|
2008
YELLOWSTONE
MT.
RUSHMORE
| Depart: |
Jun 8 |
Sep 5 |
| Return |
June 22 |
Sep 19 |
| Tour No: |
YMR-608-8 |
YMR-905-8 |
Tour Price (Per person---Does not include Airfare): $2365 Twin, $2285 Triple, $3420 Single
(Price subject to fuel surcharge)
Please contact your travel consultant for the best air fare applicable to the above land price.
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Let the Awesome Beauty of Our Nation’s Natural Wonders and Historic Treasures Unfold before Your Eyes
Enjoy the Timeless Beauty of the National Parks and Historic Monuments
Day 1 -
HONOLULU
/
SALT
LAKE
CITY
We assemble at
Honolulu
International
Airport
in the evening for our flight to
Salt Lake City
.
Day 2
SALT LAKE CITY
,
UTAH
Welcome to the “
Beehive
State
.” Discover
Salt Lake City
with a local guide today. Our sightseeing tour focuses on the city’s famous
Temple Square
interesting downtown architecture, and “This is the Place” Monument, where Bingham Young and his small band of followers envisioned a Mormon city. We see the state capitol, the
University
of
Utah
, site of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympic, and of course, the
Great Salt Lake
Day 3
SALT
LAKE
CITY
–
GRAND TETON
NATIONAL PARK
JACKSON HOLE
,
WYOMING
We travel northward through Wasatch National Forest on Utah’s Scenic Byway to Bear Lake Summit, en route to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the “Cowboy State.” In the alpine
village
of
Teton
, we board an aerial tram, when operating, to the summit of
Rendezvous
Peak
where we enjoy a fantastic panorama of the
Teton Range
and the
Jackson Hole
Valley
. In the afternoon we marvel at the breathtaking beauty of the dramatic
Grand Teton
with towering granite pinnacles, softened by lush forests, meadows, jewel-like lakes, and the
Snake River
at its base. We overnight in the cowboy, resort town of
Jackson
, where early fur trappers saw it as a “Hole” surrounded by high rugged mountains. The town still maintains this rugged western ambiance with its saloons (complete with horse saddle bar stools), and unique antler arches at its town square.
Day 4
YELLOWSTONE
NATIONAL PARK
We spend an amazing day in the world’s and our nation’s first and foremost national park,
Yellowstone
. A land set aside for all generations to enjoy by Congress and President Teddy Roosevelt, two contrasting elements have combined to produce this natural wonder: a land born of fire of thundering volcanoes, and since sculptured by glacial ice and running water. Our park naturalist meets us at world-renown “
Old Faithful
.” He guides and travels with us, as we discover Yellowstone’s dramatic contrast of hot spring geysers, deep spectacular canyons, steaming fumaroles, boiling hot pools, bubbling mud pots, and steaming limestone terraces. We enjoy an overnight stay at a lodge nestled in the park.
Day 5
YELLOWSTONE
NATIONAL PARK
–
CODY
,
WYOMING
Another marvelous day of sightseeing is in store for us. With thousands of
hot springs
, thundering waterfalls, two-thirds of all the geysers in the world, and endless forests,
Yellowstone
truly is a treasure that inspires awe. We view the spectacular
Grand Canyon
of the
Yellowstone
River
, and follow the river’s meanderings to
Hayden
Valley
, a haven for wild life where animals roam at will. We may see a moose munching grass in the swamps, a herd of bison, abundant waterfowls, elk, deer, wolves, coyotes, and perhaps, a rare sighting of a grizzly bear! We journey along
Yellowstone
Lake
,
North America
’s largest mountain lake, and over the
Sylvan
Pass.
We travel eastward along winding mountain roads to the prairies as we head for cowboy country of Cody, named after the legendary frontiersman, Colonel Buffalo Bill Cody.
Day 6 CODY -
SHERIDAN
We begin our morning with a visit to the
Buffalo
Bill
Historical
Center
. An outstanding display of western
Americana
is contained in the museum’s five part collection of the colorful life of Buffalo Bill, the Plains Indians, art, weapons, and the region’s natural history. We then experience canyon-studded landscapes and endless mountain vistas as we journey to
Sheridan
, where the majestic
Big
Horn
Mountains
rise to the west and rolling plains slope to the east.
Sheridan
is rich in Western history. The area was home for the Sioux,
Cheyenne
, and Arapaho Indian chiefs, such as Dull Knife, Red Cloud, and Crazy Horse, who fought battles to keep the white man from their precious hunting grounds.
Day 7 SHERIDAN – DEVIL’S TOWER – DEADWOOD,
SOUTH DAKOTA
–
RAPID
CITY
We stop at Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site, one of the few palisade forts built in the west and take in the viewing stations, panoramic displays and plaques to help us recreate the sights and scenes of yesteryear. We continue eastward to our nation’s first national monument, Devil’s Tower, a huge monolith resembling a gargantuan stone tree stump, rising 867 feet above its base.
A short drive takes us to
South Dakota
, the “Sunshine” State, also known as the “Great Faces, Great Places,” state. “Thar’s Gold in Them Thar Hills,” brought hordes of miners and pioneers to the Black Hills, and for us, a visit to the Historic Deadwood, where limited-stakes gaming of slots, poker, and blackjack was legalized in 1989. We imagine the likes of legendary Wild Bill Hickok, playing cards in Saloon number 10, Calamity Jane, and the infamous
Mt.
Moriah
Cemetery
. There’s time to tempt “Lady Luck” before we head for the hills of
Rapid City
for the night.
Day 8 BLACK HILLS –
CUSTER
STATE PARK
– CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL – MOUNT. RUSHMORE
Our local guide joins us as we explore the
Black Hills
and “Tatanka,”
Custer
State Park
. We take in the sights of pointed granite pillars, knobby peaks; narrow gulches clad in dark green ponderosa pine forests of the scenic
Needles Highway
, and the pigtail climb of
Iron Mountain Road
. We visit Crazy Horse Memorial, where the world’s largest mountain carving is now in progress! A tribute to North American Indians of all tribes, hewn from the land they respected, the sculpted countenance of Crazy Horse, the Lakota leader, looks out across the
Black Hills
. The highlight of our day’s experiences takes us to the “Shrine of Democracy for the Ages,” Mount Rushmore National Memorial. “A nation’s memorial should, like Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt, have a serenity, a nobility, a power . . .carved high, as close to heaven as we can . . .to show posterity what manner of men they were. Then breathe a prayer that these records will endure until the wind and the rain alone shall wear them away.” We come away with the realization that this monument truly stands as a powerful symbol of
America
!
Day 9 RAPID CITY –
FORT
LARAMIE
–
CHEYENNE
,
WYOMING
Our southward journey takes us to routes that wagons loaded with freight and stagecoaches with passengers followed to the gold fields, and to the prairie and dry land farming country of the westernmost extension of
America
’s
Great Plains
. A visit to Fort Laramie National Historic Site takes us to the first garrisoned post in
Wyoming
. It was the most important outpost on the major emigrant trails – the
Oregon
, Mormon, and Pony Express. The historic structures reflect the drama of life and actions of the Fort’s people – military and civilian, resident and transient alike. We are reminded of a time when the pioneers traveled the trails; when the pony express struggled to make their deliveries with the
Calvary
defending them; when the west was the battle field for solders and native Indians; when all endured the severe hardships that came with living in the “wild West.” The best visual representation of the old
Oregon Trail
where heavy wagon wheels and oxen hooves gradually ground away the sandstone leaving distinct tracks in the stone graphically displaying the hardships of the pioneers at the Oregon Trail Ruts National Historic Landmark site,
Cheyenne
, capital city of
Wyoming
is our town of accommodation.
Day 10
CHEYENNE
–
DENVER
– GRAND JUNCTION,
COLORADO
Cradled in the foothills of the
Rocky Mountains
and weaned on gold and silver wealth that once flowed from nearby mines,
Denver
, capital city of
Colorado
is our destination for the morning. The character of
Denver
today is a combination of Eastern cosmopolitanism and Western pioneer spirit. We make a brief stop at its “Mile-High” capitol before heading westward through the mountains and scenic ski areas along the
Interstate Highway
. We will make a stop at one of the resort towns, with time to have a snack and shop. Our accommodation for the night is in
Grand Junction
, which derived its name from two
Grand
Rivers
, the
Colorado
, and
Gunnison
rivers.
Day 11 GRAND JUNCTION –
BRYCE
NATIONAL PARK
,
UTAH
It’s south to “Color Country!” a magnificent extravaganza of wild geological display and vivid color – that is
Bryce
National Park
. A 19th century government surveyor called this canyon “the wildest, most wonderful scene the eye of man ever behold.” To a geologist the Pink Cliffs of Bryce were “a brilliant jewel in a land of superb texture and workmanship.” Paiute Indians saw the stony sentinels as “red rocks standing like men in a bowl-shaped canyon.” We stop at the
Visitor
Center
for a short film, and meet our guide who will travel with us as he shares his knowledge and experiences with us. We marvel at the vast expanse of delicate, intricately eroded, multicolored minarets, spires, and sculptured “hoodoo” pinnacles as we walk along the horseshoe amphitheater, created by forces of natural erosion and wind and water. Yellow oxides give red, yellow, and brown tints to the limestone, while manganese oxides lend a lavender hue.
Day 12
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
,
ARIZONA
Nature’s grandest sculpture: it took more than two billion years to create. It is more than a mile deep and 200 miles long. We view Mother Nature’s most breathtaking master piece – the
Grand Canyon
. We experience the full depth of its beauty, color, and majesty. Colors dance among the myriad rock formations within the canyon as the sun changes position. Each time of day and each season brings with it one of Nature’s finest light shows. The permutations are unceasing, and the moods are without end. This is a land that humbles the soul. We travel with
our park naturalist to magnificent viewpoints of the park.
Day 13
ZION NATIONAL PARK
,
UTAH
-
LAS VEGAS
,
NEVADA
One of the nation’s oldest national parks,
Zion
has a quiet grandeur all its own.
Zion
is a spot where the word scenic does not do it justice. It is a canyon of brilliant green set against a backdrop of sheer red cliffs, with an occasional lacy waterfall fanning out from the rock. As we enter the park, we marvel at the geological jigsaw of mudstone, siltstone, and sandstone formations, showcasing thousands of years of eruptions and erosion by wind, sand, rain, and flash flooding of the
Virgin River
. We see unusual formations and edifices, such as the Checker board
Mesa
, Three Patriarchs, Great White Throne, Angel’s Landing, and the
Temple
of
Sinawava
and many other creations of nature. The park’s shuttle takes us on a narrated tour of the valley floor.
What better way to culminate our awe-inspiring, scenic tour of wonderment and great diversity than to be rejuvenated at fabulous
Las Vegas
! The neon lights, ringing slot machines, shouts of winning players combined with lounge and cabaret revue music create an invigorating experience for all. So, get out your frog charms and good-luck trinkets –
Las Vegas
, here we come!
We spend two nights at Main Street Station Hotel and Casino, with three meals a day included for adults 21 years and older!
Day 14
LAS VEGAS
Today is a welcomed day of leisure: shop, buy your last-minute “omiyage,” gamble, relax, sleep in late, your day is yours. Or join your escort and visit some of the exciting new casinos and attractions.
Day 15
LAS VEGAS
/
HONOLULU
,
HAWAII
Our early morning flight takes us back to “Hawaii No Ka Oi!” “You may choose to extend your stay in
Las Vegas
for a nominal cost. Ask your travel consultant to assist you.”
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Every effort has been made to produce this itinerary without error.
Should any occur, we reserve the right to correct.
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