Forget Ocean's Eleven – this story is about Sir George's Eleven

🎥 Scene, set… annnnnnd action!

The year is 1970. Eleven men and women from the UK – total strangers to each other – step off a cargo ship in Montreal, ready for the adventure of a lifetime.

As they make their way into Canada, Sir George White Special, a bright red double-decker bus, is waiting for them.

🚌 Background: The idea to travel the Americas via bus started with Roger Poole and his wife Joan, who advertised it in the local paper. And travel the Americas they did. For three years, the group of travelers drove around together in the bus, exploring Canada, the United States, Mexico, and South America.

This month, 50 years later, the group finally reunited. 

• Reflecting back on their wild adventures, the group shared that the bus often attracted unwanted attention on the roads. They learned the hard way that it was too big for many roads in the US and Canada.
• “Usually, the police were very good and gave us escorts sometimes, but eventually in California we were stopped by a determined policeman who wouldn't let us go,” shared group member John Winter. "We had to take the bus off the road, but eventually were given permission to drive on by Ronald Reagan – who was Governor of California at the time. We met him briefly which was fun, though only for a moment."

And even though we're pitching this story as an Ocean's Eleven remake (any producers out there?!), there's no Danny Ocean in this group. 

During their three years on the road, the friends rotated who was “bus leader.” They also had designated roles such as bus chef, driver, and mechanic – all of which were crucial as the group drove through the blistering Mexican summers, frigid Canadian winters, and more. 

• The group even briefly worked as fruit pickers in California to help pay for their travels. 

😢 But everything must come to an end. Three years and 40,000 miles later, the bus suffered complications and sank while trying to cross the River Chira in Peru, bringing the adventure to a screeching halt.

• Sally Mears, a member of the crew, shared, "My heart sank when I saw the bus [go down]. I knew it was the end of a journey of a lifetime."
• Fellow traveler Bernice Poole said the journey "modeled [her] life. We've all learned so much from it."

📚 Soon, we may all be able to do the same. Adventurer John is currently working on a book titled Bus to Bust, which aims to memorialize the adventure all these years later.