Breaks every hour.Lunch: Lunch in the hotel dining room from 12:15 - 1:15 pm.Afternoon: Bus departs at 1:30 for the Sandia Aerial Tram (2:00 pm visit scheduled) where you'll ascend to the top of Sandia Peak and will be able to see for miles and miles. Your view will show you the incredibly diverse variety of geology in the immediate area. When you board the tram, you'll ascend 4,000 feet in about 15 minutes, gliding along the western face of the rugged granite-faced Sandia Mountains, eroded into spires, cliffs and pinnacles. The hardy pines, fir and spruce growing there are home to many different birds and other animals. Tram riders may see an eagle, a mule deer or perhaps a black bear as they look out the glass walls of the cable car into the deep canyons. From the top, you can see 11,000 square miles of the Land of Enchantment. To the west is a volcano field, to the north are other volcanic necks and plugs, to the northwest, Redondo Peak in the Jemez Mountains rises from a caldera known as Valle Grande, a volcanic crater reported to be the largest in the world. To the east lies the heavily wooded back side of the Sandias, and on the far horizon, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the capital city of Santa Fe. Farther to the south, the Estancia Valley and the Manzano Mountains frame the view. The summit is 10,378 feet in elevation and will give you an overview of an incredible amount of geology. Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant from 6:00 - 7:30 pmEvening: Free evening for rest and socialization.Lodging: MCM EleganteMeals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Afterwards, bus continues to Valley of Fires Recreation Area with a stop in Socorro, NM to pick up boxed lunches at El Camino Restaurant between 9:30 and 10:00 am.
Valley of Fires Recreation Area is located immediately adjacent to the Malpais Lava Flow.
Approximately 5,000 years ago, Little Black Peak erupted and flowed 44 miles into the Tularosa Basin, filling the basin with molten rock. The resulting lava flow is four to six miles wide, 160 feet thick and covers 125 square miles.
The lava flow is considered to be one of the youngest lava flows in the continental United States.
From a distance, Valley of Fires appears as barren rock, but when you walk through the nature trail there are many varieties of flowers, cactus, trees and bushes typical of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Animals living there include bats, roadrunners, quail, cottontails, mule deer, barberry sheep, and lizards.
It's also a virtual birdwatcher's paradise with great horned owls, burrowing owls, buzzards, hawks, and gnat catchers Lunch: Have a boxed lunch at Valley of Fires recreation area.Afternoon: Bus travels from Valley of Fires to Alamogordo, New Mexico with several site visits in between. Bus will depart around 2:30 pm for Alamogordo. Check in at Best Western Desert Aire Hotel in Alamogordo.Dinner: Bus departs at 5:15 PM to take you to dinner at Memories Restaurant from 5:30 - 7:00 PMEvening: Free evening.Lodging: Best Western Desert Aire HotelMeals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Be prepared to have your luggage at the bus no later than 8:15 AM for an 8:30 AM departure.Morning: After breakfast and hotel check-out, bus departs for Albuquerque at 8:30 pm.
With several stops on the way, you'll travel through Roswell and visit the Roswell Museum and Art Center from 10:00 am until 11:30 am.
At 11:30, bus travels to lunch destination.Lunch: Have lunch from 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM at Roswell's Golden Corral.Afternoon: Bus continues on to Albuquerque at 12:45 PM. Total travel time is approximately 4 hours.
There will be videos shown on the bus. Arrive at MCM Elegante Hotel at approximately 5:00 pm for check-in.Dinner: Dinner from 6:30 - 8:00 PM in the hotel dining room.
Closing comments from participants, study guide, and group leader end the evening.Lodging: MCM EleganteMeals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel provides free shuttle service to Albuquerque Sunport and Amtrak Station with advance reservations.Meals Included: Breakfast