Sunday, 3/13/2011 - Arrive in Death Valley
A place of unexpected contrasts, this valley of sand dunes and salt has an abundance of natural wonders that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. We’ll explore the wealth of geological phenomena this vast area has to offer at a delightful time of year, while staying within a lush oasis. On board throughout this tour is geographer, Dennis Napier, who from the beginning of the tour will begin to educate on the areas we are passing through and our destination, Death Valley. Dennis is a former professor of geography at Long Beach City College and his extensive knowledge and diverse background will makeyour journey an enlightening one. Following a morning departure from our departure points and a continental breakfast onboard, we’ll make a stop for lunch before arriving in the Valley in the late afternoon. Check into the Furnace Creek Ranch, our accommodations for the next two nights. The Ranch offers a spring-fed swimming pool and tennis courts and is situated in a lush oasis surrounded by the vast and arid desert. The Ranch, which takes you back to the early West, has been an operating business since 1881 and was the original home of the now famous Borax 20-mule teams.

Monday, 3/14/2011 - Upper Death Valley
Enjoy an included breakfast buffet this morning – the perfect fuel for our day of touring castles and craters in Upper Death Valley. This morning our geologist guide will provide commentary on local and regional history, geology, legends and wildlife as we tour Death Valley National Park. Today, visit the castle of the desert and learn of the Valley’s greatest legend – “Death Valley Scotty”. On a 1939 living history tour of Scotty’s Castle, you’ll learn how and why this shady cowboy that came to build a castle in the middle of Death Valley. This afternoon, we’ll visit Ubehebe Crater. Around 6,000 years ago a powerful volcanic explosion created a crater a half mile in diameter and more than 500 feet deep. Ubehebe Crater is the largest in a series of craters found in the area. An included box lunch will be provided during our excursion today. Our late afternoon arrival back at the Ranch will provide time for you to visit the National Park Visitor Center, enjoy the sunset from the Furnace Creek Inn relax at your leisure at the Ranch. This evening, an included dinner at the Wrangler Restaurant at the Ranch.

Tuesday, 3/15/2011 - ,b> Lower Death Valley
After an included breakfast buffet, we join our guide and tour Lower Death Valley. Visit Harmony Borax Works and learn how Borax was discovered in this area, how 20-mule teams transported it and what importance Borax still has to the world today. See the incredible landscape at Devil’s Golf Course and the lowest point in the western hemisphere – Badwater. Prior to leaving the park, we’ll take in the views of Manley Beacon from Zabriskie Point. Our afternoon departure from Death Valley will return us to Southern California and our drop-off points in the evening. While we will have left the Valley, its flamboyant coloring, geological phenomena and peaceful serenity will remain in our memories forever.