| The green road-trip This week, The Green Girl has been on a road trip across five Western U.S. states and two Canadian provinces.
While these travels are primarily a personal vacation and not a "Deere Hunt" per se, her first "collector connection" took place about 1,200 miles from her New Mexico home. As it turns out, my new car needed its first oil change en route to the northern destination of Glacier National Park in Montana. So we pulled the Firebird into the Columbia Quick Lube in Columbia Falls. After spying an antique tractor calendar and flier for an antique tractor show, I decided to pop the question... "So, are you a John Deere fan?" Dick, the owner, was a jolly man with a booming voice who said, "Well, as a matter of fact, I am. I just bought something John Deere the other day." Upon further questioning, it turns out he’d recently become the new owner of a cast-iron centennial letterholder. Without seeing it firsthand, it was hard to guarantee him that his $200 investment wasn’t a waste. I pointed out a few things and gave him a little background on it, then referred him to my upcoming book, John Deere Collectibles, due out this winter. I’ll have to send him an autographed copy! However, we couldn’t chat long because he had other cars pulling in and we had more miles to put on the Firebird, but it was fun to meet a fellow fanatic from a different part of the country. In the past week, we’ve logged more than 2,500 miles and seen a wide variety of farm country...and more than a fair share of green equipment. From rolling river-bottom hayfields in Alberta and tarp-covered ginseng fields of British Columbia to the tall, towering timbers of Washington and the arid areas of Idaho and Montana, John Deere equipment can be found at work in all types of operations. It just goes to show that "John Deere" is an international icon! Any guesses how many more "collector connections" The Green Girl will have in the remaining 2,500 miles of this western adventure? Future editions of this column will introduce John Deere fans and explore other ag-related aspects of this trip. ©2000 Brenda Kruse |
