Each month we will schedule a trip in the West Texas area (except summer). The day trips cost will range from $20 to $50 per person, depending on where we are going and the entrance fees. The one night trips vary by the activity scheduled and the lodging costs. Most of the day trips will include lunch at a pre-arranged location. The actual date and activity will be scheduled at the first of each month. Call our home phone, 863-2190 to find out what, when and where we will be going. The answering machine will have a recorded message. I will send an e-mail to those with access. Send your address via e-mail to awalters@travelkingshighway.com. I will also send postcards to those that live in a close proximity to Lubbock.

Day Trip for January and February.  Stay tuned.  Haven't gotten those set up yet!

Mar 30-Apr 3 Bluebonnet Tour/Painted Churches   The reason for a bluebonnet tour is obvious but what is a “painted church.” Aren’t they all painted? The painted churches are primarily in the central Texas area. They were usually built in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. The churches are painted (decorated) on the inside. Some were painted by one artist, others were painted by travelers as a gesture of appreciation for services the church provided. The history is interesting and the churches are unique and artisticly painted. We will travel to Fredericksburg for our first night stay, with a little time for shopping. The next morning we will take several detours on our way to Schulenburg where we will spend two nights. We will have a leisurely day driving through the area looking at the churches and stopping to visit historic sights. Thursday we will travel to Brenham for a tour of the Blue Bell Factory and then to College Station. We will drive through A&M University and visit the Presidential Library of George H.W. Bush. That evening we will stay in Huntsville, traveling home on Friday. The cost is $610 per person, two per room. $830 for a single room. A deposit of $300 per person is due by March 2nd to guarantee your space. The remainder is due prior to the trip. The cost includes transportation, lodging, activities and breakfast each morning.

May 21-31 Canyon Tour: Bryce, Zion, Grand, much more  This is a very diverse tour. There is so much to see in southern Utah and northern Arizona. The diversity of this area is inspirational. The canyon lands are picturesque and remarkable. We start out the tour spending the night in Gallup, traveling through the Four Corners area and the western edge of the Rockies to Grand Junction, Colorado. We will drive through the Colorado State National Monument the next morning before traveling to Moab and the National Arches Park. Traveling through diverse territory the next day including the National Bridges, the northern area of Lake Powell and into the Capital Reef area. The next day we will travel some of the most interesting terrain as we arrive at Bryce Canyon for the afternoon. Zion Canyon will be our morning stop the next day and then traveling to the North Grand Canyon area where we will stay in the National Park Lodge there. We will have a late morning as we travel that afternoon to Page. Traveling the next day to the southern view points of the Grand Canyon we will stay overnight at South Grand Canyon. The next day we will have another leisurely morning as we travel to Holbrook. We will visit the Petrified Forest the next morning spending our last evening in Albuquerque. The cost is $1445 per person, two per room. $1920 for a single room. A deposit of $100 guarantees your space with a deposit of $700 per person is due by April 15. The remainder is due prior to the trip. The cost includes transportation, lodging, activities and breakfast each morning.

August 10-21Mt. Rushmore and the Midwest Touring the midwest we will travel through many agricultural area, exploring the prairie states. The harvest will be starting as we travel. with the corn in full growth and the canola fields in full bloom. We will travel north of the continental divide, where the rivers run north! You will have a fun time learning about the northern midwest area as we travel. Our first day will take us to Wichita, Kansas. Traveling into South Dakota, we will visit the Corn Palace prior to our overnight stay in Sioux Falls. Heading north, we will stay in Fargo, ND, and Winnipeg,* Manitoba. On to Regina,* Saskatchewan, where we will begin our trip back south. We will spend the night in Bismarck,* ND and Pierre,* SD. There will be several stops along the way as we travel through this wide open country. Touring the Badlands National Park we will stay two nights in Rapid City. We will visit Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Monument and tour the state park where we usually see buffalo herds. The next day we will visit Deadwood, Sturgis and the Devil’s Tower prior to our overnight stay in Gillette, WY. Traveling south through Cheyenne* and Denver* we will stay in Colorado Springs before heading home. (*capitals) The cost is $1690 per person, two per room. $2475 for a single room. A deposit of $100 guarantees your space with a deposit of $750 per person is due by July 5th. The remainder is due prior to the trip. The cost includes transportation, lodging, activities and breakfast each morning.

Sept 7-19 Redwoods, Northern California One of our most popular trips. We travel our first day to Denver, Colorado. Heading west we stop in Vale for a little window shopping as we head through the mountains to Grand Junction for the night. On to Salt Lake City, we will visit some sights in the city and tour the Mormon Tabernacle. The next day we will travel through northern Utah and Nevada, spending the night in Reno. We will spending the night in Redding and Eureka as we travel to the California coast. We will get some history of the logging industry and the redwoods while in Eureka. Heading south, we will travel the coast with several stops to see some large redwood trees, even a tree that a car can drive through. We will spend two nights in the San Francisco area. We will have a step-on-guide for a morning tour of the city. That afternoon we will do a little shopping on the pier and go to Alcatraz. Traveling west, we will spend the night in Oakdale and Mammoth Lakes, touring Yosemite National Park along the way. We will spend the night in Las Vegas and Gallup on the return trip. The cost is $1785 per person, two per room. $2335 for a single room. A deposit of $100 guarantees your space with a deposit of $850 per person is due by August 2nd. The remainder is due prior to the trip. The cost includes transportation, lodging, activities and breakfast each morning.

Oct 5-22 Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Amish  You will experience some history on this tour. Heading east we will have a couple of full days of travel as we spend nights in Marshall, TX; Birmingham, AL and Roanoke, VA. As we travel to Williamsburg, we will stop at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. We will be spending two nights in Williamsburg, with tours of the Jamestown village and Colonial Williamsburg. Traveling to Washington D.C. the next day we will tour Mt. Vernon and visit Arlington Cemetery. We will stay three nights in D.C. Our first day will be a free day so that you can visit a Smithsonian Museum or other sights of your choice. We will have a step-on-guide the next day. We will tour all the monuments and as many historic sights as we can. The next day we will head for Philadelphia. We will also stay here three nights. Each day we will have a tour guide for a historic tour of the city and tour some of the neighborhoods. We will head west the next day but not very far. Staying two nights in Amish country, we will have lunch at an Amish restaurant and have some time to do some shopping. The next day we will tour Hershey and visit Harrisburg (the capital). Heading towards home the next day we will stop at Gettysburg for a morning tour. Our return will take us through West Virginia and Kentucky, with overnight stays in Morgantown and Lexington, the heart of horse country. This is a pretty drive through the rolling mountains. Heading for home we will spend the night in Nashville and Texarkana. The cost is $2780 per person, two per room. $3985 for a single room. A deposit of $100 guarantees your space with a deposit of $1200 per person is due by Sept. 5th. The remainder is due prior to the trip. The cost includes transportation, lodging, all activities and breakfast each morning.

Christmas in Branson Nov. 16-20

We have another great Branson trip planned. Traveling to Tulsa our first night, we will arrive in Branson just after lunch on Tuesday. We will be seeing The Miracle of Christmas at the Sight and Sound Theatre; The Haygoods Show; Ricky Boen and Texas Mud Show; Daniel O’Donnell Show; Pierce Arrow Show; and the Shoji Tabuchi Show. The cost is $685 per person, two per room, $845 for a single room. $100 guarantees your space. An additional deposit of $350 per person is due by Oct. 5th. The remainder is due prior to the trip. The cost includes transportation, lodging, all shows and meals in Branson and breakfast each morning.

These are some things we are thinking about for the future.

Where else would you like to go?

Send me a note with your choice at awalters@travelkingshighway.com

Hawaii - Postponed until January of 2010 This will be a very busy trip. There is so much to do in Hawaii that it was hard to choose. I think we have come up with a diverse group of activities. We will start the tour with a flight to Maui on the morning on the 14th, spending the two nights in Kahulai. We will travel from here to the scenic Lao Valley State Park to Wailuku, visit the Maui Tropical Plantation and the Sugar Museum in Kahulai. We will also drive into the Haleakula National Park as time allows. The next day we will take the scenic drive to Hana and spend the night in the greatly acclaimed resort of Hotel Hana. We will arrive early so that you can enjoy the view and the resort. Leaving the next morning we will travel up the west side of the island, taking in the sights at Oheas Gulch and on to Lahaina. We will stay at the Sheraton Hotel here. The next day we will take a ferry to Lanai from Maui. We will tour the island and take in the historic sights of the area. That evening we will fly to the Big Island, spending three nights in Hilo. The next day we will drive to Rainbow Falls, Alaka Falls State Park and the Kohula Coast. We will also visit the Tropical Botanical Garden. There is a public market in Hilo on Saturdays so we will be able to take in the sights of the market. The next day we will spend the entire day at the Volcano National Park. Taking a hike on Devastation Trail and driving the Chain of Craters Road. That evening we will take in a luau on the island for a little bit of local flair. The next morning will be leisurely as we have a flightseeing tour planned for the group. The tour will go over the volcanoes and by the waterfalls in the area. It will be great to see the volcano from the air. That evening we will fly to the island of Kauai, spending two nights in Lihue. We will take a scenic drive along the southern edge of the island to Waimea Canyon. We will also visit the National Tropical Botanical Garden that afternoon. The next morning we will take a tour of the Fern Grotto and spend the afternoon on a flightseeing tour of the island which has many scenic waterfalls and mountains. That evening we will fly to Honolulu where we will spend five nights on Waikiki Beach. The next morning we will start out early and go to Pearl Harbor. We will spend the morning touring the memorial and that afternoon we will go to the local market. The next morning we will take a submarine tour to see the tropical fish and the ocean life. That afternoon we will drive the million dollar highway to the north side of the island. Stopping at Diamond Head, Makapu Point, the Halonu Blowhole and Hanauma Bay. The next morning we will go for a tour at the Dole Plantation, stop for a little shopping and lunch in Haleiwa and then on to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We will visit the center and stay for the evening luau. This is the most recommended luau on the islands. The next day will be a free day for you to choose what you want to do. There are many other things to do on the island including snorkeling, whale watching, fishing, hiking and many other things. We will have a late flight the next day, arriving back in Lubbock early morning.   This trip will be $4500 to $5000 per person.   

Arizona, Sedona, Tucson, Tombstone, Silver City

August, 2010

April or May 2011

Fall 2011