After an Original 13 Colonies Tour over the summer, we headed down the Old National Road (U.S. Rte. 40), which was the first road west for the settlers. This would be the second of nine tour legs that took us to all 48 states in the continental U.S. And this second leg would also intersect us with Ohio for the first time in the campaign.

SEPTEMBER 22, 1999
Off U.S. Rte. 40 in southeastern Ohio we stopped at Franciscan University in Steubenville where I gave a talk and was interviewed for the campus radio station. Most of the students here seemed to be majoring in God, minoring in other stuff. Subjects (math, science, psychology, everything) are taught in conjunction with how "God's Natural Order" ties in.

As with any school, there's competition at Franciscan U., says Steubenville resident Jim Hostetler, who attends daily Mass on campus. But, it's a good-natured competition - to be the "holiest."

Student Tobias Nathe wrote a column for the campus newspaper asking Franciscan's girls to dress with his holiness in mind, no tank tops or stretch skirts, please.

"Believe me when I say that a man doesn't picture little children on a porch when he sees an immodestly dressed woman," Nathe wrote.

At a park in Steubenville we met a woman whose mother just adopted an 8-year-old boy with heart problems. She's 65 and had already raised a big family. She did it because, well, there was a need and she figured God would want her to help.

OCTOBER 1, 1999
We caught up with Scott Savage and his family in Barnesville. Scott met his wife, Mary Anne, at Kent State University in the '80s, they graduated, married, and drove off to take their rightful, or at least expected, place in suburbia, Savage told us.

One problem: they didn't feel they fit, it was too crowded, and they were surrounded with, well, too much stuff. They simplified, became Quakers and moved to Barnesville where they ditched the TV, got a buggy and started the Center for Plain Living. And they had some children, five at last count.

Sarah and Joseph helped (sort of) the Savage children milk goats. They then took turns on a wooden rocking horse and wooden swing. That was about it for toys. Toys are few in general for the Quaker and Amish children: balls, swings, a doll and a wagon. What there seems to be no lack of: playmates, pets and space. These children learn the simple life early.

To cap his transition to buggying, Scott wrote in his book A Plain Life that he walked 100 miles from Barnesville to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Columbus to turn in his driver's license.

OCTOBER 5, 1999
In Columbus, our story was featured on the CBS six o'clock news. The anchor reported: "His platform is simple. Get back to the basics. Get rid of the excess. And help those in need."

OCTOBER 8, 1999
Back in our hometown of Ripley, we stayed with Steve and Darci Newman for a couple days. Steve is known as the Worldwalker. About 16 years ago, he became the first person to walk solo around the world: five continents, 21 nations, four years (to the day) and some very sore bunions.