(Apr 16, 2026) Today we got up hours before sunrise and began an 11 hour trip to visit them. Getting out our state necessitated passing thru Amish territory. Light on the horizon revealed a rock with "freeDOM" crudely painted on with white. A billboard that proclaimed "Redefining Amish Furniture." We stopped at an Amish-adjacent Dennys for breakfast, waited at least 15 minutes before we could order cuz the manager was late. The entire staff was middle-aged and gave the vibe they'd worked there at least half their lives. They sold hypermasculine bible guides in the lobby and Dad was like "No matter what u think of the Amish, they let u be openly religious." I tried and failed to shit in the trucker rest stop as Paramore's Ain't It Fun blasted in the background. Leaving that town, I spotted graffiti on the side of an abandoned house that read "Spiritual Gangsta." West Virginia felt like an incredibly empty and lumpy state. While we were there we pulled over at the world's windiest Wendy's for lunch. There was a vintage diner Dennys across the road. A big old dude with a large golden cross necklace jokes about replacing my youngest brother's wheelchair with his motorcycle, and in response he almost spat out his Sprite. One of my younger brothers plays Gaziantep rap out loud in the parking lot after two guys with Punisher t-shirts and goth MAGA hats pull out. In Ohio we pass the "Rushing Wind Biker Church" and consider stopping there when we drive back on Sunday out of curiosity. We take a rest break at a nondescript rest place. In the men's bathroom were stall messages that read: TAP UNDER STALL FOR BJ - PUT COCK UNDER STALL - - LOL - TRUMP 20024. We soon passed a Denny's tire maintenance shop or some shit before driving through the most desolate, abandoned, hauntingly isolated parts of Ohio. Suprisingly enough, approaching our destination felt livelier by injecting color into similar surroundings.