NTOurs National Parks Tour October 8, 2012

October 8, 2012

We woke up in Mesa Verde National Park. The sunrise was amazing! We boarded the bus to go to breakfast at a restaurant in the park. A hot, made-to-order breakfast was the line-up. Starbucks coffee was the treat!

After breakfast, a tour guide for the park took on us a tour of Mesa Verde National Park sharing with us the life of the ancestral Puebloans and pointed out cliff dwellings that they called, "home". Our tour took us to various sites ending at the Spruce Tree House - the best preserved cliff dwelling.

After lunch we made our way to Kayenta. On our way the views were spectacular. Folks were taking photos at every turn. 

Our next stop was Monument Valley - a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of vast sandstone buttes, the largest reaching 1000 feet above the valley floor. It is located on the Arizona-Utah state line, near the Four Corners area. The valley lies within the range of the Navajo Nation Reservation. This area has been seen in a number of western movies (i.e. "Stagecoach") but also "Forrest Gump" and "Back to the Future III". Arriving at Monument Valley - most of the group had selected a "jeep" excursion into Monument Valley. The "jeep" was a truck with a modified seating arrangement in the truck bed. The dirt road was bumpy and when the wind was blowing it would stir up red clay leaving some of us with a red tint in our hair when we returned. The views of the trip were wonderful! Worth a little dirt!!

After Monument Valley, we drove to Kayenta, Arizona for the evening. After arriving at the hotel, folks had dinner at the hotel restaurant (chicken pot pie, baby back ribs, tacos, etc) Off to bed! Late start tomorrow was we make our way to the Grand Canyon - bags out at 8 a.m. and depart at 9 a.m.!!

NTOurs National Parks Tour October 7, 2012

October 7, 2012

Before leaving the hotel, there was quite a stir in the lobby area. They had the Mass Ascension! Looked out the window! Balloons!!! After checking out of the hotel - we made our way to a shopping mall parking lot. It provided a great view of the balloons as they began their ascent. What a treat! We were able to sleep later PLUS we got to see a sky full of hot air balloons - just what we came to Albuquerque for!!!

After about an hour drive, we were in the town of Santa Fe, New Mexico. What a wonderful town! Many said, "I want to come back here!" During our visit in Santa Fe, we saw the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Commonly known as Saint Francis Cathedral, it is a Roman Catholic cathedral that was built between 1869 and 1886 in downtown Santa Fe. Outside the cathedral are statues of St. Francis and Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680). She is the first North American Indian to be beatified, and is to be canonized in October 2012. She was an Algonquian-Mohawk woman of New York State. At an early age, she converted to Christianity.

During our visit to Santa Fe, we also made our way to the Loretto Chapel - only to discover that it would not be open until 10:30 a.m. (bus departs at 10:10 a.m.). Why did we want to go inside? Two mysteries surround the spiral staircase in the chapel: the identity of its builder and the physics of its construction. When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small chapel. Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers. The stairway's carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today. The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. Also, it is said that the staircase was built without nails - only wooden pegs. Questions also surround the number of stair risers relative to the height of the choir loft and about the types of wood and other materials used in the stairway's construction. Needless to say, we wish we could have seen it.

Several made their way to 109 Palace Street - the site where many intelligent human beings entered into a world of a new identity and secret - the world of the Manhattan project. 

Leaving Santa Fe, our drive took us by several sites: 

• the Santa Fe Opera House, 
• Camel rock - which looks like E.T. when looking back at it as you pass (the inspiration for Steven Spielberg while living in Santa Fe),
• the town of Espanola - the original capital of New Mexico and now the low rider capital of the world,
• the Abiguiu area or "Georgia O'Keefe country" - and The Pedernal - Georgia O'Keefe's "private mountain"

Around noon we made a stop at a welcome center - before getting off the bus we realized it was closed so we visited the facilities at a small cafe and gas station. (45 folks with basically 4 toilets - not as quick as you'd think).

Moving on we drove for about an hour before arriving at Pegosa Springs, Colorado for lunch. Pegosa Springs is a tourist destination due to the hot springs located there. You could smell the sulphur in the air. Several ate at Black Bear Creek Saloon - hamburgers and patty melts!

After lunch we drove to Mesa Verde - a beautiful drive - sites along the way included Chimney Rock and the town of Durango where we had a restroom stop at the train station. Reaching Mesa Verde we drove to the top of the mesa to look out before checking in to the lodge. The view of 4 states was incredible!

We checked into our rooms and then made our way to a wonderful dinner - trout, ribeye, chicken, or pasta. The sunset out our balconies was fabulous and the starry night - breathtaking! Time to call it a day...Mesa Verde and Monument Valley tomorrow.

National Parks Tour - October 6, 2012

October 6, 2012

Awake at 4:15 a.m. In the bus at 5:00 a.m., we made our way to the Balloon Fiesta Mass Ascension. Arrived at the park in the dark. The area was set up with tents selling funnel cakes, turkey legs, souvenirs, etc. Near this area a large area of land was filled with trucks with trailers attached - the pilots of the hot air balloons. The air was filled with tension - "will they be able to lift off or not?" Due to wind speed, the mass ascension was cancelled - no hot air balloons will lift off today. There seemed to be a collective sigh from the crowd. Many had traveled far to see this event.

Our group checked out the souvenir shops, ate breakfast burritos, drank coffee and ate Krispy Kreme donuts.We left a little earlier than planned and made our way back to the hotel for a few hours of rest before continuing our day. 

After a time of rest, we drove to see Tinkertown. Our route took us by and up the backside of the Sandia Mountains. On the side of the mountains we saw some fall color - yellow trees - aspens. 

It took Ross Ward over 40 years to carve, collect, and lovingly construct Tinkertown Museum. His miniature wood-carved figures were first part of a traveling exhibit, driven to county fairs and carnivals in the 1960's and '70's. Today over 50,000 glass bottles form rambling walls that surround a 22-room museum. Wagon wheels, old fashioned store fronts, and wacky western memorabilia make Tinkertown's exterior as much as a museum as the wonders within.

After our visit to Tinkertown, we drove to Old Town of Albuquerque. Upon arrival we had lunch. Part of the group went to a Greek cafe. Some ordered gyros - others ordered hot dogs. Part of the cafe was a turquoise jewelry business - took a while to get our food. Once we got it, it was good. Following lunch we had a walking tour of Old Town where we saw several buildings that were part of the initial settlement. 

After our walking tour - it was back to the hotel to prepare for our trip back to the Balloon Fiesta grounds for the evening lumination and fireworks. Back on the bus at 5 p.m. we made our way to festival grounds. We had time to grab a bite to eat before the balloons began to be filled with air and they filled the air around us. They were tethered to the ground. At twilight, the balloons were lit up and it was a wonderful sight! After the lumination (around 7:30 p.m.), the fireworks began - a nice ending to a good day.

Back to the hotel, we packed up to get ready to go to Mesa Verde tomorrow. Bags out at 6:30 a.m. Departure at 7:30 a.m. 

Everyone is doing well - a bit tired after two FULL days!

NTOurs National Parks Tour

Friday, October 5, 2012
Early alarm after a late night of final preparation for our trip to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival and National Parks Tour. Everyone had arrived when we parked the car - even the Airport Metro Shuttle! I had to call them last night just to confirm they were going to be there. Everything worked out great! They were very accommodating and handled the group well.

We arrived at the Atlanta airport with plenty of time to spare. Checked our bags - nice surprise - no charge for checking them! (must have been included in price of ticket - thanks Go Ahead Tours! - "good form"!)

At the gate we had time to chat - eat a snack - etc. before boarding the flight. The flight was over booked! Ticket agents were calling for 5 individuals to fly later and receive a voucher for $600 to fly anywhere in the U.S. It took awhile but 5 folks stepped forward - no one from our group.

With a full flight we made our way to Albuquerque - a 3 1/2 hour flight - a long way to only get coffee and peanuts! Some took a nap - others read - Barbara Leach covered up in her coat. Our flight took us over farming areas with "circular" acres of crops and farming areas with "square" acres of  crops. I had wondered where a square meal came from!

Arriving in Albuquerque the area looked barren except for areas along the Rio Grande River. Below, we could see the Sandia Mountain Range.

Our group gathered at baggage claim. It was there we met our tour guide, Stevyn Polk. He welcomed us and directed us to our awaiting motor coach (and driver, Dale) that would transport us to the Hampton Inn for the evening.

Several wanted a bite to eat. We made our way - jaywalking across 6 lanes of traffic to eat at Rudy's Country Store BBQ or a hamburger place (for milkshakes). The BBQ beef brisket was outstanding. The sign outside said, "The Worst BBQ in the World!" After a little snack, many made their way to their rooms - for some it was the first time - since some rooms were not ready when we arrived.

After resting for a few hours - we met in the lobby prior to leaving for the Welcome Dinner. Dinner was at Sadie's - a Mexican restaurant. We had a Mexican buffet - cheese quesadillas, ingredients for fajitas and tacos, rice, fresh quacamole and salad. Sopapillas were brought out during our meal - great with honey! For dessert - fried ice cream! Yum!

During dinner we met others that will be traveling with us on the trip - folks from Memphis, TN, California, and all over the U.S. There are 45 of us that will be traveling together over the course of the next 10 days.

While we were eating dessert - Stevyn informed us of the events for tomorrow. He also shared with us some optional excursions that would be available during the tour. The BIG NEWS - departure at 5:00 a.m. for the Mass Ascension at the Balloon Festival!

I better get to bed .....