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Itinerary
DAY 1, Sunday, May 18, 2008:
Arrive at the Cortez,
CO airport by 4 pm.
Pick up by FCS in
vans and visit Notah Dineh Trading Company on our way to the Holiday
Inn Express in Cortez, CO.
Dinner and trip
orientation.
DAY 2, Monday, May 19, 2008:
Spend the day
exploring Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde is Spanish for “green
table”, and raises high above the surrounding country. For 750
years, the Ancestral Puebloans occupied the area within the park. From
the hundreds of dwellings that remain, archaeologists have compiled one
of the most significant
chapters in the story of prehistoric America.
Visit Cliff House,
Spruce Tree House, and others.
Stay at the Holiday
Inn Express in Cortez, CO.
DAY 3, Tuesday, May 20, 2008:
Today we will hike in
the Ute Mountain Tribal Park, just as spectacular as Mesa Verde, but
without the crowds. The relatively unknown Mancos Canyon is an
archaeological gold mine containing more than 20,000 Ancestral Puebloan
(Anasazi) archaeological sites and immense quantities of artifacts,
cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, solstice sties and towers—800 to 1,300
years old. There will be several hikes to sites which will be from 1 to
3 miles.
Travel to Monticello
and stay at the Days Inn.
DAY 4, Wednesday, May 21, 2008:
Depart early morning
for a full day hiking in Grand Gulch Primitive Area on Cedar Mesa to
see the “Big Man Panel”. The 8-mile round trip hike will zig-zag down
the cliffs and follow the wash to a panel of large anthropomorphs
located high above the canyon floor. This panel is well worth the
effort to find.
Spend the night in
Monticello at the Days Inn.
DAY 5, Thursday, May 22, 2008:
Today we will visit
Natural Bridges National Monument. Natural Bridges protects some of the
finest examples of ancient stone architecture in the southwest. Located
on a tree-covered mesa cut by deep sandstone canyons, three natural
bridges formed where meandering streams eroded the canyon walls. The
bridges are named Kachina, Owachomo and Sipapu. We will spend the day
hiking to and viewing all three bridges a total of 8 miles.
Overnight at the Days
Inn.
DAY 6, Friday, May 23, 2008:
Travel to the Needles
District of Canyonlands National Park and spend the day hiking into
Chesler Park, a wonderland of hoodoos and other redrock formations, a
distance of 8 miles.
Travel to Cortez, CO
for a celebratory dinner and spend the night at the Holiday Inn
Express.
DAY 7, Saturday, May 24, 2008:
After breakfast drive
to the Cortez, CO, airport for departures scheduled after 10:00am.
For more information and to sign up contact Lalita Malik, 61 Patrick
Drive, LaGrangeville, NY 12540, (845)592-0204; LalitaMalik@aol.com
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