Itinerary 9/22/2022 -> 10/4/2022
Day 1 to 3: Arrive in Las Vegas, NV Thursday September 22, 2022
We spent a couple of pre-tour days in Las Vegas & picked up a few shows (mostly Cirque du Soleil)
Day 4: Tour begins, Las Vegas, meet with travel companions and Orbridge Expedition Leader
Overnight: The Westin Las Vegas Hotel and Spa
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Overnight: The Westin Las Vegas Hotel and Spa
Day 5: Las Vegas / Death Valley National Park Sunday, September 25, 2022
Today head for Death Valley. It is famous for being the hottest, driest, and lowest national park. Many visitors expect to encounter a completely arid, shadeless expanse devoid of life. But this park of more than three million acres is a realm of surprise and contrast. During a full day of sightseeing, discover sculptural canyons, mountain-sized sand dunes, and abundant wildlife. From the snow that frosts the park's towering peaks to its lush wildflower meadows, there is much to see and explore in this beautiful, but challenging, landscape. Head 282 feet below sea level to the surreal terrain of Badwater Basin, the lowest place in North America. Rain and minerals dissolved from rocks drain to this lower elevation, and as the water evaporates, minerals concentrate until only thesalts remain. A short boardwalk leads you out to the salt flats and to Badwater Pool, a small body of water fed by a spring with aquatic insects and the Badwater snail. Visiting Badwater Basin provides a unique experience and a landscape that appears to stretch on forever. Later, gather for an evening stargazing program. Death Valley National Park is the world's Dark Sky Park. With these dark skies, gaze in awe at the expanse of the Milky Way, see details of the moon, and simply reflect on your place in the universe.
Overnight: The Inn at Death Valley
Day 6: Death Valley National ParkMonday, September 26, 2022
Delight in additional geologic and scenic treasures of Death Valley National Park. This may include the most popular scenicdrive in the park, a nine-mile paved road through eroded, colorful desert hills. The rainbow hills of Artists Drive were formed by volcanic deposits of different compositions. Additional potential highlights are discovering the immense area of rock salt eroded by wind and rain into jagged spires atDevils Golf Course, or taking in the famous view known as Zabriskie Point. Other options abound, including marveling at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, the largest dune field in the park. Here, polygon-cracked clay of an ancient lakebed forms the floor and mesquite trees have created large hummocks that provide stable habitats for wildlife. You might also step back in time at Keane Wonder Mine, one of the best examples of a historical gold mining operation in the park.
Overnight: The Inn at Death Valley
Day 7: Death Valley National Park / Mammoth Lakes Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Depart Death Valley for a scenic drive to Mammoth Lakes, a charming town in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. On the way, see the Manzanar National Historic Site for an opportunity to learn about the experience of more than 10,000 Japanese Americans who spent all or part of World War II there. Hear their stories and learn about the legacy of an important chapter in America's history.Mammoth Lakes is a gateway to some of the most majestic seasonal landforms and attractions. Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve was established to preserve the spectacular "tufa towers." These are calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by the interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. The tufa formations are notable for their unusual shapes and abundance. Extensively studied by scientists, they have aided in understanding the climate history of this region. The reserve also protects the lake surface, wetlands, and other sensitive habitat for the millions of birds that feedand rest at Mono Lake each year.
Overnight: The Village Lodge at Mammoth
Day 8: Mammoth Lakes / Yosemite National ParkWednesday, September 28, 2022
Exit Mammoth Lakes and head towards the waterfalls, granite monoliths, and ancient sequoias of Yosemite NationalPark. Along the way, drive over the spectacular Tioga Pass. This eastern access to Yosemiteprovides photo opportunities around nearly every curve of the road as the park's dramatic domes and drop-offs arehighlighted.
Overnight: Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite
Day 9: Yosemite National ParkThursday, September 29, 2022
Within Yosemite's nearly 1,200 square miles are wild meadows, rivers, lakes, and some of the world's most renowned rockformations. Did you know this diverse landscape supports more than 400 species of wildlife? Look around, and you'lllikely spy one of the park's many amphibians, reptiles, birds, or mammals. A true treat would be to spot the rare SierraNevada red fox, seen for the first time in nearly a century on a wildlife camera in 2014.Relish an entire day to soak in this park's natural beauty. Enjoy the open-air tram tour of the valley floor. Led by parkrangers and Yosemite hospitality naturalists, you'll learn about the history, flora, and fauna throughout the park.Lunch and afternoon activities are open for your leisure to enjoy. Work off the midday meal with a local hike, or take it easywith a complimentary program offered by the National Park Service.Tonight return to the hotel to relax and revisit your memories of the day.
Overnight: Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite
Day 10: Yosemite National Park / Sequoia and Kings Canyon National ParksFriday, September 30, 2022
From Yosemite National Park, adventure awaits in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. These parks, which lie side byside, further testify to nature's size, beauty, and diversity. The parks' long list of superlatives includes Mount Whitney, thehighest point in the contiguous United States, and the Kings River Canyon, one of the deepest in North America.Sequoia National Park was established in 1890 to protect the General Grant Grove of giant sequoias. Kings CanyonNational Park, established in 1940, is a wide glacial valley with green meadows, waterfalls, tall cliffs, and meandering riversset against the high peaks of the Sierra Crest in the distance.Explore the trails, scenery, and Visitor Center to take in the wonder. In Sequoia National Park, the Giant Forest harbors theworld's largest collection of sequoia trees. The biggest of them all, the General Sherman Tree, measures more than 100feet around the base of its massive trunk. Other trees are taller or wider, but none has the combined weight and width ofthis glorious one. How big is big? Consider this: every year it adds enough wood to make another 60-foot tree. Scientistshave speculated that it may more than 2,000 years old.Linger in these outstanding natural preserves and admire their amazing features. The two parks protect numerous karststreams and some of the best alpine karst topography in the United States. This CaliforniaFoothills ecosystem is the only one protected by the National Park Service.This evening, clear skies permitting, you may elect to stargaze on your own, observing the waning light beneath theSouthern Sierra Nevada mountains.
Overnight: Wuksachi Lodge
Day 11: MontereySaturday, October 1, 2022
After breakfast, drop folks going home at Fresno Airport, then travel through California's farmlands to the Pacific coastal town of Monterey. With vineyards, artist communities, lighthouses, quaint shops, and a world-renowned aquarium, the town is packed with culture, history, and charm. A wonderful diversity of marine life distinguishes this area, including sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, bat rays, kelp forests, pelicans, and dolphins.
Later, visit the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, a facility known for its interactive exhibits. At the impressive Open Sea section, the aquarium's largest display, see up-close tuna speeding past and sardines swarming in huge, glittering schools. Watch the sea turtles swim lazily across the 90-foot window, while nearby brilliant jellies pulse through the water. For 35 years, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has been instrumental in rescuing sea otters no longer able to survive in
the wild. Learn amazing facts about such wildlife, including, for instance, that sea otters have the world's densest fur, with up to a million hairs per square inch. Humans, by comparison, have 100,000 hairs or less on our whole heads!
Overnight: Victorian Inn
Day 12: Monterey / Cambria
Sunday, October 2, 2022
One of today's highlights includes traveling along the scenic 17-Mile Drive that hugs the Pacific coastline. View the iconic"Lone Cypress" rooted dramatically to a granite hillside, the beautiful white sand beach at Fanshell Overlook, SpanishBay's grassy shoreline, treacherous Point Joe, and Pebble Beach Golf Links.Continue down the Central Coast from Monterey to Moonstone Beach in Cambria. Along the Pacific Coast Highway,
stop to admire the panoramic vistas at iconic locations, including Bixby Creek Bridge and Big Sur.
Overnight: FogCatcher Inn
Day 13: Cambria / Santa Barbara
Monday, October 3, 2022
After breakfast, learn about the area's incredible elephant seals and visit the beaches they frequent to see them in person.
Elephant seals come ashore once a year and shed their first layer of skin and fur to replace with newones. This afternoon, relax and raise a glass to toast your California adventure with a wine tasting event. Experience the beautyand charm of Santa Barbara's wine country with a visit to Zaca Mesa. Just 25 miles from the Pacific Ocean, these vineyardssit in a sweet spot providing the ability to grow dynamic, balanced Rhône grapes, such as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, andViognier. From the aroma of the wines' bouquet to vistas of the beautiful San Rafael Mountains, this event engages thesenses and celebrates the distinct characteristics of the area.
Next, tour the Historic Old Mission in Santa Barbara, established in 1786 as the 10th of the 21 California Missions to befounded by the Spanish Franciscans. Situated on 15 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Mission grounds include thebeautiful church, historic cemetery and mausoleum, a nine-room museum of historical artwork and artifacts, and multiplelush gardens. Learn about the Chumash, a Native American tribe who occupied an area from Malibu to San Luis Obispo.Exceptionally restored and well maintained by the Franciscan monks still living here, the Mission provides guests bothbeauty and educational insights into the long history of this region of California.
Overnight: Best Western Plus Santa Barbara
Day 14: Depart Santa BarbaraTuesday, October 4, 2022
Santa Barbara Municipal Airport for flights home
