Kicks on Historic Route 66

Upon arrival in Amarillo, we check into our accommodations for the next two evenings.  This evening is free to hang out on Route 66 in the Historic District, where you can enjoy dinner and Saturday Cruise Night.

Get ready to saddle up, as we go horseback riding at the Cowgirls and Cowboys of the West Ranch, and for those that aren’t ready to saddle up, bring your camera and learn to take beautiful scenic pictures, while touring the ranch. Lunch, on own, is at the iconic Big Texan Steak Ranch and Brewery, which opened back in 1960 and became a well known stopping point along Route 66. This afternoon enjoy time to explore Amarillo ~ maybe check out the artifacts and art at the Panhandle - Plains Historical Museum, there are other museums and the Botanical Gardens. Tonight we check out the TEXAS Outdoor Musical, situated in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. A guide will take us into the Canyon before dinner and the show. (B, D)

On our way out of Amarillo a quick stop is made at the famous Cadillac Ranch exhibit, paying homage to the ‘Golden Age’ of automobiles.  Continuing our journey West, we stop in the ghost town of Glenrio, which straddles the New Mexico and Texas borders, before arriving in Tucumcari, NM. Visit the Route 66 Museum, Tee Pee Curious, and have lunch at Del’s Restaurant, serving travelers along Route 66 since 1956. Don’t forget to take a picture of the Blue Swallow Hotel, where travelers have been staying since 1939! Later, we check into our hotel. Evening on own. (B) 

This morning we head to Fort Sumner, a military fort charged with the internment of nearby Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868. After it’s closing, the fort was privately purchased and its best known visitor was Billy the Kid. We visit the Billy the Kid Museum and Burial before making our way over to the Bosque Redondo Memorial. This memorial depicts the tragic history of Fort Sumner and the Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation.  After, we depart for Santa Fe, but not before stopping to have lunch in Santa Rosa, on own. Later, we check into our hotel for the next two nights, the Inn on the Alameda. The evening is free. (B)

This morning we visit De Vargas Street House and the San Miguel Chapel, the oldest house and church in the U.S. The remaining part of the day will be visiting many of the Pueblos that make up this area. The day will consist of the Tesuque Pueblo, which has been occupied since 1200AD, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. We will also get a chance to visit the Nambe Pueblo, the Santa Clara Pueblo, the Puye Cliffs Welcome Center and the San Ildefonso Pueblo. All known for their pottery and jewelry. Upon our return to Santa Fe, the remainder of the day and evening are on your own. (B)

This morning is yours to explore.  There is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi or the Palace of the Governors, the oldest continuously occupied government  building in the U.S. Visit the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, walk along the Barrio De Analaco Historic District, here you will see the San Miguel Mission. This afternoon we continue West along our historic route, stopping in Albuquerque, NM. After checking into our 4-star accommodations, we depart for dinner where you will feel as if you’ve traveled back in time to a beautiful southwestern roadhouse found along old Route 66. From dinner, we will meet our guide and take a walking ghost tour of Old Town. (B, D)

This morning we will tour the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, before having free time in the historic Nob Hill area of town. This afternoon we will take a trail at Petroglyph National Monument, and walk where early native and Spanish settlers walked, and look at the images left behind, telling their story. This afternoon we continue West into Gallup, NM, where we will check into our hotel for the evening. (B)

Today we cross the boarder from New Mexico into Arizona, where our first stop along our historic route is the Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert National Forest. This unpaved one mile hike will wind us through the rim woodland, where there are spectacular views of the Painted Desert. This afternoon we continue our drive into Winslow, AZ, where we will stop for lunch at the famous Turquois Room & Martini Lounge. Route 66 was the primary artery through Winslow, in its railroad days and bypassed by I-40 in the late 1970s. As our journey continues, we make a picture stop in the ghost town of Two Guns, AZ, sight of a bitter fight between the Apache and Navajo Indians, before stopping at Walnut Canyon National Monument. We will be able to walk the Rim Trail (0.7 mile roundtrip), where there are two overlooks that provide scenic views of the canyon and cliff dwellings below.  After a busy day, we will check into our accommodations for the next two nights in Flagstaff, AZ. The remainder of the evening is free. (B, L) 

A local guide will take us on a tour of Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona National Park, and Jerome, AZ.  Today is not the day to forget your camera! Oak Creek Canyon is famous for its beautiful scenery, and we will have the opportunity to see it up close. From here it’s a short drive to Sedona National Park, where our pink Jeeps will be waiting to take us on a rugged off road adventure, with a local guide. We will be riding the rough terrain of the red rocks, stopping at lookout vistas, and where Hollywood movies were made. After, there will be a picnic lunch waiting for us. This afternoon we drive into Jerome, AZ. Another ghost town trying to build itself back up again. Stop in and shop at the world’s largest kaleidoscope store, set up in Jerome’s original brothel. Dinner is included tonight. (B, L, D)

This morning we say good-bye to our historic past and travel into Phoenix for our flight home. To be able to see parts of our country before it disappears is such an exhilarating experience. (B)