|
GRAND
TRAVEL OF THE OLD WEST
Grandtravel’s Tour of American West Emphasizes History of
Pioneers and Grandeur of Parks and Landmarks. Grandtravel's 10-day tour of the U.S. West emphasizes the history of pioneers and Native Americans and the grandeur of national parks and landmarks. The tour begins by heading into the Black Hills of North Dakota, one of the richest gold-mining districts in the country, the tour stops to view Mount Rushmore National Memorial, where between 1927 and 1942, workers used drills and dynamite to carve the faces of four U.S. presidents into the mountain's granite wall. Following a guided tour of the Old Thunder Gold Mine, grandparents and grandchildren can try their hand at panning for gold, keeping what they find, and ride horses through the scenic countryside. At Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana Grandtravelers learn both sides of the story of Custer's Last Stand -- the famous conflict between George Armstrong Custer and Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and the Northern Cheyenne warriors. A "Day in the Life of a Cowboy" starts at Stan and Mary Flitner's Diamond Tail Ranch, watching cowboys work with cattle and horses, and learning why they dress the way they do. The day finishes at the Cody Night Rodeo where they let loose, roping calves, riding bulls and busting broncos. The tour spends three days in the world's first national park, Yellowstone, looking for wildlife in the meadows of Hayden Valley; viewing the magnificent canyon and falls from Artist Point; visiting Fountain Paint Pots, where all the thermal features of Yellowstone are in one place -- geysers, mud volcanoes, hot springs and fumeroles; and seeing the geyser, Old Faithful, erupt. A fishing trip on Yellowstone Lake offers a chance to catch cutthroat trout for which the lake is famous. The final day is spent floating down the Snake River in the morning, looking for blue heron, elk, deer, moose, buffalo and, on rare occasions, black bear, followed by an afternoon free to explore Jackson Hole's shops and galleries. Among special meals on the tour are a buffalo dinner at the RBL Buffalo Ranch outside of Blacktail Prairie Dog Town; picnics on the shores of Yellowstone Lake and at the base of Devil's Tower, a 1,280-foot-high monolith whose vertical fractures led Native Americans to believe they were caused by the claws of a giant bear; and lunch with cowboys at the Diamond Tail Ranch. Essential
Information:
Departures are July 6, 2000, for ages 12-17, July 27 for ages 7-11, and August 17 for all ages. Cost per person, double occupancy, is $3,880; triple, $3,760; quad, $3,675. Prices cover accommodations with private bath; breakfast daily, eight lunches, nine dinners and snacks; transportation; en route activities program for grandchildren; admission to all scheduled attractions and events; the services of a professional tour guide and a Grandtravel escort throughout; baggage handling and hotel taxes. Further
information, brochures and reservations can be obtained from: Grandtravel Edited
by Kerry Cohen |
|
TM