16 days
August 10 - 25, 2008

DAY 1  This morning we’ll depart for our  scenic adventure to the Pacific coast. Our first stop will be for included morning break, then we’ll continue into North Dakota for lunch (on your own).  Our overnight will be in Bismarck, and after time to refresh we’ll enjoy our included Welcome Dinner. 


DAY 2  An included breakfast starts our day, then well visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park before entering Montana and stopping for lunch (on your own).  After an afternoon break, we'll enter the Rocky Mountains and stop for our overnight in Livingston, MT.  The evening will be free to relax and have dinner on your own. 


DAY 3  The mountain scenery will be wonderful this morning as we travel west across the mountains. We’ll stop for lunch (on your own) on our way to Idaho. This afternoon we'll take a break as we pass through the beautiful Coeur d' Alene Lake area, then we'll enter Washington for our overnight in Spokane.  The evening will be free to have dinner on your own. 

DAY 4  Following our included breakfast, we’ll continue west to Wenatchee, the "Apple Capital of Washington," where we'll visit the Washington Apple Museum and learn the history of the apple industry.  We'll continue into the Cascade Mountains to the Bavarian town of Levenworth, a beautiful mountain community with many wonderful shops and restaurants.  Then we'll cross beautiful Stevens Pass to Seattle, where we'll check into our hotel for the next two nights. 


DAY 5  After an included breakfast, we’ll enjoy a guided tour of Seattle.  During the tour you'll have time to browse the shops and have lunch on your own in Pike Place Market, opened in 1907 as a produce and fish market.  This afternoon we'll continue our tour, ending with an included dinner overlooking the harbor.


DAY 6  An included breakfast starts our day and then we’re off south to Oregon.  We'll follow the Columbia River west to Astoria, where the Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the Pacific Ocean. We’ll stop at the Astoria Column high on Coxcomb Hill for a great view of the Pacific Ocean, then we’ll visit Fort Clatsop, a replica of the log fort built by the Lewis & Clark expedition for the winter of 1805. We’ll then head into Portland and check into our hotel for our 2-night stay. 

DAY 7  Following our included breakfast, we’ll enjoy a guided tour of Portland including a stop at the International Rose Gardens.  Next, we're off to tour the Columbia River Gorge, where we'll hear the stories of the pioneers who traveled through here on the Oregon Trail, and learn all about the Lewis & Clark Expedition and how they managed to travel through the Gorge to the Pacific. We’ll take in Multnomah Falls, Bridge of the Gods and Beacon Rock. We’ll travel the historic Columbia River Highway built in 1915, stopping at Vista House in Crown Point State Park for some great views. Later we’ll arrive back in Portland and return to our hotel with the evening free to have dinner on your own.

DAY 8  As we enjoy our included breakfast, our luggage will be loaded on the coach. Today will be long remembered as we drive the spectacular Highway 101 along the Pacific coastline of Oregon. We’ll stop and visit the Sea Lion Caves, and make several picture stops to view the wonderful rock formations and lighthouses. We’ll also stop in a few of the coastal towns for you to browse the shops. We’ll overnight in the coastal town of Gold Beach, Oregon.  

DAY 9  Our morning starts with another Oregon highlight as we board a hydro-jet boat for our 64-mile roundtrip up the Rouge River, with lunch included. This route is the original mail run to Agness, Oregon, started in 1895. Sit back, relax and enjoy the smooth ride through shallow riffles and beneath the sheer 400-foot walls of Copper Canyon -- some spectacular scenery! Keep your camera ready as your professional guide shares the folklore and history, and points out the wildlife along the way. We’ll then continue south into California and our overnight in the historic town of Eureka.


DAY 10  We’ll start our morning with included breakfast,  then it’s on to the 33-mile "Avenue of the Giants." You’ll love this spectacular drive through the Giant Redwood Forest; you have never seen so many huge, majestic trees! We’ll take a break and make several photo stops as we slowly travel through the Redwood Forest. Later we’ll drive the scenic Highway 1 along the Pacific coastline of California to San Francisco, stopping in the artist community of Sausalito overlooking San Francisco Bay for time to browse the shops and take in the view. Then it’s on across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the “City by the Bay.”  We’ll check into our hotel for the next 2 nights, located just 1 block from Fisherman’s Wharf. The evening will be free to explore the wharf. 

 Following an included breakfast, we’ll enjoy a guided tour including Chinatown, Golden Gate Park and the Cliff House. Later we’ll head back to Fisherman’s Wharf for our narrated cruise of the harbor under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz Island. The remainder of the day will be free to explore Fisherman’s Wharf, ride the cable car or return to Chinatown.

This morning after our included breakfast we’ll head east to the capital of California, Sacramento, where we’ll tour the California State Railroad Museum and have time to explore Old Sacramento and have lunch (on your own). Then we’ll cross Donner Pass, stopping to see the Donner Memorial in honor of those who died here during the winter of 1846 - 47. This afternoon we’ll arrive in Reno, the "Biggest Little City in the World," for our overnight in the downtown area. Tonight dinner will be included, with the remainder of evening free explore the downtown area.

An included breakfast starts our day, then we’re off east across the state of Nevada. We’ll make stops in Winnemucca and Elko en-route to our overnight in Wendover, Nevada at a hotel/casino. Tonight dinner will be included, and the evening is free to relax or enjoy the gaming action.

We’ll enjoy included breakfast, then head past the Great Salt Lake and into Salt Lake City, Utah. We’ll stop here to visit the Mormon Temple, then continue on to Park City, site of the 2002 Winter Olympics.  Then we're off into Wyoming and across the Rocky Mountains to our overnight in Laramie.

DAY 16  We’ll cross Iowa this morning, stopping in Des Moines for lunch (on your own). We should arrive back in the Twin Cities early this evening with wonderful memories of our tour along the Oregon and California Pacific coastlines.

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