Day 2   Tuesday, Aug. 22nd   ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS ON THE GREAT SAGE PLAIN
Our adventuresome day begins with a spectacular drive through the sandstone buttes of Monument Valley and then in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument we visit Hovenweep and the lesser-known site of Lowry Pueblo. After an al fresco lunch, we visit the Canyons of the Ancients archeological museum and interpretive center. Overnight in Cortez. Dinner at locally owned Fiesta Americana. (Hampton Inn, Cortez) B, L, D

Day 3   Wednesday, Aug. 23rd   MESA VERDE TO DURANGO
Today we experience Mesa Verde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that offers an unparalleled look into Ancestral Puebloan culture.  A Park docent interprets our visit to Mesa Top Loop, where we see pit houses, Square Tower House, and Sun Temple. After lunch, we tour the iconic Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in North America. In the afternoon, we descend the Mesa and make the short drive to Durango.  Overnight for the next two nights in Durango.  Dinner walking distance from our hotel. (Best Western Plus Rio Grande Inn) B, L, D

Day 4   Thursday, Aug. 24th   SILVERTON NARROW GAUGE RAILROAD, MILLION DOLLAR HIGHWAY
This 3.5-hour train ride is a classic rail journey with spectacular San Juan Mountain scenery along the way. Originally constructed to haul ore including gold and silver, the rail line has been in continuous operation since the late 1800s and is unique since it employs steam locomotives dating from the 1920s and uses coal exclusively to power the engine. Throughout the journey, conductors, brakemen and volunteer ‘rail rangers’ roam the train to answer questions and provide information on the Durango and Silverton region. They talk about the natural history and geographic features seen on the journey, the rail line, and the train’s operation. Lunch is on your own with plenty of time to explore Silverton, a perfect combination of supreme natural beauty and lovely Victorian charm.  We return to Durango on our motor coach. (Best Western Plus Rio Grande Inn) B

Day 5   Friday, Aug. 25th  DURANGO TO WINSLOW
This morning we depart Durango and make the short drive to Aztec Ruins National Monument. Here we visit the Earl House Visitor Center followed by an optional walk/hike through the ½ mile Aztec trail and explore the Ancestral Pueblo "Great House"  that functioned as the social, economic, and political center of the region.  A leisurely nature walk through the living agricultural museum of the Heritage Garden show cases native plants and traditional crops like corn, beans, squash, sunflowers, gourds and other indigenous wild plants that people in the Southwest have relied on for thousands of years.  After lunch, we depart for Winslow and spend our last night at the historic railroad hotel, La Posada in Winslow. Farewell dinner is in the Turquoise Room.  (La Posada). B, L, D

Day 6   Saturday, Aug. 26th   WINSLOW TO TUCSON
After breakfast, we meet in the hotel lobby for a walking tour of the property and hear the history of original hotel owner, Fred Harvey. He brought class and raised the standards of railroad hotels, and created a cadre of women (known as Harvey Girls) who brought their own spirit of independence to the West. We also learn about the vision of the hotel’s renowned architect, Mary Elizabeth Jane Coulter.  After our departure from La Posada, we stop to see Meteor Crater, a giant bowl-shaped cavity measuring 550 feet deep and almost a mile wide created by a force 150 times greater than an atomic bomb. Lunch is en route on our return to Tucson and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  B, L

YOUR LEADERS
Fred Nials was raised on a ranch and farm along the Canadian River in eastern New Mexico. Although a geologist by training, he has done geoarchaeological research on well over 5,000 archaeological sites ranging in age from Paleoindian to Historic in western North America, South America and Cyprus, and taught at universities in New Mexico, Washington, and Nevada for 28 years. He specializes in the stratigraphy of archaeological sites, prehistoric technology, and prehistoric agriculture, and has done pioneering work on aeolian and alluvial chronologies in the western U.S. and South America. He participated in the earliest and most comprehensive early study of prehistoric irrigation in coastal South America, the earliest study of the Hohokam canal system in the Phoenix Basin, and was part of a team that reconstructed the annual flow of the Salt and Gila Rivers since 577 A.D.

Jesús García is a Cultural Conservation Research Associate at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Jesús was born and raised in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora, México. He eventually moved to Tucson and earned a bachelor's degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Arizona. He began his career with ASDM in 1991 and has taught natural history and cultural programs in southern Arizona and northern Sonora. His many interests include conservation biology, art, cultural ecology, regional languages, music, and gardening. Jesús is a master storyteller and an expert at identifying plant species, describing their preferred growing or breeding habits and explaining their environmental connections to one another and to us.

Stephen Bernier runs logistics and is the owner of South of the Border Tours. Stephen has organized and produced tours throughout the American Southwest and Mexico since 1993. Clients include the University of Arizona Elderhostel/Road Scholar Program, Arizona Historical Society, Scottsdale Sister City, Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tohono Chul, Portland Art Museum, Heard Museum Guild, Tucson Museum of Art, as well as various other museums and universities. Stephen is also a volunteer with Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists.

INCLUDED SERVICES
Transportation by luxury motor coach, first class train car to Silverton from Durango, 5 nights’ accommodations, all meals as listed on itinerary, guide fees, and entrance fees.

MEETING PLACE  
We will meet and leave cars at the Museum.

GROUP SIZE
This trip is limited to 24 guests.

ACTIVITY LEVEL
Guests must be able to walk unassisted at a moderate pace up to one-half mile over varied terrain, at elevations from 7,000 up to 9,700 feet. This tour is best suited for those that like to walk and can spend much of the day exploring. Please contact the South of the Border Tours at 520-760-4000 prior to registering should you have physical limitation concerns.

FEES
This special travel opportunity is offered exclusively to Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum members. If you currently are not a member, but would like to join us, you may do so by following this link. The trip price is $2975, and the single supplement is an additional $600.

ROOMING
The listed price is for double occupancy. For those with no traveling companion, we will attempt to make a roommate match. If one cannot be found, then the single supplement will need to be paid.

COVID PRECAUTIONS
We require all participants to be vaccinated and fully boosted against Covid-19. If there is an underlying health condition which prevents vaccination, we will need to be informed.
 
CANCELLATION POLICY
All cancellations must be in writing or email. Our policy is as follows:  Cancellations made 45 days prior to departure will result in refunded payments less a $100 per person handling fee. Cancellations made 44-31 days prior to departure will result in a 50% forfeiture of payment. Cancellations made 30 days or less prior to departure are non-refundable.

TRAVEL INSURANCE
We highly recommend travel insurance. You are welcome to choose any travel insurance company; however, Allianz Travel Insurance is our preferred company. Please visit their website to review all policies that are available: www.allianztravelinsurance.com.  Should you sign up with them, please use our ACCAM number, which is FO29755.

TOUR ITINERARY IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
We reserve the right to change components, substitute hotels or alter the itinerary (either before departure or en route), and to make any other changes deemed necessary to carry out and maintain the quality and safety of the tour in good faith to the participants. In the case of civil unrest, acts of God, situations known as force majeure, we may cancel or postpone a trip.

QUESTIONS  
This trip is jointly run by South of the Border Tours and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Should you have any questions about the itinerary or logistics, please contact Debby Bernier, Office Manager at 520-760-4000 or at southofthebordertours@msn.com. For questions about payment, please contact the Reservations Coordinator at 520-883-3025 or at education@desertmuseum.org.