Sunday, August 23, 2009

Tractor Parade

This morning I was gathering up my keys and wallet to make my inevitable weekend trek for home improvement supplies when I heard a curiously loud rumbling sound. When I got outside I saw a long line of tractors chugging eastward along our road. I waited at the intersection for the tractors to pass - and shot a few photos --but they just kept on coming. There must have been over a hundred tractors -- big, small, vintage, modern, and every make.
The drivers waved and mugged for me as they passed. I suspect it might actually get a bit monotonous driving such a distance at such slow speed and a spectator with a camera is a welcome diversion.
One tractor pulled wagonload of exuberant kids.
I pulled into a gap in the line of tractors, thinking it might be the end of the parade, but no, more tractors appeared putzing over the hill behind me. I was in the middle of the tractor parade, traveling at about 5 miles an hour for the next half an hour. This was my view.
I don't know what the occasion was, where the tractors had come from or where they were headed. Maybe it's an annual farmer rite of summer. I wish I had a big old tractor!

2 comments:

katiegirl said...

Wow, your very own tractor parade! How neat!

Susan said...

I learned from Jeff Pieters, reporter at the Post Bulletin, that this is an annual ride just to exercise the tractors and they drove 34 miles. Here's his story:

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=412989