Bienvenidos, or welcome to the Land of Enchantment, is a phase you are bound to hear as you arrive in one of the most amazing areas in the United States. Now is your chance to go on an amazing exploration as the St. Joseph Museum and Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, join together to offer an 8-day trip to New Mexico, August 5 through August 12. Dr. Jimmy Albright will be the escort for the trip, which will feature guided tours of the ancient Anasazi sites of Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Bandelier. The trip will also include the Rio Grande Gorge, Los Alamos, the Bradbury Science Museum, and Taos Pueblo.
Reservations are required with deposits are due by April 20 and the final payment is due on June 20.
Dr. Jimmy Albright has taught “Introduction to Archaeology” and “Mediterranean Archaeology” for thirty years at Missouri Western State University. He has excavated at Chaco Canyon and made regular trips to Israel to work on excavations there.
The gateway city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, will mark the beginning of the trip. From there, it’s on to Chaco Canyon National Historic Park, which is the site of the extensive ruins of the most magnificent architectural achievement of the northern American Indians. The social and ceremonial center of Anasazi culture, Chaco is remarkable for its multi-storied public and ceremonial buildings. They left cryptic petroglyphs, which are an intriguing legacy of a people whose disappearance 700 years ago is forever shrouded in mystery.
At Mesa Verde National Park, participants will have an unparalleled opportunity to see and experience the finest collection of preserved prehistoric dwellings in the United States. Then it’s on to points of interest in Santa Fe and Taos, including the Bandelier National Monument, which is best known for its mesas, sheer-walled canyons, and the ancestral Pueblo dwellings found among them. Next, group members will stop at Rio Grande Gorge for a photo op on the way to Los Alamos and the Bradbury Science Museum. At the Bradbury Science Museum visitors learn how scientists are using the latest technologies to deal with the complex challenges of today’s world, including issues of national security, energy, and transportation. Then it will be time to travel from Santa Fe to Albuquerque (following Route 66) for a visit to the Turquoise Museum and Old Town, the original center of Albuquerque. The trip will also feature a ride on the Sandia Peak Tram, the world’s longest free-span cable tramway. The 2.7 mile ride to the top takes visitors through four of the seven life zones found in North America. At the top of Sandia Peak, at an elevation of 10, 375 feet above sea level, lunch will be served at High Finance Restaurant with views of over 11,000 square miles.
The cost of the trip is $1,839 per person for double occupancy. The fee includes hotels for eight nights, the welcome and farewell dinners, breakfast each day, motor coach transportation, guide service, and all entry fees. Participants can book their own transportation to and from Albuquerque, New Mexico, or they can request that it be booked for them. To request a brochure on this unique opportunity to explore New Mexico, contact the St. Joseph Museum by e-mail at sjm@stjosephmuseum.org or call 816.232.8471.
Information provided by
Kathy Reno
St. Joseph Museums, Inc.
