Arrival & Check-in, Registration & Orientation, Welcome & Introductions, Texas Tales and Myths

Note: Must be able to walk on uneven surfaces up to a mile each day, stand in museums for a few hours, handle your own luggage, and climb on and off motor coach without difficulty.

Afternoon: HOTEL CHECK-IN: Available from 3:00pm.

REGISTRATION & ORIENTATION: 4:30p on 4th floor conference room. Pick up your Road Scholar arrival packet containing your name tag, up-to-date schedule, list of participants, maps, and other important information we will review.

Your group leader will greet you with a warm Texas welcome, introduce everyone, and provide key staff contact names and phone numbers. We will review the up-to-date daily schedule, discuss responsibilities, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. If you arrive late, pick up your packet at the hotel front desk.

During this program, you will explore the rugged beauty of the Big Bend National Park area, learn about the diversity of the geology, plant, and animal life of the area, and get an insider’s tour and a private star viewing at the McDonald Observatory,

Please be aware that program activities and scheduled times could change due to weather and other local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. 5:30 p.m. Enjoy the kickback reception on the 2nd floor of the hotel, featuring free hot food and cold drinks.

Dinner: Meet other participants and get to know your group leaders at a welcome dinner at a river walk restaurant near the hotel

Evening: Sit back and relax as our storyteller regales you with tall tales and stories. You’ll hear legends, folk tales and amusing anecdotes as you begin your journey through the Lone Star State.

Lodging: Drury Plaza Hotel

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: We enjoy a hot breakfast buffet before boarding our motorcoach.

Morning: Begin your excursion into the least-populated area of Texas by motor coach. We’ll stop along the way as we cross the scenic Hill Country and enter the dramatic Chihuahuan Desert. Your guide is a Texas Master Naturalist, who will be with you on the entire trip and provide instruction about plants, animals and birds of the area during your journey.

Lunch: Weather permitting, we’ll stop to explore a state park along the way and take a short hike to a picnic area and eat a box lunch at an overlook with spectacular views.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Discover what archeologists know about life in this area from over 4,000 years ago during a brief stop at the Lake Amistad National Recreation Area visitor center near Del Rio, Texas. See what art on nearby rock shelter walls can teach us about early human and animal life in the area. Continue your journey across the desert and see first-hand the remoteness of the area.

Dinner: After you arrive in Alpine, you’ll have a hearty meal and a well-deserved chance to stretch your legs.

Evening: PRESENTATION: A rock art specialist from the Center for Big Bend Studies will share her collection of digital images of rock art found in the Big Bend and Trans-Pecos areas. See how scholars have documented the early rock art of the region and learn what it can tell us about Native American life centuries ago.

Lodging: Hampton Inn Alpine

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Today’s activities involve a choice of hikes, the longest being approximately 2 miles. The hikes will be near the Chisos Mountain Lodge, elevation approximately 5,000 feet.

Breakfast: Enjoy a hearty breakfast at the hotel in Alpine, named one of the top ten small towns in Texas, before beginning your drive into the national park.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Head south through the mountainous desert to the Persimmon Gap entrance station to Big Bend National Park. Stop at a visitor center for an introduction to the plants, animals and birds found in the area. Head up to the Chisos Mountain Basin.

Lunch: Lunch at the restaurant in the Chisos Mountain Lodge, built in part by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

Afternoon: PRESENTATION: Get a personal introduction to the Big Bend National Park from a park ranger, who will provide an overview of the park and answer any questions you might have about this large and diverse natural wonder. FIELD TRIP: Take the hike of your choice from the Chisos Basin visitor center. You may join the group leader on a hike up a portion of the Lost Mine Trail to see stunning vistas, or select a shorter hike and enjoy more time in the visitor center. FIELD TRIP: Sit back and relax as your motor coach takes you on a portion of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. You’ll travel down from the western foothills of the Chisos Mountains toward the river valley. Marvel at the views offered at the Sotol Vista overlook before heading to the fabulous Lajitas Resort and Spa to check in for the night.

Dinner: Our stop at the ghost town of Terlingua includes dinner at the famous Starlight Theater. With little light pollution, Terlingua's evening skies display brilliant stars. The restaurant features a front porch with rocking chairs to sit and admire evening skies.

Lodging: Lajitas Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Big Bend Ranch State Park, Naturalist Guided Jeep Tour; Free Time at Lajitas Resort and Spa

Note: Safari-style jeep seats 4-6 persons with a naturalist as your personal guide. The 3-hr ride over primitive mountain roads has some bouncing and roughness.

Breakfast: Enjoy a full breakfast at your hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Visit the largest state park in Texas, the Big Bend Ranch State Park, encompassing more than 300,000 acres of rugged terrain. Explore the interpretive exhibits of the newly opened Barton Warnock Visitor Center to find out how the history, geology and landscape have shaped the region. Displays at the center interpret 570 million years of geological history and were built with support of state and national park staff from Texas and the surrounding Mexican states. PRESENTATION: A park ranger will explain how humans, animals and plants survive in and adapt to the harsh desert conditions of the region. Develop a better understanding of the region as the ranger tells you about clues discovered through the study of geology, plant life and animal life in the area.

Lunch: A picnic box lunch is provided at the Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Get ready for action as you venture out on an interpretative jeep tour with a naturalist guide. You’ll get an inside look at rocks, plants and other natural features as your guide enlightens you about the cultural and natural history of the region. You may see evidence of wildlife and spot some birds as you venture into the wilderness. Return to the Lajitas Resort and Spa for some free time to relax or engage in activities offered at the resort, at your expense. You can choose from horseback riding, mountain biking, swimming, or treat yourself to a facial or massage at the Agave Spa.

Dinner: Choose one of several options at the resort for dinner on your own.

Evening: Evening storytelling and star-filled skies.

Lodging: Lajitas Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Lunch at Historic Indian Lodge; Private Tour and Star Viewing at University of Texas McDonald Observatory

Note: Behind-the-scenes tour of observatory involves two hours of walking to and standing in buildings and telescope/viewing areas- some uphill/downhill walking. Evening star viewing in amphitheater area, during which time you can opt to walk to telescopes on plaza, some of which require climbing 5-10 steps to reach viewing platform.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the resort before leaving for Fort Davis area.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Visit the Fort Davis National Historic Site, where you will develop a new appreciation of Buffalo Soldiers, early settlers, and native inhabitants of the region. Hear about life on a frontier military post, and the importance of mail coaches and freight wagons during the westward expansion of the United States.

Lunch: Those for an eye for architectural detail will revel in a visit to the historic Indian Lodge in the Davis Mountains State Park. The lodge was originally built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and has recently been renovated to update the building’s features, while carefully preserving details such as cane and log ceilings and casement windows. You’ll eat in the Black Bear restaurant and have some time to enjoy the lodge and the surrounding views.

Afternoon: PRESENTATION: Hear a local author share amusing stories about life in the big country. The author is a retired historian and Smithsonian Institution employee who has an interesting perspective on life out west. FIELD TRIP: Head for the hills as you set out for the McDonald Observatory to take a private tour. You’ll see several of the large, state-of-the-art telescopes and hear about the research conducted there, where scientists and university students continue to make important discoveries. After your tour, spend some time looking through exhibits in the visitor center as you contemplate new advances in the world of astronomy.

Dinner: Eat at the Star Date Café, named after the NPR radio show of the same name, which educates listeners about star gazing, constellations, planets and more.

Evening: PRESENTATION: Just before dark, a staff astronomer will lead a private star party in the outdoor amphitheater. Don’t miss this memorable opportunity to see stars and planets from one of the darkest and clearest night skies in the country with an expert guide. You’ll be able to see some objects with the naked eye as our expert describes objects in the sky, and get a chance to view others through the myriad of telescopes around the plaza. After the star party, you’ll stay in Fort Davis at the Hotel Limpia, first opened in the 1880s, when the fort was an important post-Civil War outpost.

Lodging: Hotel Limpia

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Primarily a travel day. Return to San Antonio via Interstate 10, with occasional rest stops along the way.

Breakfast: Enjoy a hot buffet breakfast in our Indian Lodge village.

Morning: Bid a fond farewell to the sprawling Big Bend region as you head back to civilization by bus. You’ll stop at points of interest and a scenic Hill Country town.

Lunch: Stop at a restaurant en route to San Antonio.

Afternoon: Complete your return to San Antonio. Your group leader will have some educational videos for you to watch as you travel and will share some thoughts to wrap up your westward journey. 5:30 p.m. Enjoy the kickback reception on the 2nd floor of the hotel, featuring free hot food and cold drinks.

Dinner: Pamper yourself with dinner in at the hotel after the long trip. Your group leader will lead a final discussion and present a slide show of photos collected during the week to wrap up your experience as you enjoy a catered meal.

Lodging: Drury Plaza Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: A hot breakfast buffet is included.

Morning: Free Time: Optional morning independent activities include a River Walk stroll along our hotel; or visit the Alamo or Historic Market District, which are located within walking distance from our hotel. Departures. Hotel check out is 11:00 a.m. We hope you have enjoyed this very special event and will return for other rewarding Road Scholar programs in the future. Best wishes for all your journeys!

Meals Included: Breakfast