Berlin...

                              An advert in the Holmes Bargain Hunter free newspaper:

WANTED: NEW OR used dentures. Broke mine and need some ASAP.

John R. S------.

This year is an election year in The States. Naturally we want to talk politics, but we find a reticence which we don't seem to find in the UK. We got a three night deal on a campsite in Berlin OH, so had a chance to get to know the people in the RV's alongside us.

In the dark round one of the campfires they love over here, we finally got to hear from some Republicans what they thought was happening to the country. They were both retired law enforcement offers.

Their main concerns were immigration, taxes, and nationalised health care. But what was interesting was the way they kept their voices down as they talked - almost as if they didn't want to upset the neighbours. No, it wasn't late…

The next morning I chatted with a Democrat. I distinctly had the impression he'd overheard the previous night's chat and wanted to make sure I had the correct view. Again he kept his voice down, but his point was that politics in America had become divisive; people were being polarised by politics. The media and politicians were stoking up the fears of the population to get the results they want. He made the point that America spent as much on defence as the next 14 nations combined. He was a union man, and reckoned that Republicans wanted to look after themselves, and weren't interested in the less fortunate.

Half an hour later another close neighbour came out for a chat. Once again I felt that he wanted to 'put the record straight'. A republican who had his own business renting accommodation, he told me that the biggest problem facing America was the Social Security.

"All those idlers sitting around doing nothing while we pay for it…"

Now a lot of these arguments I recognise from British politics, but there does seem to be little in the way of middle ground here. The prevailing attitude seems to be: "If you're not with me you're agin me."

Of course we were only taking with white middle class middle aged Americans who could afford to take time camping in their expensive RVs, but I reckon Obama has a hard fight coming this year.

A six month run - in Sugar Creek Ohio.

On our last night saw a local production of a musical about Amish folk, 'Confession' on Saturday night, as we wanted to find out what culture was on offer in this neck of the woods. It was held at a local hotel come conference centre. It was obviously a special occasion for a lot of folk, as the women had dresses on and there were a lot of birthdays and anniversaries amongst the audience.

The music was taped and the story was rather too sentimental for our tastes, but we enjoyed the spirited performances and the window into Amish culture. We both came away with the impression that their hard lives have a lot of compensations. They're free of a lot of the pressures that afflict the larger world.

This was container number 135.

We left Holmes County in Ohio on Sunday morning and headed for Detroit. There are fewer trucks on the road on a Sunday, and almost all the shops are shut. Driving the empty roads it was pretty clear that there the Sabbath is well observed. The way was clear ahead, apart from a few Amish taking their time gong home.

We like the back roads, the black roads, the township byways. We're becoming more comfortable with the size of our home, and taking more of the roads less travelled.

But to travel any distance we have to use the highways, and when we ventured onto the concrete, it was like changing gear back into modern America. The commercialism, the speed, the urgency, the materialism were all back with us.

Yup, the Amish life certainly had compensations.

Where perspective converges forever.

The roads are long and straight and flat in Northern Ohio, perfect country for cruise control. Bikers were out in force, almost all with their lady pillions, cruising the roads looking cool.

Ford is everywhere here.

And so onwards to Michigan. The roads are busier and faster, the number of lanes increase, and signs of motor car manufacturing start to appear.

But a note of warning for anyone travelling to Detroit from Toledo on i75. Make sure your the fillings in your teeth are in good order, otherwise they'll be dancing around your feet after half an hour.

Our site for two nights. The museum calls.