When Ford claims that their lauded SUV, the Ford Explorer is ready for any adventure that you throw at it, they mean it! The American automaker recently invited fans to let them know what they'd do with a four-wheel drive Ford for a week, and they offered to make the winner's dream come true; an idea that we here at Anderson Ford think is fantastic!

After all, the Ford Explorer is designed for going places other vehicles can't, seeing things that are rarely witnessed, and creating all-around lifelong memories. It makes perfect sense then too that Pastor Russell Sterger submitted the winning idea of taking his fellow Pastors to Alaska for some serious sightseeing. What may have come as a complete shock to Sterger, though, is the fact that his choice of Adventure was the winning submission for the contest.

"I didn't expect anything to happen from that because who does expect anything from that?" Sterger jokingly explains. "But four weeks later, we got a call from Ford."¹

Unfortunately, Sterger won right as the brutal Alaskan winter began settling in, so the American automaker invited Sterger and his friends to visit the Grand Canyon instead. The group eagerly said yes, and soon found themselves embarking on the journey of their lives. Once there, Sterger and his fellow Pastors were greeted by a 30-person film crew and Kirsten Gum, host of "Treasure Hunter" on the Travel Channel.

The group was informed that a real-life treasure had been hidden in the deep in the canyon for them to find and donate to a charity of their choice, and with that they set out to find it in their capable and trust-worthy new ride. Upon finding the $5,000 check, the group agreed that the Salvation Army was the group to donate to. "When people call us and they don't know what to do, we give them the number to the Salvation Army and we know they're going to get taken care of,"² explains Sterger. We couldn't agree more!

So are you ready to set out on your own adventure in the Explorer? Or would you rather to test the capabilities of a different new Ford model? Whichever route you take, you can arrange a test drive at 1001 State Route 10 West, Clinton IL 61727 simply by contacting us, either online or by phone at (888) 715-6476. We're more than happy to answer any questions that you may have regarding specific models, such as the Ford Taurus, Escape, or E-350 Super Duty, or even any of the used Ford that we carry in our greater lineup of used cars.

Source: ^1,2http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20111227/NEWS01/312270021