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Itinerary
Sat. May 12: Fly from Newark to
Phoenix. Drive to Flagstaff, Arizona, set at the base of
the San Francisco Peaks, surrounded by pine forests.
Overnight at Flagstaff Super 8.
Sun. May 13: Navajo Nation: Jeep tour
of Canyon de Chelly, Arizona. Travel by jeep through remote and
beautiful Canyon de Chelly, located on Navajo Tribal Trust Lands, and
famous for its
well preserved Anasazi ruins and ancient rock art.
Aside from its outstanding
archaeological ruins and petroglyphs,
the Canyon gives us the
opportunity to gain insight into
the living community of Navajo
people who still cultivate the valley floor. Overnight at Canyon de
Chelly Holiday Inn, Chinle, Arizona, in the heart of the Navajo Nation.
Mon. May 14: Full breakfast
included. Navajo Nation: Betatakin Cliff Dwellings, Monument
Valley Jeep Tour, and Navajo Cookout, Storytelling, and Music.
Betatakin, a 125 room cliff dwelling, is one of three spectacular
cliff dwellings in Navajo National Monument. Hike in is about a mile.
From Betatakin, we go to Monument Valley for a jeep tour
of the magnificent buttes and canyons, used as a backdrop for many
Western films. Our day in Monument Valley ends with a Navajo cookout
in the midst of this stunning landscape featuring traditional
storytelling and music. Cookout dinner included. Overnight at Kokopelli
Inn, Bluff, Utah. (B, D)
Tues. May 15: Mesa Verde
National Park and Durango, Colorado. Site of the most extensive
Anasazi archaeological ruins in the West, Mesa Verde preserves an
extensive array of prehistoric Native American cliff dwellings built
high on mesa tops or defensively tucked into the canyon’s crevices,
including Sun Temple and Cliff Palace. Dwellings range
from pit houses built in the AD 500’s to cliff dwellings erected in the
AD 1200’s, tracing the growth and development of Mesa Verde life and
architecture over seven centuries. Following our tour of Mesa Verde,
tonight is spent in the historic town of Durango, Colorado. Many
of the original buildings constructed by Durango's miner pioneers are
still standing and in use today. Overnight at Days End, Durango,
Colorado.
Wed. May 16: Durango/Silverton
Historic Narrow Gauge Railroad Trip. The San Juan Mountains of
Colorado were home to the Ute Indians until gold was discovered in
the 1860’s and the area was flooded with white prospectors. Often
judged “one of the ten best train rides in the world”, this historic
coal-fired steam train was built to haul silver and gold from high in
the San Juan Mountains down to the town of Durango. It will take us on
a spectacular journey as we climb high into the glacier-carved
wilderness to the old mining town of Silverton. Overnight at the
Bloomfield Best Western, Bloomfield, New Mexico.
Thurs. May 17: Full breakfast included.
Chaco Canyon World Heritage Site, New Mexico. Chaco Canyon was a
major center of Anasazi ancestral Puebloan culture, a hub for trade,
ritual, and administration for the Four Corners area from AD 850 to
1250. This secluded canyon preserves the magnificent ruins of the
ancient monumental buildings, the huge underground ceremonial chambers
known as kivas, astronomical alignments, and Chaco’s ancient
system of roads, irrigation canals, and dams. The sites are part of the
sacred homeland of the Pueblo Indian and Navajo peoples. Boxed lunches
included. Overnight at Super 8, Grants, New Mexico. (B, L)
Fri. May 18: Continental breakfast
included. Living Pueblo Indian Tribes. Tour of Acoma Pueblo,
New Mexico, and the Spanish mission built in 1629.
Known as “Sky City”, Acoma Pueblo was built many
hundreds of years ago atop a high sandstone mesa for defense against
raiders. It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the U.S.
Time permitting, our visit to Sky City will be followed by a tour
at Zuni Pueblo. Zuni was
the first native settlement visited in 1540 by Spanish explorer
Coronado, who thought it was one of the legendary Seven Golden Cities of
Cíbola. The inhabitants of Acoma and Zuni are the direct descendants of
the ancient Anasazi. Overnight at Reed’s Lodge, Springerville,
Arizona. (B)
Sat. May 19: Scenic drive back to
Phoenix, via the White Mountains, Fort Apache, and the silver and
copper mining towns of Globe and Superior. Located in the heart of
Apache country, Fort Apache preserves the history of both conflict and
cooperation between the U.S. government and the various bands of the
Western Apache and their leaders Geronimo and Cochise. Overnight at the
Airport Sleep Inn, Phoenix, Arizona.
Sun. May 20: Continental breakfast
included. Flight from Phoenix to Newark. (B)
Please
note that Ocean County College and the tour guides
may make changes in this
itinerary if, in their judgment, conditions warrant or if they deem it
necessary for the comfort, convenience or safety of the tour.
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