New Mexico Extreme Adventure (Sunday-Sunday)
Day 1, 2009 (Sunday)
• Mid day rendezvous with your Blue Sky Adventures tour guide
at the Albuquerque Sunport Airport.
• Lunch at Blake’s Lotta Burger, a tasty New Mexico tradition.
Try the green chile cheeseburger!
• Trip to the top of Sandia
Peak; a breath taking ride on
the world’s longest aerial
tramway to the 10,400 foot
mountain peak.
• Hike to the Kiwanis Cabin
atop the Sandia Mountains.
This 2 mile round trip hike
will take you along the ridge
of the Sandia Mountains and
offers spectacular views of the Rio Grande Valley for up to 100
miles!
• Check in to the beautiful Marriot Pyramid hotel in Albuquerque
(pool, hot tub, fitness center, game room) where the fun doesn’t
stop!
Day 2, 2009 (Monday)
• Hot, delicious, all
you can eat, full
breakfast buffet at
hotel!
• Head West to The
El Malpais
(Badlands) lava field.
After a stop at the
scenic overlook, you will hike into the lava field and get an up
close look at the hardened lava beds and tubes.
• Next stop La Ventana (The Window); a giant stone arch formed
by millions of years of natural erosion.
• Ever seen a frozen pond of ice in the middle of the desert??
For a real experience in contrast, we visit the Ice Cave and
Bandera Volcano, "The Land of Fire and Ice." Situated on the
Continental Divide you will walk through the twisted, old-growth
Juniper, Fir and Ponderosa Pine trees, over the ancient lava
trail to the Ice Cave. Here the natural layers of ice glisten
blue-green in the reflected rays of sunlight.
• Another trail winds around the side of the Bandera Volcano to
view one of the best examples of a volcanic eruption in the
country. From our perch along the continental divide, you will be
able to view over 20 ancient volcanic cinder cones!
• Are you ready to spelunk?! We will head to El Calderon for a
guided caving expedition through a lava tube!
Day 3, 2009 (Tuesday)
• Hot, delicious, all you can eat, full breakfast buffet at hotel!
• Depart for Tent Rocks National Monument in Pueblo de Cochiti.
Hike and climb a beautiful slot canyon with giant tee-pee shaped
rock formations. Savor the 50 mile views from atop the mesa.
• Mountain Biking Adventure
in Taos, New Mexico.
• Hold on tight as you bike
along the edge of the Rio
Grande Gorge.
• Return to Taos and check in
to the Kachina Lodge
• Free time to get cleaned up,
enjoy the pool/spa, and
other hotel amenities
• A walking tour of historic Taos, soul of the southwest and home
of Kit Carson, famous Indian fighter and guide
• Dinner at Michaels in Taos, New Mexico. It is “the” local spot in
Taos for good food!
Day 4, 2009 (Wednesday)
• Hot, delicious, all you can eat, full breakfast buffet at hotel!
•
Your rafting adventure begins early with a departure for the
Chama River. We will stop
along the way to view the
Rio Grande Gorge from the
nearly 1000 foot high
bridge!
• Arrive at the river and
begin the rafting
adventure! Between El
Vado and Abiquiu, the
Chama flows through a
magnificent sandstone canyon – New Mexico’s most spectacular
wilderness boating. This landscape, with its flat-topped
mountains and fantastic rock formations, was made famous by
the painter Georgia O'Keeffe, who lived in Abiquiu. The
current carries us past cliffs towering up to 1500 feet, striped
in vivid shades of pink, vermilion, and white, dotted with stands
of immense old-growth ponderosa pines. Lush cottonwood
groves feather the river’s edge, where deer and their fawns
come to drink. If you’re lucky, you’ll see even more of the
animals that live in this gorgeous wilderness: bears, elk,
cougars, beavers, wild turkeys, and bald eagles.
• Lunch along the banks of the Chama
• Swim, dive, and explore the Chama Canyon! After setting up
camp, there will be time for a guided hike of the Canyon; one of
the most beautiful sandstone canyons in the world!
• Gourmet dinner will be prepared by the rafting guides
• Camp in your tents under the stars! (all equipment will be
provided)
Day 5, 2009 (Thursday)
• Breakfast in camp before departing for more fun along the Rio
Chama!
• Conditions permitting, we will have the chance to experiment
with Funyaks! (inflatable kayaks)
• Lunch along the banks of the Rio Chama
• After lunch, we raft out of the canyon
• Depart for Albuquerque, New Mexico
•
Check in to the beautiful Marriot Pyramid hotel in Albuquerque
(pool, hot tub, fitness center, sauna, game room) where the fun
doesn’t stop!
• Delicious, all you can eat dinner!
Day 6, 2009 (Friday)
• Breakfast.
• Transportation to the Albuquerque Sunport for the plane ride
home. We’ll see you next year!
(note: An overnight mountain biking adventure can be added to this itinerary
in place of the West Rim gorge trip. This will add one night to the length of
the itinerary.)