Day #1: The first day was a very long drive, first through the border and finally ending at Fort Wayne, Indiana where Bear B.U.M. and Bobby got a hotel room, ate at the Outback, and went to bed early.
Day #2: The next day was also a long drive but it was made easier by a tour of the Anheuser-Busch plant while in St. Louis. Though Bear was underage and couldn't take the plant tour, Bobby enjoyed himself. Bobby took the 'Beer Masters Tour' which meant he got a free hat, free beer and a souvenir beer glass.
Alas, Bobby drank too much beer on the tour and had to make frequent stops on the way to Stanton, Missouri. Bear B.U.M. was not impressed with the slow pace of the quest to the Grand Canyon.
Day #3: The longest driving day so far on the quest to the Grand Canyon. First through Missouri, then into Oklahoma where Bear wanted to drive on the historic Route 66. At first, Bear got Bobby lost because he thought the 'finger' was pointing to the left. After driving in circles, always turning left to Route 66, Bear finally realized that the road sign was in the shape of the state and that indeed he was already on Route 66.
Bear B.U.M. and Bobby had lunch in Chelsea, a small town on the other side of this historic bridge.
After lunch the long journey continued through Oklahoma onto Amarillo, Texas where Bear B.U.M. and Bobby arrived in a rain storm and stayed the night at an old western hotel.
Bear loved the western style swing doors that lead to the washroom. Not much privacy but a lot of ambiance!
Day #4: After a quick breakfast Texas style, Bear B.U.M. and Bobby headed out to New Mexico.
Along the way, they stopped for lunch at an old Route 66 diner where Bears were allowed. Following lunch they drove onto Holbrook, Arizona. Though they drove through the Petrified Forest National Park, Bear was not impressed with the stone trees as he was too anxious to get to the Grand Canyon the next day.
Day #5: Finally, Bear B.U.M. had reached the Grand Canyon. Since Bobby had already been to the Grand Canyon, he decided to do something different and take a helicopter tour of the Canyon. Bear, who is really, really, afraid of flying decided to wait by the car.
After the helicopter flight, Bear B.U.M. and Bobby drove along the canyon rim where Bear finally got up the courage to climb a tree and look out over the Grand Canyon ridge.
Bear was so shaky because of his fear of heights that he managed to fall out of the tree and nearly over the edge of the canyon. Luckily Bobby was there is grab his silly Bear B.U.M.
After the near fall into the canyon, Bear B.U.M. and Bobby drove to Page, Arizona but were unable to find a room because the town was full of tourists. Bobby was not happy and he finally gave up and drove late into the night into Kanab, Utah.
Day #6: After a quick breakfast, Bear B.U.M. and Bobby left the Parry Lodge Hotel in Kanab and headed north. They were surprised to learn that the hotel they had stayed in had hosted many famous Hollywood people who stayed at the Hotel while filming westerns and other movies that utilized the unique landscape in the area. In fact both Planet of the Apes movies were shot in and around Kanab, known as Little Hollywood.
Heading north Bear B.U.M. and Bobby drove through the Bryce Canyon, finally arriving in Grand Junction, Colorado that night.
Day #7: Leaving early in the morning, Bear B.U.M. and Bobby drove through the Rocky Mountains on the way through Denver and onto North Platte, Nebraska. Though it was a long, tiring day, Bear B.U.M. and Bobby did have some time for site seeing along the way.
Day #8: The drive the next day was pretty boring as Bear B.U.M. and Bobby drove through Nebraska into Iowa where they stayed at Iowa80, the home of the largest truck stop in the World! Bear really loved the trucks!
Day #9: Homeward bound, Bear B.U.M. and Bobby drove through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, the Canadian border and finally home late that night. All in all, 8000 km in 9 days!
A most epic Road Trip!
