It was a beautiful start to the day as the sun rose over nearly 450 tractors surrounding Bellevue High School in the shadows of the bluffs around the Mississippi River in the background:
The drivers and riders are very diverse in backgrounds and ages, as this tractor has 3 generations aboard with baby's first ride:
The morning route took us down to Iowa's only island town, Sabula for a pit stop:
What a unique setting:
One a route that essentially followed the river bank:
We arrived for lunch at Eagle Point Park in Clinton on one of the widest parts of the Mississippi - it's about 2 miles from bank to bank:
The clouds were starting to thicken a bit with rain in the forecast:
The afternoon ride featured a pit stop in beautiful Miles, Iowa before heading back to Bellevue High School. Tuesday's route will take us down to Maquoketa for lunch, and feel free to come walk through all the tractors in Bellevue or put some chairs out on the route and take in this rolling history of Iowa Agriculture which has become one of the premiere events of the summer in Iowa.