Day 1
FLIGHT TO PHOENIX • SEDONA:
Today, we are greeted by our Christian Tours Tour Director and are transported to the Charlotte Douglas Airport for our flight to Phoenix. We travel to Sedona for a two-night stay.
Day 2
VERDE CANYON RAILROAD • DINNER:
The Verde Canyon is
often called Arizona’s other Grand Canyon, with spectacular
canyon scenery. The remote wilderness of the Verde Canyon,
located west of Sedona, is renowned for its towering red rock
pinnacles and clean, green waters. The Verde Canyon Train,
a four-hour ride, rolls past Indian ruins, through a 680-foot man-made tunnel and over old-fashioned trestles. This picturesque setting is further enhanced by the variety of
indigenous flora and fauna and the many migrating waterfowl. We enjoy dinner together this evening. (D)
Day 3
SEDONA • OAK CREEK CANYON • GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK • DINNER AT CAMERON TRADING POST:
Today, the splendor of the Red Rocks in Sedona await us. You’ll
marvel at the breathtaking beauty. Next, we make our way
through the Coconino National Forest into Oak Creek Canyon.
Our stop at Oak Creek Canyon Vista allows you to see what awaits you down the road. We travel through spectacular red
cliffs, stands of aspen, cedar and oak, and abundant wildflowers
to reach the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The canyon is 7000 feet above sea level. One of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world, Grand Canyon is
unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers to visitors on the
rim. Enjoy the sights of this natural wonder with its exceptional
views and photo opportunities! We check into our hotel in Kayenta following dinner at Cameron Trading Post. (D)
Day 4
MONUMENT VALLEY • FOUR CORNERS • MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK • DURANGO:
This morning we pass through Monument Valley. This area provides perhaps the
most enduring and definitive images of the American West. The isolated red mesas and buttes surrounded by empty, sandy desert have been filmed and photographed countless times over the years for movies, advertisements & holiday brochures. Because of this, the area may seem quite familiar.
The Four Corners is a unique place. It’s the only place in America where you can stand in four states at the same time.
Located within the Navajo Indian Reservation, this is the exact place where Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico come together. Mesa Verde, sure to be one of the highlights of our tour, awaits us today. Mesa Verde, Spanish for “green table,” is a large plateau towering 2,000 feet above
the surrounding valleys, and is famous for the well-preserved, pre-Columbian cliff dwellings in
the shallow alcoves of its many canyon walls. We’ll
stop to explore these dwellings before making our way to Durango, Colorado, for the night.
Day 5
DURANGO & SILVERTON NARROW GAUGE RAILROAD • OURAY • GUNNISON:
he Durango
& Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, located in Southwestern Colorado, is as rich in history as it is scenery. This railroad, established in 1881, has continuously operated coal-fired, steam-powered locomotives through the remote wilderness and
high-mountain landscape of the San Juan National
Forest. Here in Durango, we board the historic train for an exciting journey. We leave the train in Silverton where you have lunch on your own in
this former frontier town. We travel through Ouray,
a rich 19th Century mining town surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery on our way to Gunnison and our hotel.
Day 6
ROYAL GORGE RAILROAD • LAMAR:
There are
so many beautiful areas to see in Colorado.
Today we travel to the Royal Gorge Railroad for a
spectacular rail journey. Experience a memorable
train ride through the Colorado Rockies following
the winding Arkansas River deep within the 1,000-
foot granite cliffs. We travel to Lamar for our
night’s lodging.
Day 7
DODGE CITY • LUNCH • BARTLESVILLE:
Today we leave Colorado and travel across
the state of Kansas. We stop in Dodge City, often
called “Cowboy Capital of The World.” We have
an included lunch in this historic town. This
afternoon we travel into Oklahoma checking in to
our hotel in Bartlesville. (L)
Day 8
BRANSON • DINNER • SHOW:
We arrive in
Branson early afternoon for shopping and
exploring the sights of this town. We check into our Branson
hotel and following a fabulous dinner we take our seats at a
great Branson Show. There are so many to choose from, and
we want to make sure this will be one of your favorites! (D)
Day 9
DINNER AT PATTI’S 1880’S SETTLEMENT • CLARKSVILLE:
We travel from Branson taking in the scenery along the
way as we enter Kentucky. In Grand Rivers, we stop at Patti’s
1880’s Settlement. Here the restaurant, known for their
Southern hospitality and mouth-watering food, has become
famous for a 2” thick pork chop, mile-high meringue pie, and
flowerpot bread. They have received awards from Southern
Living magazine, the State of Kentucky, and the National
Small Business Adminis-tration. We spend our last night in
Clarksville, TN. (D)
Day 10
HOME:
If ever there was a tour on which to take
pictures and more pictures, this has been it! Planes,
trains and automobiles - this trip has it all. We arrive home
this evening.
