Alvin Straight's 80-year-old brother, Henry, had recently suffered a stroke.At the age of 73, Alvin Straight could not see well enough for a driver license, so he decided his only option was to travel on his riding lawn mower.
Setting off in early July 1994, Alvin Straight drove a riding lawn mower along highway shoulders, towing a trailer loaded with gasoline, camping gear, clothes, and food, from his home in Laurens, Iowa, to his brother in Blue River, Wisconsin.
About four days and 21 miles into the trip, the lawn mower broke down in West Bend, Iowa. Straight spent $250 on replacement points, a condenser, plugs, a generator, and a starter.
After traveling another 90 miles, Straight ran out of money while in Charles City, Iowa. He camped out there until his next Social Security checks arrived in August.[2] He was interviewed by local newspapers.
On August 15, Straight's lawn mower broke down again when he was two miles from his brother's house near Blue River, Wisconsin. A farmer stopped and helped him push it the rest of the way.
At a top speed of 5 miles per hour, the trip took six weeks in all.
Paul Condit, president and general manager of Texas Equipment Company, Inc., in Seminole, Texas, heard about the trip and gave Alvin Straight a 17-horsepower John Deere riding mower worth $5,000.
Alvin Straight's nephew, Dayne Straight, drove him back to Iowa in his pickup truck.
Henry Straight recovered from his stroke and moved back to Iowa to be closer to his family.
Alvin Straight did not like the attention from the lawn mower trip. He turned down offers to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Show with David Letterman.
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