David Amongst The Tractors

David Amongst The Tractors

We went to Mackinaw City, MI ahead of schedule because we heard about this antique tractor crossing.

Tractors you say? Yes…Tractors.

The official name is the Owosso Tractor Parts Antique Tractor Parade & Show 2012.

The Mackinac Bridge, or the “Mighty Mac”, is a 5 mile suspension bridge that crosses the Mackinac Straits. It’s the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere. Third largest in the world! At mid-span it sits 200 feet above the water. The Mighty Mac allows all vehicles to cross the bridge, except for tractors.

5 years ago, in 2007, the Mackinac Bridge Authority gave permission for Owosso Tractor Parts to form a parade over the bridge. That first year their were 614 antique tractors that made the crossing. This year, being it’s 5th year, their were close to 1000 tractors!

That’s a lot of tractors.

Tractors Before The Crossing.

Tractors Before The Crossing.

And the tractors don’t just travel the bridge. Oh no. They parade through town, cross the bridge and drive to a local casino to display the tractors. Then they turn around a few hours later and cross it all over again. In all, the trip is 18 miles in length, one way, and takes the tractors 3 1/2 hours each way to complete.

We met a nice gentleman, Jeff Miller with the All Color group, in our campground that was crossing with his tractor. David thought it would be neat to shoot the tractors with the quadcopter. So Jeff drove us over to where they were staged in a giant field (how appropriate) and we were able to shoot some footage.

David Flying Over The Tractors In Mackinaw City, MI

David Flying Over The Tractors In Mackinaw City, MI

It was sunset by the time we got there and got set up.  It was also overcast, so we weren’t to sure on how the video would turn out.

Tractors At Sunset

Tractors At Sunset

Alas, it did not turn out well. Way to dark.

I did manage to get many nice shots of the sunset though.

It was great to see how the farmers take such pride in their tractors and are so patriotic.  We loved all the flags.

Sunset At The Field

Sunset At The Field

The next day we got up early and were at the field by 7:30am.  We had to wait a little while for the sun to come up and break through some of the clouds.

David Waiting For The Sun To rise A Little higher.

David Waiting For The Sun To rise A Little higher.

It finally started to get bright enough and we got some good footage. Then the clouds rolled in again and it was time to pack up the copter before it got wet.

We made our way over to a parking lot next to the bridge and waited for the tractors. Crossing our fingers that the clouds would part and the rain would stop.

They did! Yeah!

We got the copter out just in time for the crossing.

The Quadcopter And Tractors On The Bridge

The Quadcopter And Tractors On The Bridge

The Quadcopter And Tractors On The Bridge

The Quadcopter And Tractors On The Bridge

David got some awesome video from the quadcopter.  He not only got footage of the crossing but he actually went out 1/2 mile over the water and shot the tractors!  That took guts.

Tractors Crossing The Mackinac Bridge. The Quadcopter Is In The Background In The Top Right Corner.

Tractors Crossing The Mackinac Bridge. The Quadcopter Is In The Background In The Top Right Corner.

Below is the video that David edited down and put to music. We both hope you enjoy it.

It was a pleasure and an honor to shoot an event like this.

And please remember, if we don’t have farms and our farmers, we don’t have food. Please support your local farmer by finding your local farmer’s market and shop local.