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On the Road: America’s Great Deserts and Their National Parks |
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Program Number: |
13480RJ |
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| Start
and End Dates: |
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11/2/2013 - 11/11/2013;
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| Duration: |
9 nights |
| Location: |
Tucson, Arizona
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| Price starting at: |
$1,549.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city |
| Program Type:
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On the Road; National Parks; Natural History
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| Meals: |
25;
9 Breakfasts, 8 Lunches, 8 Dinners |
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| Meal
Options: |
Vegetarian |
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Deserts are this nation's unexplored wilderness, harboring rare and endangered plants and animals and sheltering hidden oases. And deserts are landscapes changed by humans — to be made to bloom, to be mined for wealth, to tame its wild rivers. With stories of fortunes won and lost, conflict and controversy, these landscapes have been formed and reformed by nature's time and human struggle. Explore these great American deserts — the Sonoran and Mojave — cut by the life-giving Colorado River, and experience their warmth and richness in a journey of a lifetime.
Highlights
• Explore the premier and dramatically different national parks of Saguaro, Joshua Tree and Death Valley, where expert-led explorations reveal a world of intrigue
• Visit Tucson’s famed Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, as well as historic Scotty's Castle in Death Valley.
• Take a ride on the thrilling Palm Springs Aerial Tramway for majestic views and enjoy a festive Palm Springs street fair.
Activity Particulars
Walking up to two miles on uneven terrain.
Date Specific Information
11-2-2013
Death Valley National Park will host the annual '49ers Encampment during this program week. This event pays tribute to the pioneer wagon train parties that crossed Death Valley en route to the California gold fields during the winter of 1849-50 and celebrates the uniqueness of Death Valley.
Itinerary Summary
Arrival Tucson, Ariz., 2 nights; coach to Yuma, 1 night; coach to Palm Springs, Calif., 3 nights; coach to Death Valley National Park, 3 nights; coach Las Vegas, Nev., departure.
Coordinated by Northern Arizona University.
Yuma
The otherwise wide Colorado River narrows to 1,000 feet at Yuma Crossing, giving rise to an important steamboat stop that would become the gateway between the New Mexico Territory and what is now California. Today Yuma serves the lower portion of the Sonoran Desert National Monument and is home to the famous Yuma Territorial Prison Historic Park.
Tucson
Cactus forests, craggy mountains and rolling hills surround this temperate city, which lies in the borderlands of the U.S. and Mexico. The region reflects a blending of the two cultures, along with a history of Native American settlement. The city is dotted with museums, galleries and parks that celebrate this natural and historical diversity.
Palm Springs
Originally a recreational oasis for Hollywood’s famous, Palm Springs is still an indulgent getaway a hundred years later. The desert town, surrounded by breathtaking canyons and natural hot mineral springs, offers 125 golf courses, tennis, hiking and the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies all within a two-hour drive of Los Angeles.
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree comprises nearly 800,000 acres of California’s most interesting geology arranged in a stark, wind-shaped landscape that gives way to the colors of desert vegetation with the unpredictable arrival of rain and moderate weather. Two desert ecosystems meet here, including the Mojave, habitat for the strange tree for which the park is named.
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley, a place of unexpected contrasts, is also one of subtle beauty. From the blush of dawn's light across its badlands to the awe-inspiring red-gold sunsets and the riot of color from spring wildflowers, this great national park covering over 3.3 million miles offers fascinating history and nature's splendor in large servings.
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Accommodations
Tucson and Yuma: Centrally located, modern hotels. Desert Hot Springs: Resort/spa with large pool, seven mineral water therapy pools. Death Valley: Furnace Creek Ranch with mineral-spring-heated pool, 18-hole golf course.
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| Road Scholar Instructors | | These instructors are participating on at least one date of this program. Please note that changes may occur. | Bruce Banker
| | Bruce Banker is a graduate of Northern Arizona University, where he studied natural sciences and geology. He lives in Flagstaff and has worked for the National Park Service as a naturalist on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, Chaco Canyon National Historic Park and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Bruce also serves as an outdoor educator for the Grand Canyon Field Institute. Bruce has taken students to many of the far-flung corners of the Southwest and has a few good stories to share. | | | | Mike Young
| | Mike Young has lived in Arizona for 40 years, and taught math and geology at Yavapai College prior to his work with Road Scholar. To convey the Arizona landscape, Mike uses a broad range of topics including botany, natural history and geomorphology. He has worked as a commercial boatman, designed and constructed his own home, and conducted field exercises throughout the intermountain west. He is an accomplished hike leader who challenges hikers of all skill levels. | | | | Richard Stephens
| | Rich has been director of Northern Arizona University’s highly popular Road Scholar programs since 2001. He previously spent many years in the field as a program coordinator and group leader, where he honed his skills and learned the importance of detailed, pre-trip planning. Before making his home in Arizona’s spectacular red-rock country, Rich spent 10 years in Yosemite National Park and the Santa Cruz mountains as an environmental educator. | | | | Matt Turner
| | Matt Turner has lived in the Southwest since 1982 and currently resides in Prescott, Ariz. He has traveled extensively in the region and has done work in field ecology and cartography. In addition, Matt is an ecological consultant and a professional photographer. | | | | Jeff Strang
| | Jeff Strang's knowledge of the environment stems from over 35 years of hiking, paddling, and photography in the outdoors, his extensive experience as a naturalist, as well as from his education at the University of Oregon and Lewis and Clark Law School. In 1987, Jeff filed a precedent-setting lawsuit against Oregon polluters under the Clean Water Act. Jeff has been leading Road Scholar programs since 2002. In his free time, Jeff enjoys biking to work, hiking, kayaking, outdoor photography and studying geology. | | | |
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