Residents of Colo and surrounding communities joined Vice President Al Gore for breakfast at the Country House Family Restaurant before he spoke at Hilton Coliseum Thursday. It was his third visit to Iowa this year.

Gore stayed overnight Wednesday south of Colo at the farm and residence of Keith McKinney. Gore helped the family with chores, drove McKinney’s tractor and spent a few minutes looking over the farm and talking with some local residents before breakfast.

“He has a lot more farm experience than I realized,” McKinney said. “He really has a good understanding of the farm economy.”

McKinney and his family spent two hours alone with Gore and his wife Tipper during their stay, sharing stories of their childhoods.

McKinney said it was a very exciting experience for his family.

“This whole event has been spectacular,” he said. “We were excited the whole time getting ready, [and] when they arrived they were such nice people.”

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” McKinney said.