Tuesday, August 5 Kearney, NE
This morning we will be meeting the motor coach at our designated pick-up areas for our exciting Northern California & Oregon Coastline tour featuring the beautiful Columbia River. Today we will enjoy the rich farmland as we go through southwestern Minnesota and western Iowa. Our luncheon stop will be in Sioux City. This afternoon we'll be going through the beautiful city of Omaha, Nebraska on our way to Lincoln, the capital of Nebraska. As we drive Interstate 80 the road becomes the Great Platte River Road, which was the nation's thoroughfare to the west. Paying tribute to this bountiful history is the Great Platte River Archway Monument. This eight story structure spans the highway much like a bridge and traces the westward migration through murals and life-size figures. Our evening's stay is at the Country Inn & Suites in Kearney, Nebraska.
Wednesday, August 6 Rock Springs, WY
After breakfast, we will travel the wide, gentle rolling prairie of Nebraska leaving the cornfields of the Midwest as we enter into the grasslands & cattle country of the west. We are now traveling on the route once known as the Lincoln Highway. This roadway was the first to provide a direct coast-to-coast automobile route. As we travel into Wyoming, we will be getting a glimpse of the great Rocky Mountains on our way to our overnight stay in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Thursday, August 7 Wendover, NV
This morning we will have a short drive to the beautiful city of Salt Lake City, Utah, "The City of Saints". We will enjoy a brief tour of the capitol city and time to explore Temple Square, the home of the Mormons. Lunch today will be an included buffet. You will then go on a tour of the Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine which is the largest open pit mine in the world and provides 15 percent of the nation's copper needs. As we head west, the great Salt Lake comes into view. With the exception of the Dead Sea, the Great Salt Lake is the saltiest body of water on earth. We will take time for a picture stop and to dip your fingers into the salt water. We will be seeing many of the salt plants enroute. Our overnight stay will be over the border in Wendover, Nevada at the Rainbow Hotel.
Friday, August 8 Bishop, CA
This morning we have a two-hour drive to Ely, Nevada. You will have the opportunity to ride an 0ld-fashioned antique diesel locomotive. After the train ride you will have time to shop downtown Ely. This afternoon we will have a scenic drive to Tonopah, Nevada for our afternoon break. Late this afternoon we will cross into the Golden State of California for our overnight stay at the Best Western in Bishop, California.
Saturday, August 9 Hayward, CA
This morning we will enter Yosemite National Park. Glaciers transformed the rolling hills and meandering streams of Yosemite. Abraham Lincoln set aside this breath-taking scenic area to become a national park in 1864, home of the giant sequoias (redwood tree). For lunch we will have the opportunity to shop and browse in the Yosemite Village. As we leave the park we will travel west toward Oakland and San Francisco for our evening stay at the Hampton Inn in Hayward, California.
Sunday, August 10 Eureka, CA
This morning we will travel across the Oakland Bay Bridge to San Francisco Bay. We will pick up a step-on-guide for a short orientation about San Francisco. You will have a chance to ride the "world famous" trolley ride of the city. We will have a picture stop of the Golden Gate Bridge before we cross where we will get on Highway 101 towards Northern California. This afternoon our travels take us into giant towering redwood forests passing through the "Avenue of Giants" where we are dwarfed by trees that average from 500 to 700 years old. Our first stop will be at the "picturesque tree" where people drive their cars through the base of the tree. We will then make a stop at The Tree House south of Percy. Our evening's stay is at the Humbolt Bay Inn in Eureka, California in the heart of the lumber country.
Monday, August 11 Coos Bay, OR
Today we drive through Redwood National Park which boasts the tallest trees in the world, reaching 368 feet and up to 12 feet in diameter. We will be making a stop at Paul Bunyan and his Ox, named Babe's gift shop. We continue our scenic drive up the rugged coastline into Oregon. This afternoon we have planned a Rogue River Jet Boat Ride. The Rogue River Canyon abounds in a variety of wildlife including sea lions, bald eagles and more. This evening we will be staying in the resort area of Coos Bay.
Tuesday, August 12 Portland, OR
As we travel north you will be getting a glimpse of the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area . The Sand Dunes await us this morning for a thrilling ride on a giant dune buggy across the beautiful white sandy beaches of Oregon. The route clings to the coast as it goes north, sometimes tight roping high above the water and other times running right along the shore. We arrive in the scenic town of Newport, a quaint old town bay front nestled along beautiful Yaquina Bay, for our luncheon stop. You will get a chance during lunch to see the sea lions that are lying on the docks in town. This afternoon we travel our way to Portland, The City of Roses". One of the stops in the city will be the International Rose Test Gardens. In the golden age of riverboats, steamboats constantly crossed Portland's busy waterfront on their way up and down the Willamette and Columbia Rivers while steam whistles and calliopes rang out across the water: Our evening stay will be in the city of Portlandat the Country Inn & Suites.
Wednesday, August 13 Moses Lake, WA
Two hundred years ago the Lewis & Clark expedition ended with the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. Today we will travel up the Columbia River seeing sights as the Bonneville Dam & Lock, Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge as we glance off to the side to see Mt. Hood. We follow the Columbia River eastward toward The Dalles, where the overland route of the Oregon Trail ended. Dalles is one of the oldest inhabited locations in North America where Native Americans have gathered and traded for 10,000 years. Lewis and Clark camped here in October of 1805. This afternoon we will enter the state of Washington to the city of Kennewick, where the mighty Snake River enters into the Columbia River. Our overnight stay will be at the Best Western in Moses Lake, Washington.
Thursday, August 14 Whitefish, MT
This morning's scenic road takes us to the Grand Coulee Dam. We will be stopping in the Visitor Center where we will be showered with evidence of the dam's size. At 550 feet high and almost a mile across, it's one of the largest concrete structures in the world, containing enough concrete to build a 4-foot wide sidewalk twice around the equator. Spokane will be our luncheon stop today,. After lunch one more beautiful drive awaits us as we drive through the Coeur d' Alene. We will enter Montana working our way into the Rocky Mountains to the city of Whitefish for our evening stay at the Best Western.
Friday, August 15 Amtrak to Minot, ND
You will be having an early morning departure by Amtrak. This morning you will enjoy the sights of the southern part of Glacier National Park by train. Your luxury super liner will travel through Montana and North Dakota in coach class seating. You will depart from the train in Minot where our motor coach will transport us to our hotel, the Best Western in Minot, North Dakota.
Saturday, August 16 Home
We will depart this morning after breakfast to board our motor coach for our
final leg of our Northern California and Oregon
Coastline
adventure back to Minnesota.
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