The Slow Lane

Last night I witnessed an event that provided a rare opportunity: the International Space Station was visible in the night sky above Ohio. It orbits the earth at a height of 250 miles, traveling at 17,500 miles per hour. At this speed it circumnavigates the globe every 90 minutes, crossing the sky visibly, but at a dazzling pace. I remarked to my brother that this is faster than people drive on the New York State Thruway… but not by much… or so it seemed to this Vermonter who rarely drives divided highways. Oof… this is life in the fast lane.
 
Visiting in my native Ohio has given me another rare opportunity, however, which is to witness life in the slow lane. Three of my siblings live here, all of them within minutes of one Interstate highway or another,  but we’ve done a little touring into Ohio history, first at the old Ohio & Erie Canal, and then a visit into the Amish country, about an hour south of where I grew up. The Ohio & Erie, dug by hand, was begun in 1825, taking about seven years to complete. With 152 locks and 308 miles in length, it connects the Ohio River with Lake Erie, traveling along the Tuscarawas and Cuyahoga Rivers, passing right through my hometown of Akron. Our city took its name from the Greek word akros,  which means high point, since Summit County was the highest point along the canal. 
 
This, indeed, was life in the slow lane, since barges on the canal, pulled by mules along the towpath, moved at about four miles per hour. People then were content with life that moved at this pace; all seemed to be progress back then. However, life and commerce along the canal was short-lived: when trains began to appear in the 1860’s, moving goods and passengers at a far greater pace, the canal took a back seat to this new mode of progress. By 1910, the canal was completely abandoned. Most of the former towpath has been turned into a recreational path. We went for two outings along these paths, in different locations. Our first was a walk beginning at Lock 15, where the original general store has been restored, much like the Coolidge Store in Plymouth. From here we trekked uphill into downtown Akron, where the canal passes underground beneath the streets. Our second foray was out in the countryside, where we rented bicycles and rode north (a gradual downhill grade, gratefully) to a point where we met the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, where we loaded the bikes onto the train and rode back to our starting point. 
 
On another day, I traveled to Amish country with my sister, an avid quilter. In the past I’ve purchased two quilts in Amish country, both of which now grace the beds in our rectory guest rooms. Many people are aware that the Amish have a lifestyle that hasn’t changed since the 1830’s, eschewing much of modern life. This can be witnessed in their wardrobes, and the refusal to use electricity, as well as modern modes of travel, except for traveling by train. There are no computers or cell phones here. They’re permitted to use electricity in their shops in order to accept credit cards, but at the end of the day, they close things up and walk home, often a distance of a few miles. This, too, is life in the slow lane, as horse-and-buggy travel moves along at about eight miles per hour. There are approximately 360,000 Amish in the United States, with 78,000 of them in Holmes County, Ohio and environs. These are mostly Old Order Amish, originating in Switzerland, who speak a dialect of German and describe the rest of us as “the English.” Their restaurants are fantastic, serving mostly comfort food and delicious desserts, all cooked from scratch.

Returning to Vermont I’ll travel the Thruway once again, with cars and trucks careening past at breakneck speed, but I’ll amble along at my own pace, reminiscing about buggies and canal boats, but at a pace that will bring me home safely. See you then…