Ironically, our Bike for Global Democracy tour, focused on projecting a positive alternative vision of the future, has also been for us pretty much of a journey into history, and this segment was certainly no exception to that rule.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania proved a beautiful historic place with lots of brick Georgian buildings including a Central Market that has been in operation since the early 1700's. Just north of there, we traveled through gently rolling farm hills of Amish country where people live as much as possible in the same way their ancestors did generations ago. This was a trip through living history with real life scenes of big white barns with tall silos, bearded farmers in wide brimmed straw hats plowing fields with six-horse teams, women in bonnets and ruffled caps clopping along behind our bicycle in small horse drawn carriages, clotheslines hung with patchwork quilts, black trousers and suspenders, long gray dresses, white aprons, etc., all a hundred or more years out of style. We're told the Amish believe all the evils that have befallen American society have been the direct result of modernization. If we had just continued to live by the Bible as our great grandparents did on family farms, wearing simple homespun clothing, using natural energy sources and working hard from dawn to dusk, we would not have crime, drugs, delinquency, divorce, etc. We could not help but notice some distinct similarity between this kind of thinking and the "voluntary simplicity" movement to which we also aspire. In fact, I noted smiles and approving glances as we pedaled uphill past Amish homes - pulling our own wagon, not with horsepower mind you, but with the strength of our own aging legs. One woman exclaimed with admiration, "That looks like hard work!"

Another feature of the Amish country landscape is the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum in Strasburg across from a popular tourist railroad. The variety of restored locomotives was truly amazing, each with a description of its purpose, innovative features, and ownership history. Today the latest rage is the quiet and fuel-efficient "hybrid" engine for car-owning environmentalists, but the railroads were there sixty years ago with modern diesel / electric engines. (In Seattle a copycat hybrid bus is now a big hit, and hybrid trucks are on the way.)

Another sweet glimpse of history occurred a little farther east near the French Creek State Park where we stayed for a couple of nights so we could hike during the day. We hiked through a forest of oak trees that reminded Mona of her childhood camping days in Missouri. After a few miles we came to the wonderfully restored Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. The effect, overlooking the site, is of a peaceful little village out of the past, complete with stone houses and steeple. On closer examination, you find that the main attraction is the furnace, a large stone structure with an attached working water wheel. This was used for extracting molten iron from ore and making such useful household items as wood stoves, pots, and pans during colonial times and beyond. The water wheel was used to operate huge bellows that fanned the flames. The building is equipped with such restored details as workbenches and frames used to make the sand molds into which the iron was poured. Other buildings such as the ironmaster's house, the clerk's store, the blacksmith shop, the school, and several workers’ houses were also fully furnished with antiques to the extent that they appeared almost to be lived in to this day. In each building, you can press a button and hear a voice impersonating the individual who lived or worked there.

I thought the name Hopewell appropriate for this place. The best that we can hope for is that our way of life, our little glimmer of existence, might be remembered in some positive way as this. An interesting fact we learned was that England tried to suppress the manufacture of these useful iron products, preferring that the colonies remain economically dependent upon the mother country. The Crown's view was that these people existed for the economic benefit of England. It's becoming clearer to us as we look closely at colonial history, that the Revolutionary War was not so much about taxes as it was about economic globalization.

Speaking of the Revolutionary War, our next stop was Valley Forge, which also corrected somewhat my former view of history. My preconceived image of Valley Forge was, I believe, from a painting I saw long ago of George Washington posed among his troops as they starved and froze to death in the snow. Actually, the General's headquarters was a pretty nice stone farmhouse where he lived with his wife and several servants. The men lived in huts made of logs and mud. A lot of them died of disease because there was neither plumbing nor sanitation facilities. In the spring Baron Von Steuben showed up from Germany to teach them the European style warfare. The name of the game was that the troops were to line up facing one another, then shoot. If that didn't do the trick, a bayonet charge would. The winning side gets their way in whatever the dispute was about. Such was the process of international decision-making. Unfortunately it all too much the same to this day.

Bicycling conditions have changed quite a bit, some for the worse, some for the better, since our last report. For one thing, the weather has noticeably deteriorated. The temperature has hung in the fifties now for several days with rain off and on, typical of conditions we left back in Seattle nearly three months ago. Adding insult to injury, the weatherman insists that Seattle is now enjoying temperatures in the upper 70's. The upshot was that we were forced to make a sizeable investment in new rain jackets. Dick's old one fell off the back of the bike, never to be seen again. Mona's had soaked right through in a heavy rain and proved useless.

Besides worsening weather, we've encountered tougher cycling terrain crossing the Mason-Dixon line. Rural northern Maryland was beautiful, but we huffed and puffed even with our wonderful granny gear. Then we had a bad blowout while braking hard down a long, steep road down to the Susquehanna River. After Dick managed to steer us safely off the road, we saw that the rear tire tube had wound itself around the brakes. Fortunately, the tire was not too badly damaged. Dick was able to replace the inner tube and get us back on the road, though we had to walk the bike rest of the way down and later back up an equally long, steep hill. In between down and up we delighted in super ice cream cones at Otter Creek Campground.

Earlier, just outside of Columbia, Maryland, the daily wear and tear on the bike had finally come to a head. All at once the rear chain started skipping, then both chains came off, then a chain got badly jammed. We limped into Princeton Sports several miles later in one of the few gears that still worked, more or less. Turned out that the rear gear cassette was loose, the rear chain was badly stretched with one link half broken, a rear chain ring was badly worn with a bent tooth, and the rear tire was bulging badly. Amazingly, an hour later all was well, after installing our last spare tire, a spare chain ring from the front crank, and a new rear chain. Even the finicky hub shifter began to work better, so we are again happy to have it instead of a front derailleur.

That night we didn't get as far as planned and couldn't find a campground or motel. For the first time this trip we found an out-of-the-way spot in a state park and set up our tent. Only problem was that Dick's back was already hurting badly, probably from too much bike and gear hauling earlier. Now we had to haul the bike and trailer through a boggy area. To top it off, we woke to some mightly strange sounds in the middle of the night. The hoot of a great horned owl and the wierd sound of a screech owl were to be expected. But powerful snorting from a large, hooved animal close to our tent? At first Dick feared it was a wild boar about to attack, then he calmed down and realized it was probably just a deer; still seems that no one has heard of an animal making powerful snorting sounds with every breath.

On the positive side, this hilly country has made for beautiful scenery, like views over peaceful Amish farms with big barns and silos, woodlands with stone houses peering through leafy branches of trees, covered bridges over wide clear streams. Towns have also been quaint and walkable, especially in Pennsylvania, with brick row houses and storefronts along wide sidewalks. We have been reading Jane Jacobs' book, The Life and Death of Great American Cities, and believe she would have been pleased with many neighborhoods we have seen in Lancaster, Wrightsville, Norristown, and Philadelphia.

Also on the positive side, we have found Maryland and especially Pennsylvania to be better endowed with bike lanes and trails. Our recent ride from Valley Forge to Germantown in north Philadelphia was almost entirely on bike paths along rivers and canals. Included were the Schuylkill Trail, the Manyunk Canal Tow Path, and the Wissahickon Trail. The Schuylkill Bike Trail was incorporated as an integral part of Norristown's transit center featuring bus bays, a commuter rail station, and local rail system all converging in a busy, vibrant neighborhood. This might have been a little scene out of our dreams for Seattle's future.

On the even more positive side were the wonderful people who have shared with us, met with us, and become known to us along the way. Kathryn Blackburn, a wonderful UU activist, arranged a most interesting series of events for us in Lancaster. We met and shared meals and discussion with a group of cyclists on one evening and on the next with a group who were mostly college faculty. We also vigiled in front of the old courthouse with a group of peace activists and had lunch afterwards with a wonderful Quaker couple, Marga and Charles Lane. Our homestay in Lancaster was with a couple of great souls and activists, Francine and Phil Taylor. In Columbia, Maryland, a very sharp group of cyclists met with us where we were staying at the home of Pat and Peter Fort.

We are now in Philadelphia staying with very loving and open folks, Sarah and Bob West and their daughter, Carolyn. Yesterday we rode the commuter rail into Philadelphia and had lunch with Dr. Andrew Strauss. Andy is the international law expert whose clear reasoning and insights have most influenced our vision of a global parliament. We also met Rob Wheeler, the most dedicated global activist we know. Rob is a powerful force in the cause of global democracy and perhaps the glue that holds together the Global Peoples Assembly Movement. The Wests shared their home with Rob as well as us last night, and we all attended a service this morning at the UU Church of Germantown. Father Janowski, a Franciscan, gave a powerful sermon on St. Francis of Assisi, suggesting that our current leaders would do well to ponder how St. Francis helped a town deal with a terrorizing wolf (he blessed the wolf and called it brother, but then scolded the wolf and the townspeople for their hurtful actions, then worked out a deal to feed and tame the wolf). If St. Francis were alive today, he would be biking around the world for Global Democracy and the Earth Charter, helping people to reconcile both with each other and with the earth.

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"Promote social and economic justice, enabling all to achieve a secure and meaningful livelihood that is ecologically responsible."
- Earth Charter principle I.3.b.

“We must listen to people of all ages, and plan for future generations, in our decision making.”
- Affirmation from the Preamble to the Charter of the Global Peoples
   Assembly Movement

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