Day 18

We ate our complimentary breakfast and got all packed up for the last time.

First on the schedule, the Anheuser-Busch tour. Luckily, the weather held up all day. Right as we got there, they had a tour starting. The tour was about an hour long. We got to see Clydesdales, where they keep in the tanks in a cool room, where they mash the rice and barley, and even got to see some work on the packaging line. The Clydesdales were awesome. Their biggest horse is named Jake and he stands 6’7” at the shoulder! After the tour they sent us to the hospitality room where everyone was allowed to sample 2 beers from about 10 choices. I had a Shock Top and Jon tried a Stella, Michelob Golden, and a Beach Bum. I enjoyed mine (yes, I enjoyed a beer) and Jon liked mine as well. Then we took our time looking around the museum and gift shop.

Off to see the Arch!

We parked at a public lot and had a nice walk to the Arch. We decided to see both movies they had and go all the way up. First, we watched a movie about the construction which blew our minds. It took them about 3 years to complete the construction and when you watch the video, the workers don’t have any safety devices on. Fortunately, no one was injured or died during the construction.

Then we went up in the Tram system. It took us about 4 minutes to get to the top. It was incredible to think we were 630 feet up in the air. We looked around and took some pictures then it was time to take our 3 minute ride back down.

Then we got to watch the Lewis and Clark movie. It was interesting and informative.

We did walk through the museum, but found it a little dull since most of the information in the museum we had learned through the movie.

After we finished in the Arch, we sat on the steps close to the river and relaxed a little before making our way back to Indiana.

We got back to Indiana around 12:30 a.m.

Day 17

Since we were in Oklahoma City, we stopped by the memorial before we left. It was very moving. We didn’t go into the museum, but we walked around the memorial outside. It was definitely worth going.

Time to get movin’ to Missouri!

We got on the road and headed to St. Louis. We did not make many stops along the way, but we did eat at the world’s biggest McDonald’s. It is constructed over the freeway. You can sit by the windows in the middle and it looks like semis are going to run into you. Crazy cool.

The forecast only said a 30% chance of rain, so we thought we were in the clear for the rest of the drive. Boy, were those weather people wrong.

We saw 2 funnel clouds that later turned into tornadoes, very dark skies, lots of lightning, and then got pummeled by rain. It was definitely a more intense drive than we expected. I was going 30 mph on the highway at one point because the rain was coming down so hard that I was having difficulty seeing the road.

By the time we got to our hotel, we had passed the intense parts of the storm. We got some Chinese food and had a relaxing rest of the evening.

Tomorrow: Anheuser-Busch tour and Arch

Day 16

Time to get driving!

Since we were in New Mexico, we drove through Santa Fe. We noticed most of their buildings look the same or very similar.
We wanted to make it to Amarillo, Texas to see the Cadillac Ranch and The Big Texan (the place that gives you a free 72 oz. steak with all the fixins if you finish the meal in under an hour).

We were looking for the Cadillac Ranch because it didn’t have an address or anything. Turns out, it really is out in the middle of a field off of the highway. Jon and I got some spray paint and headed out to the cars! We painted a heart and put our names inside. Then Jon found some yellow spray paint and painted “Boiler up!” on one of the cars. We were lucky enough to have a group of people take our picture while we were there.

Then we went to The Big Texan. We decided to eat dinner there. We had a very odd waitress and an odd experience all around. The meal was pretty big, but probably not worth it to go back. Maybe one of those things you should experience once in your life. We did get to sit in a giant rocking chair as well.

After our Big Texan meal, we drove all the way to Oklahoma City.

We got to our hotel checked in and decided to see if the Sonic next door was open. They were open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so we walked over and got some drinks.

Tomorrow: St. Louis

Day 15

We woke up in Flagstaff, stopped by the grocery store, and went to the Grand Canyon! It wasn’t as far away either of us had anticipated.

We did enjoy the grandeur of the famous Grand Canyon. It was a little tough to get around and find a peaceful spot because there were so many international visitors. We spent a couple hours there seeing the canyon from different spots, going to the watchtower, and visiting an observation point.

From the Grand Canyon, we drove all the way to Albuquerque with a couple stops along with the way.

First stop was the Meteor Crater. It was huge. They have a replica of a man down in the crater to give you more of a perspective of how far away the bottom of the crater is from the deck they have built. It was pretty cool. It is out in the middle of nowhere in Arizona.

Then we got to the Petrified Forrest about 10 minutes before the park closed. The ranger let us go through telling us that after 7 p.m., we had to drive without stopping, which wasn’t a problem for us. We decided it looked very similar to the Badlands, but not as big and had some more color. Just outside of the park, we were able to take our picture in front of the sign and feel a piece of petrified wood. It really is crazy. It looks like wood, but it certainly does not feel like wood.

After the Petrified Forrest, we drove on to Albuquerque.

Tomorrow: Oklahoma City

Day 14

Time to get ready and drive across the desert!

Yep, that’s exactly what we did. We stopped in Yuma for gas, a few supplies, and to eat at Don Quixote Mexican Restaurant. We are definitely glad to see gas prices lower than they were along the coast. We are back under $2.60/gallon.

We did see barriers and other similar structures along the border. We even saw a bucket with water in it which we had heard on the radio that some guy was arrested somewhere for leaving bottles of water in the rivers because the immigrants were dying from dehydration. It was definitely interesting.


We only had one border patrol check and they simply asked us if we were United States' citizens.

We took the scenic road through Sedona and it was beautiful. We were driving through when the sun was low and hitting the red rock just right. Loved it!

We saw cacti, bushes, and other greenery found here. It was a really cool drive after Yuma for the most part.

The temperatures got up to 94 degrees and when we got to our hotel in Flagstaff, it was 54 degrees.

We got to Flagstaff in the evening and made it to our hotel.

Tomorrow: Grand Canyon and staying in Albuquerque!!




Corn!




Barriers along the boarder



Red rock with greenery in Sedona



Red rock in Sedona



Red rock in Sedona

Day 13

Since I had a friend in San Diego, we stayed another night. We slept in and had lunch with Victoria by the beach. Then Jon and I went exploring to the Cabrillo National Monument. It is a cool park with tide pools, an old lighthouse, and a bunch of trails. We checked out the tide pools, but only saw a crab. It was a gorgeous view of San Diego.

That evening Jon, Victoria, and I took in a baseball game at Petco Park—San Diego Padres versus Arizona Diamondbacks. It got a little chilly when the sun set, but it was awesome to drive into the city. The airplanes have a low clearance in the city, so it was awesome to see some landing. The game was great for people watching and the game was pretty good. We got a sweet deal on a $5 meal that included a drink, hot dog, cookie, peanuts, and popcorn. wOOt! The Padres won and we left for Pacific Beach.

Tomorrow’s destination: Flagstaff, Arizona.

Day 12

Since we were in LA, we had to take one of those tours around the city. We took two different loops. We took one to Santa Monica, saw some buildings with some history, and learned some random facts. We started at the Chinese Theater, where we got to see all the crazy people dressed up, the stars on the walk, and do some people watching.

The tour began! We saw the place where River Phoenix died, the Pollo Loco (restaurant) where Brad Pitt dressed as a chicken outside as his job before he became big, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood sign, and more. We learned that every street in Beverly Hills has a tree theme, so the street is named after the tree and is lined with that type of tree. It was a long morning/early afternoon, but it was definitely worth it.

Since we were in LA, we stopped at Pink’s, an old restaurant that is famous for its hot dogs. We only had to stand in line for 20 minutes and got some delicious food. Jon got the “Today Show Dog” and I got the “Lord of the Rings Dog.” Jon’s had two hot dogs on one bun with onions, chili, cheese, and guacamole. Mine had a hot dog, barbecue sauce, and onion rings. We also split an order of chili cheese fries. Yum!

With our satisfied tummies, we headed toward San Diego.

We got to San Diego pretty late, but met up with my friend, Victoria, in Pacific Beach. It was her birthday so we joined in some of the festivities at a local dive bar and got to bed.

Tomorrow we are going to find some things to see in San Diego!




Food at Pink's




Jon with the Hollywood sign



Jon on the tour




Chinese Theater