Featuring first-class service on the Durango and Silverton Railroad.
• 2 nights at the Zermatt resort
• Lunch at Robert Redford’s Sundance Resort
• Visit the Colorado mountain towns of Durango and Ouray
• Explore Dinosaur National Monument
• Round trip air to Albuquerque/from Salt Lake City
• Door-to-door airport transportation
• 12 meals: 7 full breakfasts, 4 lunches,1 dinner
• Tour Director: Scott Angeletti
• 3050/3400 Gold Passport Points
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Day 1
Depart Sacramento this morning for Albuquerque. Lunch is hosted en route to Durango. Located in the southwest corner of Colorado near the Four Corners area, Durango is nestled in the Animas River Valley and surrounded by the San Juan Mountains. Your accommodations are on the banks of the beautiful Animas River.
- Doubletree Hotel – 2 nights
- Lunch is included this day.
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Day 2
Take a docent-guided walking tour of the historic district, home to award-winning restaurants, art galleries and eclectic shops. You will enjoy ample time to wander around town before gathering at the train station museum for a private wine and cheese reception with the curator,followed by free time to explore the museum. The 12,000 square foot museum houses an impressive variety of exhibits including an 800-square foot model railroad depicting the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad as it operated in the 1950s. There are also exhibits galore for railroading buffs with large selections of railroad tools, displays, photographs, paintings and a 1916 American La France fire engine. The evening is at your leisure.
- Full breakfast is included this day.
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Day 3
The route to Silverton aboard the Durango & Silverton arrow Gauge Railroad creates an unforgettable journey along the spectacular Animas River. The route boasts some of Colorado’s most striking canyon scenery. You will be traveling first class, enjoying oversized seats that offer extra legroom in a glass-roofed observation car, offering unparalleled overhead views of the soaring canyon walls. Free time is planned in Silverton, a former silver mining camp, now a designated National Historic Landmark District. Overnight in Ouray, a small intimate community nestled in some of the most rugged and towering peaks of the Rockies. Set at the narrow head of a valley and surrounded on three sides with 13,000 foot snowcapped peaks, Ouray has been eloquently nicknamed the “Switzerland of America.” Remarkably, two-thirds of the original Victorian structures,
both private and commercial,are still occupied, and have
been lovingly restored in order to preserve their turn -of-the century charm.- Ouray Chalet Inn
- Full breakfast is included this day.
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Day 4
Historically, Palisade peaches have been famous for their quality, flavor and sweetness for over 100 years. There are famous stories about these delicious fruits being served at the White House, on Cunard ocean liners, and at Buckingham Palace. In 2009, Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia spent time visiting and touring High Country Orchards.
Follow in their footsteps and learn all about the special micro climate which makes these unique gifts of nature possible.Afterwards, get up close and personal to an alpaca at a nearby ranch! After lunch check into your Victorian style hotel, a gem nestled within 20 acres of vineyards. Take a seat on the porch with wicker furniture and rocking chairs for superior views of the mountains, orchards, and vineyards.- Wine Country Inn
- Full breakfast and dinner are included this day.
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Day 5
Vernal is a special place in Utah and in the western United States. So much time is revealed here. Within an 80-mile radius, evidence of the entire Earth’s history is visible. At its center is the Utah Field House of Natural History which sits amidst some of the most spectacular geologic and paleontologic resources on earth. This vast wealth draws scientists from all over the world for research and collection. After your docent guided tour, check into your hotel for the evening.
- Landmark Inn and Suites
- Full breakfast and lunch are included this day.
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Day 6
Dinosaur National Monument’s Cliff Face inside the brand new Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center is scheduled to open in October 2011.There you will discover some 1,500 dinosaur bones embedded in the side of a mountain. The prehistoric animals once roamed in great numbers here,their stories captured in the rock around you.Drive the scenic Tour of the Tilted Rocks, which features petroglyph and pictograph panels, along with excellent views of geologic features, formations and the Green River.This afternoon travel to the Zermatt Resort in Midway, Utah.The resort lies at the base of the 13,000 foot high Wasatch Mountains named after the open flat valley at the base of the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland. The resort is known for award-winning dining and luxurious spa treatments amid an atmosphere of a charming Swiss alpine village complete with a European bakery, indoor-outdoor swimming and geothermal hot pots.
- Zermatt Resort – 2 nights
- Full breakfast and lunch are included this day.
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Day 7
Enjoy the fall foliage as we drive through colorful Provo Canyon. Lunch is hosted at Robert Redford’s Sundance resort. The resort itself stands at the base of Utah’s 12,000-foot Mount Timpanogos. Take a scenic lift ride for a truly memorable experience that offers a panoramic view of the mountains as you glide to the top of Ray’s Summit.Venture off on a designated trail or just sit and enjoy the mountain’s tranquil beauty. The afternoon is at your leisure so you may enjoy all the amenities of the spectacular Zermatt Resort.
- Full breakfast and lunch are included this day.
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Day 8
Stop in nearby Park City, which was put on the world map as one of Utah’s host cities for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. During the height of its mining history, the mountains surrounding Park City yielded $400 million in silver and created 23 millionaires. Today Park City is a unique blend of the old and new. Many buildings along the town’s Main Street are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Take some time to explore the many shops and have lunch at your leisure before heading to Salt Lake City and your afternoon flight to Sacramento.
- Full breakfast is included this day.
A Small Town Christmas
If you enjoy wonderful dining and nostalgic Christmas experiences then this is the trip for you! Discover the lights of Christmas tree lane at night, an old fashioned community parade where everyone comes out to watch, and small towns that have Main Streets decorated for Santa. And did we mention dining… at several of the Valley’s best restaurants? And there will be time for picking up a few unique gifts too in the shops along the main streets of the valley’s finest communities.
All Around California by Rail
Explore the Golden State by scenic rail adventure! Featuring four trips by train including a stretch of the Coast Starlight route by private railcar, SuperCoach III follows you throughout the tour so no need to worry about getting your luggage on or off the train! Limited to 32 passengers.
An Evening with Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is a force of nature – one of the hardest working celebrities in the world. She has enjoyed an illustrious career spanning more than four decades in the entertainment industry and beyond, and as her recent accomplishments reveal, she’s as robust and hardworking as ever. Joan is an internationally renowned comedienne, Emmy Award-winning television talk-show host, Tony Award-nominated actress, bestselling author, playwright, screenwriter, film director, columnist, lecturer, syndicated radio host, and red-carpet fashion laureate. Above all things, however, Joan is a proud mother and grandmother.
8 Days · 12 Meals
Your trip includes all accommodations, airfare from Sacramento*, all listed activities and the services of a Sports Leisure Tour Director
*If applicable. Not traveling from Sacramento? Not a problem, just give us a call.
(916) 361 - 2051
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