Tractor Tour around the Sutter Buttes

We were recently invited to participate in a vintage tractor tour around the Sutter Buttes in Northern California. The event is timed to coincide with the blooming of the almond trees in the beautiful Sutter Buttes.

My brother Don is the president of the local "Early Gas Engine and Tractor Association, (EDGATA) sic. The event was sponsored by The Sutter Lions Club as a fund raising event. The participants were generally members of the EDGATA. The Ford Model T that we now own was mostly built and restored by Don. He wanted the car to participate in the tractor tour and made that happen.

The day began at the Sutter Union High School parking lot in Sutter CA. Tractors and I began to show up around 7:30 AM. Tractors were staged in a random order and drivers attended a safety meeting. Shortly after 9:00 AM, we left the parking lot and began the tour around the Sutter Buttes. The route headed West along Acacia Ave and intersected South Butte Rd. We followed South Butte Rd. to the West for several miles at a speed of about 8 MPH. The first stop was at a historic cemetery on South Butter Rd. Portable toilets had been staged for the convenience of the participants. After a short break, the tour continued to the end of South Butte Rd. and turned south on West Butte Rd. This road runs along the West edge of the Buttes and also serves as the East levee for the Sutter Bypass. This was a very scenic part of the tour as we had a great view of the Buttes. At the intersection of West Butte Rd and Pass Rd, we turned West for a very short time to arrive at the old West Butte School House. This was our second and final break on the tour. After a short intermission, we proceeded to the East on Pass Rd. Pass Rd. goes through a pass in the Buttes. It has a couple of short grades, but nothing difficult. We proceeded through the pass and finally back to where we started. It was a great day and a great opportunity to test the endurance of the 1926 Model T. The trip was about 16 miles and the T was very comfortable at 8 MPH. It was necessary to keep the car in low gear with a bit of throttle to maintain the pace. High gear at minimum throttle was still too fast. We were able to use high gear to pass or catch up when we fell behind.