Monday May 19th - Very, very, very HOT!!! The highest I saw was 99. Went for our last breakfast at Lucille’s Diner at 7 am. Did everything we could to the headers without the new belts which hopefully come tomorrow. Went to OK City for some more parts. Had lunch at Cattleman’s Café and went to a huge western store. Almost bought a hat cause I’m sick of getting burnt.

Tuesday may 20th - Cooled down some. Parts for headers came so we finished them up and got everything running. Loaded up one combine that is heading to Texas along with the grain cart. Eric and Clark are doing that run. Eric wants to check the wheat cause some farmers are saying it will be ready Friday or Saturday.

Wednesday May 21st - Worked on odds and ends till noon and then pretty much sat around and twiddled our thumbs till Eric and Clark got back. We then loaded the rest of the equipment. Eric says the wheat might be ready Sat. Most likely it will be Monday cause they are calling for rain. We are now leaving Friday morning.

Thursday May 22nd - Helped Dwayne’s crew when we could. Really didn’t do much at all. Looked like a bad storm to the north tonight, strong winds here were we are at. Randall and I got to drive the two semi rigs (Pete w/60in sleeper, combine, and 28 ft hopper bottom) in to the truck stop in town. We wanted them out of the lot in case it rains and everything goes to mud.
I can tell Eric and Dwayne (along with all the rest of us) are getting antsy to start cutting. We are leaving at about six in the morning.

Friday May 23rd - Left at six in the morning for Texas. I drove this rig

160 miles to the great big town of Crowell, Texas, pop. 1149. Unloaded all the equipment and went out and cut a little wheat to test the moisture. It was 18% so we will start cutting Monday. Explored a old elevator, climbed to the top of it, was about 80-100 ft. tall. It was about 97 degrees today. Very HOT.

Some pics.


Our grain cart loaded on the 53 foot trailer.



All three new combines!!!! With 36 ft headers


One of the brand new 7010s

I am going to keep an short daily diary and post it up when I get some internet. Might be some time between posts.

Tuesday May 13th- Left for Ok from Wolgemuths home farm in Mt Joy around 2:30 P.M. There where seven guys and two vehicles, one truck with a tractor and grain cart and a Chevy pickup pulling a 45ft bunk trailer. Traveled about 250 miles till dark (wide loads can’t travel after dark). Stayed the night in a hotel somewhere in Virginia.

Wednesday May 14th - Left at day break. Drove about 700 miles. Stayed the night just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. Tired of sitting in the back seat of a pick up with 2 other guys. Got to drive about 300 miles though.
Thursday May 15th - Left at day break again and traveled a bit out of the way to pick up a Peterbilt tractor of a fellow custom harvester that we work fairly close to. Got to the base in Ok about 3 P.M. O, what a sight!!! Three brand new Case IH 7010 combines lined up in a row. Cleaned out the bunk house and unpacked everything in to our new home for the next four months.

Friday May 16th - Worked on the Mac Don headers all day. Very hot, about 85 and sunny. WE have been eating out for lunch and supper in town because Emily hasn’t come out yet.

Saturday May 17th - Very hot again. Ran for parts in morning and worked on the headers again in the afternoon. The roads around here are humorous. They have four lane roads and there is hardly any traffic. It is like Lancaster except about and 8th of the cars.

Sunday May 18th - Hot again, mid to upper 80s. Went to Pleasant View Mennonite Church. In the afternoon us guys went and gave blood, was the first time for all of us but one. Jeremy you should be proud!!! Haha.
Right now we are right outside Hydro OK, (about 15 min. from Thomas) at Dwayne Slagell’s place. He runs two machines and we run together with him sometimes through out the harvest season. My crew consists of four guys, Clark Oberholtzer, Doug Metzler, Randall Martin, and me (one more is on the way) plus Eric Wolgemuth. Kyle Eshbenshade and Pat Brink are on Dwayne’s crew but hang out with us a lot.
We are hoping to leave for Crowell, Texas on Thursday. It is about a 3 hour drive to the south. We are all ready to get to cutting wheat!!!!!!!!

Ready to Go

Here is the place where I will try and keep you all updated with the fun and interesting things that happen as I travel the West on a harvest crew.

As it stands right now I am leaving Lancaster Pa, bright and early Tuesday morning with Eric and Emily Wolgemuth's crew. The plan is to travel to Thomas Ok, and get all the machines ready to roll and then head down to Texas.

Thats all I know right now, but I'll keep you updated when I have the time and internet signal.