We left our posh hotel in Stroudsburg, PA (where they thought Wi-Fi was the detective from a Hong Kong police show) and found a bistro (McBistro to be exact) with Wi-Fi and breakfast burritos. Dave cleaned up my spelling and grammar and updated the blog. We are liking being rock stars on these bikes. Just like my trip years ago, people see a couple of guys on bikes with Vermont plates and immediately they start asking questions. This morning we talked to a retired engineer and his wife from NJ whose son moved to Montpelier VT and is driving a beer truck for Farrell Distributors and loving it. He has worked at Xerox for 40 years and proudly told us Xerox blew it by selling the computer mouse and laser printer ideas way too early to cash in on them. Anyway, very nice couple. We were quizzed twice more before leaving this fine establishment. People love the idea of travelling on bikes. Vermont by the way gets kudos from everyone we meet (no surprise here).

I forgot to mention the billboards in PA. It is hard to see the countryside through all the billboards. My favorites are the lawyer ones. I saw one today with an attractive professional woman lawyer and a guy with a mohawk haircut and a clean shirt that specialized in personal injury cases. Everybody that has a shed beside their house has a "for rent" sign and a phone number unless it is already rented. I mention this because I need an excuse for all the wrong turns I made today, not that wrong turns are a bad thing.

So south of Stroudsburg there are some beautiful roads cut through the sides of valley walls (no billboards here). The plan was to turn south in Perrysville but those billboards worked their magic and we ended up overshooting it, but as usual, it was a lucky break. I didn't actually realize we had overshot the turn until later in the morning. When we pulled into Lansford I noticed the rows of identical houses in town and thought this was some kind of mill town, Later I saw a little sign saying there was a mine museum but thought it was one of those gift shops posing as a museum deals. It wasn't until we pulled into Coaldale where a gigantic piece of coal as well as rusty mining cars were lying around that I decided the museum thing was real. We backtracked and found a really nice, authentic coal mine. Go to http://no9mine.tripod.com/New2007/history.html to see the history.

Some guys bought the mine in 1992, unblocked the entrance and drained all the water out, refurbished some cars and put together a very nice heartfelt museum honoring all the people that died working in those mines all those years. Our tour guide was the grandson of one of the miners so he really had his heart in it. Nicely done. Send anyone who complains about how hard they work or how little they get paid here for a reality check.

So it was when we decided to stop in Pottsville for lunch at the Garfield (yes the cat) Diner that I realized we overshot our original planned turn south. We ate lunch (actual a pretty nice diner), and found the next road south and headed for New Holland where they make farm equipment (think big blue tractors). From here it opens into the unbelievable beautiful valley where the Amish live. Farm after farm of nicely manicured farms greeted us as we rode through towns with names like Bird-In-Hand, Intercourse, Leacock and Paradise.

I have always seen pictures of the Amish and have seen all the stereotypes (like that wood burning electric stove one), but I have a new respect for what they are doing here, although I am really confused about what I am seeing.

It is Sunday and they are not working, but they are cruising around in their horse and buggies, I assume going visiting. They are a happy and healthy looking lot and their children are beautiful with their facing sticking out the back door of the buggies waving at us with big smiles. Life seems pretty good here.

Tomorrow I hope to see them out working to see if they really keep these large farms manicured with only mules and no New Holland tractors.

So spent all afternoon riding all over this Amish valley in the afternoon sunlight, caught some dinner and crashed in our hotel room, with Wi-Fi thank you very much.

Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.