October 7: Today we depart by motor coach for our exciting nine days together. There will be pick up’s in Ogden and Salt Lake (locations to be determined once we know the make up of the group). We will travel scenic highway 40 to Vernal where we will have lunch followed by a session in the lovely Vernal Temple. Our late afternoon drive takes us into Steamboat Springs where we will spend the evening. D

October 8: The Rocky Mountains are lovely this time of year. We will travel through the Rockies into Littleton, Colorado today, arriving around lunchtime. We’ll have a meal in the cafeteria. In Colorado Springs, we’ll drive through the famous GARDEN OF THE GODS, with interesting red rock formations, views of Pike’s Peak and interesting plants and animals. Our hotel is in Pueblo tonight. B, L.  





                                                                                                              Garden of the Gods

October 9: We continue our journey today as we make our way across the border into New Mexico. We will arrive in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the early afternoon. We will check into our hotel, change clothing, and enjoy a lovely session at the beautiful Albuquerque Temple. After dark tonight, we’ll go to the launch area where we’ll enjoy the evening GLOWDEO at the Balloon Fiesta. This is where balloons of all shapes and sizes glow in the dark.  It really is an intriguing site to see. The night ends with an impressive fireworks display.  B

                                                                                                                         Balloon Festival

October 10: Today is Sunday. Those interested, will arise early and see the “Farewell Mass Ascension” where more than 700 balloons drift skyward. It is an amazing spectacle. We’ll then return to the hotel and change. We’ll attend sacrament meeting in Albuquerque. After lunch on your own in Old Town, we’ll spend the afternoon in nearby Santa Fe, just 45 minutes away. Upon arrival, a local guide will spend two hours with us to show us some very interesting things. You’ll then have an hour for browsing on your own.   Dinner is included on the main square in a fun setting. We then return to Albuquerque tonight. B, D

                                                                                                                                  Santa Fe

October 11: Today before leaving, we’ll take you to the top of the Sandia Mountain Tram with sweeping views of the whole area. We will then make our way west. About an hour from Albuquerque, we’ll make a stop at the interesting Acoma Pueblo. The pueblos are an important part of the history of the area and this one has been occupied for more than 1000 years. A local tribesman will show us around. Lunch is included while we are there. Our afternoon drive takes us into Snowflake, Arizona where we’ll spend the evening. B, L

October 12: Arizona now has three dedicated temples (or will have by the time we leave). We’ll enjoy sessions in two of them today. We’ll begin with a morning session in the Snowflake Temple (dedicated in 2000),  After our session and some time for lunch, we’ll take an afternoon drive to the town of Central, Arizona in the Gila Valley (just 3 hours away). The Gila Valley Temple dedication is scheduled for May, 2010. Dinner is included this evening. B, D

October 13: We are only a couple of hours from Mesa. We’ll arrive at the temple in time to have lunch together in the cafeteria followed by a session. After checking into our hotel and changing, there will be an optional Broadway show (schedule not yet announced) that we’ll have a chance to see tonight in Phoenix (details to come).   B

October 14: Today we begin to make our way home. We’ll go through Flagstaff (with an interesting stop in historic downtown).   We’ll then enjoy some time to relax, take in a DVD or two and enjoy the scenery as we cross back into southern Utah.  Our hotel is in Monticello. Dinner is included tonight. B, D

October 15: This morning we’ll enjoy our final temple session in the Monticello Temple, dedicated in 1998. We’ll then have lunch in Moab followed by our return drive to Salt Lake, arriving around 6:00 in the evening.   B

Note:   If you wish to participate in sessions at the different temples, you will need to bring your own temple clothing. If you bring them in their own case, we will store them under the bus in a separate bin so that it is easy to get to them each time we arrive at one of the temples. Several of these temples (like Snowflake, Vernal and Monticello) don’t have clothing for rent.