Perhaps no other state can rival New Mexico in history and culture! Join us for a 4-day weekend in which we will explore the rich corridor between Las Vegas and Albuquerque NM, experiencing everything from Native American sites to the Mother Road and Harvey House hotels.
Native Americans have lived here for many centuries, leaving behind traces of a life grounded in the Earth...everything from their dwellings to agriculture, spirituality, and art. A north-south throughway had been used for commerce long before the white man arrived, one that amazingly stretched almost perfectly due north for hundreds of miles.
More recently, Route 66 and Fred Harvey forever changed the history of transportation, from the open road to the railroad. The Fred Harvey Company is credited with being the first chain hotel, restaurant, and newsstand in the US, primarily along the Santa Fe Railroad; Route 66 was the Main Street of America.
And in a delicious twist of historic irony, they wound up complimenting each other handily, in spite of representing competing modes of transportation. Harvey's Indian Detours took tourists on land tours interspersed between segments of rail travel, using Packards and other large touring vehicles to traverse the once-harrowing La Bajada portion of Route 66 between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
Our tour starts in Las Vegas, where we will enjoy the abundant history around us...historic hotels, more than 900 buildings on historic registries, and much more. Ounce for ounce, Las Vegas cannot be beaten for having so much history packed into a town its size.
Next we will visit Santa Fe, the third-oldest city in the US, and oldest state capital. We will take a walking tour of the Plaza area, visiting all of the historic sites and La Fonda hotel (another in the Harvey chain), as well as a trendy restaurant and bar or two.
On Day 3, we will drive south and west to Gallup, with numerous Route 66 highlights, Native American culture, and transportation history, ending the day in Gallup. The western half of New Mexico offers perhaps the best parts of Route 66 between Chicago and LA.
Our tour will end in Albuquerque, starting with a scenic drive through the Zuni pueblo, past the ice caves, and finishing with a tour of many scenic and historic points of interest in town. We'll be certain to point out some Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul filming locations, vintage neon, and where Route 66 crossed itself.
All along the way, we will travel Route 66 wherever possible, allowing our friends to experience both the history that is both uniquely Mother Road and New Mexico. We consciously take the slow way, because there is more to see and do.
This tour is in your private vehicle. We provide detailed route slips, GPS files, supplementary tour highlights in printed form, and loaner walkie talkie for between-vehicle communication.
Details: Registration deadline Aug 22, 2017!
Arrive Las Vegas NM Fri Sept 1 2017
Tour Sept 2-4 2017
Includes lodging Sept 2-4
Daily distances 100 - 200
Three nights twin share lodging.
Private vehicles.
Opening and closing party.
GPS files.
Route slips.
Wearables and other commemoratives.
Breakfast at most hotels.
Snacks and beverages once per day at designated roadside POI (Point of Interest).
Price:
$795 per person twin share.
Single supplement $180.
Minimum group size: 6.
We do not provide roommates.
Itinerary: Sept 1: Arrive Las Vegas NM Sept 2: Santa Fe NM Sept 3: Gallup NM Sept 4: Albuquerque NM