Sunday was a good day. I met up with Paul A. at the 2005 Great Oregon Steam-Up
in Brooks, Oregon. There were literally 100's of unique, steam-operated
devices there, a good number of which were either huge or beyond huge.
We actually got to see an actual, honest-to-goodness, really great big steam
roller (complete with steam) compete in a tractor pull. Even the ice cream
maker at one of the concession stands was powered by, you guessed it, a little
steam engine. As if that weren't enough, there were all sorts of gas- and
diesel-powered trucks and tractors and caterpillars (and even some old 50's
vintage Champ cars on display.)
It was especially interesting being there with Paul. In case you didn't know,
he is quite an authority when it comes to steam engines and trains of all
descriptions. As a matter of fact, Paul was a boyhood friend of Robert Fulton.
Here's a link to a picture of Robert and Paul. Paul is the one on the far
right of the picture.
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/actualites/celebrations2003/img/fulton.jpg
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