What do you do when your loom is being refurbed? You attend the Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor Association show at Santa Margarita Ranch, of course! Featuring, among other goodies, antique caterpillar machinery, engines, tractors, and a horse-drawn steam-powered pumper from some long-ago fire company. Some kerosene, some diesel, some steam. And the noise...oh my!
The ranch has its own narrow-gauge rail line, too, a loop maybe 3 or 4 miles long. The ranch hands dress up as cowboys and Indians and train robbers, and stop the little steam train mid-route to hold it up. A very good time is had by all. The passenger cars used to belong to Walt (Disney, that is) - the legend on the side of the cars is "Santa Fe and Disneyland."
The highlight was the tractor parade, led by the horse-drawn pump engine:
Followed by an unbelievable array of tractors, from little tillers to small, medium, and large (very large) machines.
If I had known it would be this much fun, I'd have brought a real camera, not just the cell phone. Oh, well...
6 comments:
Don't know about you, but I think the last one would make a great weaving.
Sandra! When did you come to the show? I was at the gate till noonish and didn't see you. Glad you enjoyed it. Did you get into the barn? - it's a beautiful old stone structure inside. Also, the Sycamore trees by the creek crossing are amazing - did you see them?
what a crack up! was there any wine in the environs?
On this occasion, no wine. The Tractor Association strongly discourages the tractor drivers from consuming anything alcoholic if they plan to drive in the parade. Just imagine the havoc a drunk tractor driver could create, even at 2 miles per hour (or less, in some cases)! I'm not sure if the food stalls even sold beer to onlookers...
My husband adores old steam engines and he would have been in heaven there. Is that first steam engine being pulled by horses? The irony of it cracks me up!
The first image is of a horse-drawn steam-driven fire pump. The horses (a team of 3) move the engine into position, 2 men on foot pulling the fire hose cart follow, and the steam builds up sufficiently en-route to pump the water onto the fire once they reach it. I don't know why the hose cart was always pulled by humans, not horses - tradition I guess.
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