vs BYU National Parks Trailblazer Tour October 7 th -17 th, 2018 10nts/11days from: $2895 double $3595 single Reserve by May 15 th -Save $50 per person The BYU-Hawaii football series has spanned 2,997 miles, seven decades, four-time zones, one ocean and several threats to halt the rivalry. There have been several memorable games, most notable Hawaii s lopsided win in 2001, a 72-45 rout, before an Aloha Stadium sellout crowd of 50,000 and a national audience on ESPN2. The series began in 1930 when BYU made a December visit to the Islands. The result: a 49-13 drubbing by Hawaii and the start of a long relationship. While the two played only four times over the next 47 years, the rivalry became a nearly annual affair starting in 1978, the year before Hawaii joined the Western Athletic Conference. Last November, the Cougars pulled off a win here at Aloha Stadium and this year we are ready to return the favor, a Rainbow Warriors victory at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Come, join the BYU Trailblazer Tour that begins with 2 nights in Las Vegas. From there we are off on a motor coach tour with visits to 1 state park, Valley of Fire State Park and 5 national parks, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capital Reef National Park & the Great Basin National Park. After our 2 nights in Provo, an overnight in the City of Ely, Nevada, founded in the 1870 s as a trading post. We end our tour with 2 nights in Las Vegas so that you can enjoy all that this 9 th island provides. Our driver/guide, Richard Slensker will be a familiar face to those who have traveled along with us on UH- Colorado game tours. Itinerary/Details Day 1 October 7 th, Sunday Depart from Honolulu Hawaiian Airlines #6 Departs Honolulu 7:50 am Arrive Las Vegas 4:40 pm Check-in begins a minimum of 2 hours prior to the flight departure time. Please meet your Panda Travel representatives at the Hawaiian Airlines Terminal, Lobby 1, Mauka Side.
On arrival, we will bus over to the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino where you will have 2 nights on your own to enjoy Vegas! After breakfast, enjoy a complete free day! Day 2 October 8 th, Monday Las Vegas Day 3 October 9 th, Tuesday Las Vegas Grand Canyon Area (B/L/D) After breakfast, please meet your Panda Travel escort in the lobby at the designated time. Grab your walking shoes and welcome aboard as we depart Las Vegas for a geologic wonderland, worldrenowned Valley of Fire with 2,000-year-old petroglyphs carved into massive red sandstone formations in the Mohave Desert. These stunning and unique sandstone formations were formed from shifting sand dunes 150 million years ago. The day concludes with a visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon before we bunk down for the evening. Established in 1935, the Valley of Fire State Park encompasses approximately 42,000 acres of exotic and spectacular scenery. As you walk along the red sandstone formations, look for the Arch Rock, Piano Rock, and the Three Sisters, whose recognizable forms have been the backdrop for many a western movie. From here, off to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, less developed than the South Rim as it is further away from major tourist centers, but it s just as beautiful! Because of its higher elevation, temperatures at the North Rim average about 10 degrees colder than the south. The rugged North Rim also offers different wildlife and vegetation, and thanks to its wider range of vegetation, autumn is an especially beautiful time to visit. There are many breathtaking viewpoints on the North Rim. North Rim views typically demonstrate the width of the Grand Canyon, while the views at the South Rim highlight the Canyon s depth. From here we make our way to our hotel for the evening, Jacob Lake Inn, family owned and operated since founded by Harold and Nina Bowman in 1923. The third and fourth generation of the family continue the tradition. Enjoy comfortable lodging, beautiful mountain scenery, Native American art, delicious food, and their famous bakery. Accommodations: Jacob Lake Inn- WIFI is not available Day 4 October 10 th, Wednesday Grand Canyon Area-Bryce Area (B/D) Rise and shine, beauty awaits! After breakfast at our hotel, please meet in the lobby at the designated time. The morning begins at Utah s first National Park, Zion National Park, where you will have the opportunity to see and follow the paths that native and pioneer people once walked. The sandstone cliffs of pink, cream and red create a picturesque scenery soon not to be forgotten. Also, on tap for the day is a place like no
other, Bryce Canyon National Park. Hoodoos (odd-shaped pillars of rock left standing from the forces of erosion) can be found on every continent, but here is the largest collection of hoodoos in the world. Lunch is on your own today when we take a break at the lodge, but we will reconvene for a group dinner to share our favorite moments of the day. It is believed the first people to explore what is now Zion National Park entered the canyon looking for food. Thousands of years later more than 4 million people come from around the world to feed more than their bodies. Most visitors today come to nourish their souls with the sight of the verdant valleys and vermillion cliffs of Zion, one of the most visited national parks in the United States. The real spirit of Zion is its subtle wonders. Marvel at delicate flowers growing in the cracks of Utah s famous red sandstone. Ponder the striations and funky patterns on the sandstone in places like Checkerboard Mesa. Life is all around. Watch for mule deer walking through the cottonwood trees along the Virgin River and try to figure out how they came about their name. Study the photo-worthy sandstone mesa country on the east side of the park and you may see moving rocks, also known as bighorn sheep. Keep an eye to the skies for winged wonder like California condors, peregrine falcon, and other raptors. Songbirds are common along the Virgin River and wild turkeys are often spotted walking in Zion Canyon. Some birds are rarely spotted, but their presence is often known. Take the distinctive descending whistle call of the canyon wren. Few bird songs symbolize the canyon country of southern Utah so well. Onto Bryce Canyon National Park. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon, but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. There is no place like Bryce Canyon. Hoodoos (odd-shaped pillars of rock left standing from the forces of erosion) can be found on every continent, but here is the largest collection of hoodoos in the world! Descriptions fail. Photographs do not do it justice. Bring your sense of wonder and imagination when visiting. Accommodation for the evening are at Ruby s Inn at Bryce Canyon, lodging and a destination in and of itself. Enjoy time exploring their gift shop and general store, the largest of its kind in the Bryce Canyon area. They boast an impressive selection of authentic Southwestern Indian arts and crafts including jewelry, pottery, and weavings. At the general store, besides groceries you can also find camping gear, clothing, shoes and more. Be sure you check out the Rock Shop featuring rocks, fossils, minerals, and petrified wood. Accommodations: Best Western Ruby s Inn- Day 5 October 11 th, Thursday Bryce Area-Torrey (B/L/D) After breakfast, please meet up as we are off to visit our 4 th national park, a tour of Capital Reef National Park. Located in south-central Utah, the heart of red rock country, the park is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes and bridges in the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline (a wrinkle on the earth) extending almost 100 miles. No worries, you won t be walking those miles. The area of Capitol Reef has been a homeland to people for thousands of years. Archaic hunters and gatherers migrated through the canyons. Fremont Culture solidified around 500 CE, from food foraging groups, to farmers of corn, beans, and squash. Petroglyphs etched in rock walls and painted pictographs remain as sacred remnants of the ancient Indians' saga. Explorers, Mormon pioneers, and others arrived in the
Dinner, rest, and relaxation is on tap as we end the day in nearby Torrey at the Days Inn Torrey Capital Reef. Accommodations: Days Inn Torrey Capital Reef- Day 6 October 12 th, Friday Torrey-Salt Lake City-Provo (B/L) After breakfast, please meet your escort as we make our way to Provo via Salt Lake City. Due to its proximity to the Great Salt Lake, the city was originally named "Great Salt Lake City"; however, the word "great" was dropped from the official name in 1868 by the 17 th Utah Territorial Legislature. Today s travels will take us through the 2002 host of the Winter Olympics as we stop for lunch and a guided city tour of Salt Lake City before we finish the day in Provo, your home for the next two evenings. Now, off to Provo and our hotel for the next two nights, Marriott Provo, in the heart of downtown Provo. After check-in the remainder of the evening is free. Accommodations: Marriott Provo- Day 7 October 13 th, Football Saturday Provo (B) After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy free time until we are ready for the short bus ride to LaVell Edwards Stadium. More details will be made available as we get closer to the date and the game time is announced. After the game we will return to our hotel and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. Accommodations: Marriott Provo- Day 8 October 14 th, Sunday Provo -Ely (B/L/D) After breakfast, please meet your escort in the lobby at the designated time as we slowly make our way back to Las Vegas. It will be a semi-early start as we head west for the frontier town of Ely, NV. Home of one of the last steam shops with a taste of the old west, step back in time for the afternoon. Along the way we will visit our fifth and final national park on tour, Great Basin National Park. The park s namesake, the Great Basin, measures roughly 200,000 square miles and is home to over 800 species of plants and 61 species of mammals. This mystifying area drains internally, with no streams, creeks or rivers reaching either the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. Established in 1986, the park is known for its beautiful high mountain terrain, which is dotted here and there with cascading mountain streams, mountain lakes and bristlecone pine trees over 4,000 years old. Filled with fabulous natural treasures, from spectacular alpine lakes to limestone caverns and even a small glacier, a perfect ending to our national parks tour.
From here, off to the frontier town of Ely, Nevada, founded in the 1870 s as a trading post. In the days of the pony express, Ely grew as a stop on the stagecoach run nestled between Utah s Wasatch Mountains and the Sierra Nevada range. Some of Ely s attractions include the McGill Drugstore Museum where products half a century old still sit on the shelves. A soda fountain with stools brings back the good old days while a soda jerk awaits you at the counter. There are also working steam and diesel locomotives complete with cabooses which you can learn to operate yourself on the Nevada Northern Railway. A visit the White Pine Public Museum where you can view the 300 types of locally mined minerals and rocks, a historic Hesselgesser doll collection, and more. Maybe, just some gambling time, there s a casino at the Ramada Inn, just a couple of blocks from our hotel. Accommodations: La Quinta Inn & Suites Ely- Day 9 October 15 th, Monday Ely-Las Vegas (B) After breakfast, we are off to Las Vegas for our last two nights on tour. On the ride back enjoy time to reminisce on our travels over the last few days and the places we visited. Hopefully you will be armed with plenty of photos for your scrapbook and have made all your Facebook friends envious that they missed this adventure with you. On arrival in Las Vegas, accommodations are once again at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino. After check-in the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. Day 10 October 16 th, Tuesday Las Vegas-Honolulu (B) After breakfast, a complete free day until we meet up later this evening for the flight home. Your room is available to you all day until the meeting time later this evening. Day 11 October 17 th, Tuesday Las Vegas-Honolulu (B) Hawaiian Airlines #17 Departs Las Vegas 1:50 am Arrive Honolulu 5:10 am