KALISPELL — KALISPELL - A man driving a John Deere tractor from Washington to Minnesota to raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease made a pit stop in Kalispell on Wednesday.
76-year-old Mike Adkinson is making the journey to raise funds for the American Parkinson Disease Association after his brother was diagnosed with the disease.
In total, Mike will travel more than 1,700 miles on his John Deere Tractor driving roughly 12-to-14 miles per hour.
On Wednesday, Mike traveled along US Highway 2 from Libby to Kalispell. He said the roads were a little wet and muddy, but his spirits remain high as he carries on for his brother.
“As most family members you wonder what you can do, and there just isn’t much to be done, and so this is one way that I thought maybe he’s dealing with a great deal of depression, and that this would raise his spirits a bit and if nothing else, he could worry about me and take his mind of himself for a bit,” said Adkinson.
He hopes to raise more than $50,000 during his adventure. If all goes as planned, he will make his final destination, Perch Lake, Minnesota by mid-June.
