up here in New York

Amish Mourn

I would find another area to have fun driving in, or take it to the track.

There's a great documentary on the Rumspringha (sp?) phenomenon, called 'The Devil's Playground'. See: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293088/

Im thinking of beer and rump.