Tour Dates:
8/8/2019
Days/Nights:
12 Days, 11 Nights
Tour Director:
Sam W.
Cost Per Person:
$2,528.00 Double
$2,995.00 Single
$2,150.00 Triple
Pickup Cities:
Arlington - Quality Inn Highlands
Dallas - Hilton Garden Inn
Dan Dipert Coaches
Tour Highlights
Itinerary
This classic
favorite includes Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton Village, Badlands
National Park, Mt. Rushmore, and Crazy Horse Monument.
DAY 1 – Charles Goodnight Tour
Our awaited
adventure begins with the 1887 Victorian-style home of Charles Goodnight,
“the Father of the Panhandle”. View the countryside grazing bison heard from
the second floor sleeping porch.
(A) Overnight: Amarillo, TX
DAY 2 – Garden of the Gods
Today we see the stunning and unique
views of red rock formations in the Garden of the Gods State Park. At the Nature Center,
discover the geology, ecology, and the cultural history of the park through
hands-on interactive exhibits.
(B,A) Overnight: Colorado Springs, CO
DAY 3 – Sceneric Route
Take some
time to get better acquainted with your fellow tour passengers as we travel
through the United States Plains. Stop
in the Mile High City, Denver, to partake in local attractions, frequent the
shops, or grab a bit to eat. End the day at the hotel, enjoying conversation with
friends, over dinner provided by Old Chicago.
(B,D) Overnight: Rock Springs, WY
DAY 4 –Cowboy Country Distilling /
Jackson Hole
Our journey continues with a private
tour of Cowboy Country Distilling,
where we learn how each bottle of their handmade spirits are distilled
and bottled. Then it’s off to Jackson Hole for an afternoon of free time to explore,
relax or partake in shopping that is only unique to the area.
(B) Overnight: Jackson, WY
DAYS 5 & 6 – River Tour / Grand
Teton Village / Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
here we come, but
first, a trip down Snake River!
There’s no better way to enjoy the scenic area
than on a gentle raft float along
smooth waters with an experienced boatman as our guide. Close by is the Grand
Teton Village, offering a
variety of eateries and tourist shops. Our
guided tour of Yellowstone National Park provides a look at marvelous sights –
a waterfall almost twice as high as Niagara, river canyons, mountain lakes and
the world-famous geyser, Old
Faithful, and hopefully some great wildlife.
Day 5 (B,D); Day 6 (B,L) Overnights:
Yellowstone National Park, WY
DAY 7 – Yellowstone East Gate / Cody,
WY
We’ll have more time to take photos,
as we leave Yellowstone through the scenic East Gate. Before
reaching our final destination for the day, we’ll stop in the town of Cody, WY; named after American scout,
bison hunter, and showman Colonel William Frederick "Buffalo Bill"
Cody. Th
e Buffalo Bill Center of the West has 5 museums.
These include the Buffalo Bill Museum, tracing William F. Cody’s life with
multimedia displays, and the Draper Natural History Museum, with wildlife
exhibits. Nearby, Old Trail Town is a re-created frontier town with 1800s log cabins
and a saloon.
(B,D) Overnight: Sheridan, WY
DAYS 8 & 9 –
Crazy Horse Monument
/ Norwegian Chapel in the Hills / Mt.
Rushmore
Our two-night stay in Rapid City takes
us to the Crazy Horse Monument,
a work in progress depicting an Oglala Lakota warrior, soon to be riding a
horse and pointing into the distance; the Norwegian Chapel in the Hills,
which is an
exact replica of the Borgund stave church in Norway.
Also,
our late-afternoon visit to Mount Rushmore National Monument, leads us
into a spectacular Lighting Ceremony, where the four carved presidents’ faces
are illuminated in the dark of night.
Day
8 (B); Day 9 (B) Overnights: Rapid City, South Dakota
DAY 10 – Wall Drug Store / Badlands National Park Loop
Our trip would not be complete without
a stop at the infamous Wall Drug Store,
offering dining, activities, souvenirs, and of course, the free ice water that
has been refreshing road-worn travelers for over 80 years. We’ll then see the stark beauty of the Badlands
National Park, recognized by President Roosevelt as a national
monument in 1939.
(B,D) Overnight: North Platte,
Nebraska
DAYS 11 & 12 – Great Platte River
Road Archway / Homeward Bound
Continuing our drive across the
magnificent plains of Nebraska, stopping along the way at the Great
Platte River Road Archway, representing the gateway to the West. Our
travels takes us to Wichita, KS. Enjoy an evening stroll along the Arkansas River,
visit the two area parks, or just enjoy the night relaxing in the hotel, for
tomorrow, we head home.
Day 11 (B,A) Overnight: Wichita,
Kansas; Day 12 (B)