Traveling across Wisconsin sounds like a great way to spend a summer week. Throw in scenic drives across the countryside, with stops at hotels at the end of every day, and it's even more appealing.
Add antique tractors traveling about 15 mph, and it's heaven for about 65 people.
"We're just a bunch of retired guys who love to see the countryside," said ride organizer Jim Fell. "When you're going 15 mph, you get to see what the cows are doing. You get to see the country."
Fell's Tractor Cruise U.S.A. will make a stop in Monroe on Friday, on a return trip from Dubuque to Kenosha. Tractor riders plan to tour the Minhas Craft Brewery and crash at the AmericInn in Monroe.
The visit to Minhas is a special one for Fell. He hauled beer out of the Huber Brewery in the 1970s.
"I wanted to take the guys back through an old brewery," Fell said. "And it's Cheese Country. A lot of these guys are used to milk."
Many of the tractor drivers are retired dairy farmers, who save money every year to take their "vacation." Tractor Cruise U.S.A. has done 31 rides in six years and has visited five states: Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Missouri. They've been through 244 cities and 70 counties.
The oldest tractor on this year's summer ride is a 1936 John Deere B. The "newest" tractors are from the late 1960s.
Fell said the gasoline-fed tractors average 10 miles per gallon. The diesel versions do much better, up to 22 mpg.
While it may take a lot of gas to power the tractors along the trip across southern Wisconsin, it doesn't take a lot of patience. Fell said car drivers are, for the most part, accommodating. When the tractor line rolls through town, people are more than accommodating.
"Everybody gives us a thumbs up, especially motorcycle drivers," Fell said. "When we pull into a community, little kids wave at you and give you a big smile."
For more information on Tractor Cruise U.S.A., go to www.tractorcruiseusa.com. Fell can be reached at (319) 431-7535.
Add antique tractors traveling about 15 mph, and it's heaven for about 65 people.
"We're just a bunch of retired guys who love to see the countryside," said ride organizer Jim Fell. "When you're going 15 mph, you get to see what the cows are doing. You get to see the country."
Fell's Tractor Cruise U.S.A. will make a stop in Monroe on Friday, on a return trip from Dubuque to Kenosha. Tractor riders plan to tour the Minhas Craft Brewery and crash at the AmericInn in Monroe.
The visit to Minhas is a special one for Fell. He hauled beer out of the Huber Brewery in the 1970s.
"I wanted to take the guys back through an old brewery," Fell said. "And it's Cheese Country. A lot of these guys are used to milk."
Many of the tractor drivers are retired dairy farmers, who save money every year to take their "vacation." Tractor Cruise U.S.A. has done 31 rides in six years and has visited five states: Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Missouri. They've been through 244 cities and 70 counties.
The oldest tractor on this year's summer ride is a 1936 John Deere B. The "newest" tractors are from the late 1960s.
Fell said the gasoline-fed tractors average 10 miles per gallon. The diesel versions do much better, up to 22 mpg.
While it may take a lot of gas to power the tractors along the trip across southern Wisconsin, it doesn't take a lot of patience. Fell said car drivers are, for the most part, accommodating. When the tractor line rolls through town, people are more than accommodating.
"Everybody gives us a thumbs up, especially motorcycle drivers," Fell said. "When we pull into a community, little kids wave at you and give you a big smile."
For more information on Tractor Cruise U.S.A., go to www.tractorcruiseusa.com. Fell can be reached at (319) 431-7535.