Nine States in Twenty Days
MISSOURI / IOWA / NEBRASKA / KANSAS
COLORADO / UTAH / NEVADA
ARIZONA / CALIFORNIA
With a Peek at Old Mexico
14 June 2000
to
3 July 2000
SPECIAL TOUR FOR SEVEN GREAT DANES:
LOTTE & MOGENS BAASTRUP, LOUISE & MARIE
ELSEBETH NIELSEN
BIRGIT & SVEN OLE DEN STORE
DICK ANDERSEN, Escort
The Great American Tour for The Great Dane Tour Group
Itinerary & Routing
Day 1, 14 June, Wednesday…Arrival at KCI, Kansas City, Missouri, on Northwest #1725 from Detroit; 4:20 PM. Drive to dinner and overnight. Women /girls will stay with Ellen Andersen. Men are to stay in a motel.
Day 2, 15 June, Thursday…Sightseeing van tour of Kansas City with a visit to the new Science City Exhibition at Union Station. See downtown, ascend to top of City Hall, check out “Arabia” riverboat, take a look at river boat gambling. Alternative is to take Grey Line tour. Lunch on tour/ box lunch. Sorry, Starlight Theatre does not open for summer until end of June. Kansas City celebrates its 150th birthday 3 June 2000…so there will be signs of celebration all over town.
Day 3, Day 16 June, Friday…Rise very early . Take I-29 north, then east on I-80 for morning visit to the Iowa Danish Villages. See Exira, Lois’ birthplace, then visit Danish Immigration Museum and Windmill from Nørre Snede. Drive to DeSoto Bend via I-80 and US 30 to see exhibit, then on to Dana College,
Blair, Nebraska, for brief visit; pass through Omaha. Take US 75 south to
Nebraska City and Rte 2 eastward to I-29. (Note travel to Exira takes about four hours, as well as return. We leave early, return late. Possibility of seeing Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha or Boy’s Town depending on group’s durability.
Day 4, 17 June, Saturday…Visit Independence, Mo, to see home of Harry S. Truman, the Truman Library and Museum, RLDS sites, and a very Victorian mansion and other interesting sites there. Lunch on tour/ box lunch? Drive through Swope Park, one of the largest city-owned parks in the nation. Depending on weather, we could reverse Saturday with Friday.
Day 5, 18 June, Sunday…Worship at Westwood Lutheran Church (the only Danish-founded Lutheran congregation in Kansas City)…Dick’s 40th anniversary of ordination. Reception for Danish guests after worship. Visit Country Club Plaza for lunch, ride on the boats on Brush Creek. Make a brief visit to the world-class William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art (and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts). Home for barbecue. Prepare to leave on cross-country tour.
Day 6, 19 June, Monday…Drive westward on I-70 to Abilene, Kansas, to see Eisenhower Library. Spend night in Burlington, Colorado (or Denver, if possible). We pass by Lawrence, the site of the University of Kansas; Topeka, the capital of Kansas; and Manhattan, site of Kansas State University. The hills of Missouri and Eastern Kansas flatten out to the Great Plains. This is wheat country. Cattle ranches abound the further West we travel. Some of the area will look like Denmark, but the scenery will soon change dramatically. This day is largely a “driving day.”
Day 7, 20 June, Tuesday…, Drive through Denver. Although there is much to see in Denver, in order to see the National Parks, we press on. We go West on I-70 to Utah ,(this is Mormon country) then South on I-15 to Sevier and South on US 89, left at to Route 12 to visit Bryce Canyon National Park., then return over same route to US 89 to Rte 14. Spend the night in Cedar City before seeing Zion National Parks. At Denver, we meet the Rocky Mountains, and begin a journey through rugged mountains and valleys. Lunch, brief shopping at famous ski resort of Vail is possible.
Day 8, 21 June, Wednesday… (Day 9, 22 June, Thursday) Proceed Southwestward on I-15. It is possible to visit Betty Lindsey at an archeological dig at Little Creek Mesa between Hurricane City and Colorado City, AZ. Return to I-15 to Las Vegas for a good visit to city’s attractions…all the theme park hotels, etc. Stay at MGM Grand. Boulder Dam and Lake Mead National Recreational Area. If desired, we can stay second night in Las Vegas and delete day 18.
Day 9, 22 June, Thursday… (Day 10, 23 June, Friday) Four-hour Drive to Grand Canyon on US 93 to Kingman, then I-40 to Williams and North on 64/180 to Grand Canyon. Spend greater share of day visiting Grand Canyon. Go East Rte 64 to US 89, South to Flagstaff. Overnight in Flagstaff or nearest motel. (Travel southward on US I-17.)
Day 10, 23 June, day, Friday… (Day 11, 24 June, Saturday) Drive South on 89A through Sedona and the famous Red Rocks Region , then on Rte 179 to Rimrock and Montezuma’s Well and Montezuma’s Castle. Travel South on I-17 via to Phoenix, (see Community Church of Joy, Glendale) then on I-10 through Tucson to Sierra Vista. Mogens family is to be in a casita; rest at Andersen’s Amalienborg West.
Day 11, 24 June… Saturday, (Day 12, 25 June, Sunday) Visit old silver mining town of Tombstone, and copper mining town of Bisbee. Swim in Winterhaven pool or visit Buffalo Soldier’s Museum at Fort Huachuca. Relax in the Arizona sun. (This day is switched with next day, if we use alternate
dates.)
Day 12, 25 June… Sunday, (Day 13, 26 June, Monday) Worship at early service at Sierra Lutheran Church, then go to Tucson for barbecue with Kris and Greg. See some sights around the “Old Pueblo” such as Mission San Xavier del Bac (“the White Dove of the Desert” founded by Spanish missionaries in Eighteenth Century. Then back to Sierra Vista.
Day 13, 26 June… Monday, (Day 14, 27 June, Tuesday) Travel to Nogales, Old Mexico, and then North to Tumacacori (Spanish Mission) and Tubac (Spanish Presidio) with lunch at a fine Mexican restaurant. Perhaps drop by Elgin if any interest to see Arizona’s vineyards and winery area. (This itinerary is switched with next day, if we use alternate suggestion.)
Day 14, 27 June… Tuesday, (Day 15, 28 June, Wednesday) Visit newly opened Kartchner Caverns (9:20 AM tour), becoming the first group of Danes to visit this newly opened cavern. You choose afternoon sites in Tucson to see: Desert (outdoor) Museum, Biosphere and/or Old Tucson.
Day 15, 28 June… Wednesday, (Day 16, 29 June, Thursday) Drive to San Diego, California, via I-10 to I-8 through Arizona desert, crossing the Colorado River at Yuma (Territorial Prison, sand dunes), then on across Mojave Desert to San Clemente via I-805 northward to Deryk and Kim’s for dinner. Overnight in motel.
Day 16, 29 June… Thursday, (Day 17, 30 June, Friday) Morning visits to San Diego Zoo, or Animal Park; sightsee the city, then afternoon swim in the Pacific or visit other local sites of interest.
Day 17, 30 June… Friday, (Day 18, 1 July, Saturday) A full day at Disneyland in Anaheim. Take I-5 northward. Stay a nearby motel. This is all-day, all-night event until the fireworks (something Disney borrowed from Tivoli!)
Day 18, 1 July… Saturday, (Day 19, 2 July, Sunday) Drive to Crystal Cathedral for a brief visit, then along coast to Long Beach (Queen Mary)…see Beverly Hills and Hollywood and other Los Angeles sights of interest. If interested, the Nixon Library and birthplace in Yorba Linda is a possibility…see only Danish language church in ELCA also..
.
Day 19, 2 July… Sunday, (Day 20, 3 July, Monday…morning for packing if we use alternate itinerary; flight in afternoon) Additional sightseeing; Universal Studios, perhaps. Shopping at Farmers’ Market, Rodeo Drive? Shopping at an American Mall? Resting up before jumping the Big Pond? Other interests? Los Angeles has lots of great museums. (This day is deleted if group prefers two nights in Las Vegas.)
Day 20, 3 July… Monday, Departure from LAX via KLM at 4:10 PM….There’s plenty of time to sleep in and pack in the morning before departure..
Day 21, 4 July... AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY…The Danes touchdown in Denmark, and Dick ambles on to Arizona…a dream trip ends and reality begins again.