Birding Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Thu. Oct. 28 / 7am-5pm
Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior maintains a marvelous collection of plants and also provides excellent habitat for birds. With Lynn Hassler as our guide, we’ll meander about the grounds admiring the plants and looking for birds, keeping an eye out for migrants and winter visitors (of the avian variety). Species on the short list include a number of different woodpeckers, wrens and towhees. Cost includes transportation, admission fees, guide services and boxed lunch. $95 members/$105 general public

Day of the Dead in Arizona with Patricia Preciado Martin
Tue., Nov. 2 / 6:45am-6:00pm
The Day of the Dead, El Día de Los Muertos, is a centuries-old tradition very much alive today in Mexico and the Arizona-Sonora borderlands. This colorful and elaborate celebration is also a time of respect and remembrance. In cemeteries around southeastern Arizona, families gather to honor friends and relatives by cleaning and decorating their graves with fresh and paper flowers, candles and offerings of food and drink. Join noted Tucson author and oral historian Patricia Preciado Martin, and our hosts Mary and Piet Van de Mark of Baja’s Frontier Tours (http://www.bajasfrontiertours.com/day_of_the_dead.htm), to experience this special holiday firsthand. Martin’s treasured stories bring to life our selection of hidden, historic and even “ghostly” cemeteries in southeastern Arizona. One off-the-beaten track example is a 19th century mining camp cemetery in the hills east of historic Patagonia and another delightful feature of our day will be Martin’s sharing of items from her home altar. Last year, she brought a selection of personal and family remembrances which she assembled and discussed with participants. This travel ed-venture is also open to members of the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum. Cost includes comfortable transportation, picnic lunch and great photo ops! $99 members/$115 general public

Rio Grande Pueblos and Georgia O’Keeffe Country!
November 6-13
Consider the New Mexico pueblos of Santo Domingo, Cochiti, Tesuque, San Ildefonso, Chimayo, and Taos. Behind the picture-postcard, sun-washed adobes and Spanish missions are people who impart something of themselves and their long history to their art — from expressively diverse pottery forms and earth-toned weavings to bold silver and turquoise jewelry. Join author, cultural historian and second-generation Native American arts dealer Mark Bahti for an insightful exploration of the Pueblos of the Rio Grande with the added intrigue of Georgia O’Keeffe country, her home and the museum dedicated to her art. Travel with us from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and Taos, stopping at a thoughtful selection of pueblos to meet residents who will share their lives and demonstrate their arts. We will tour galleries and museums, and visit artists in their home studios. There will be opportunities to sample renowned New Mexico restaurants, shop for exquisite arts and crafts and just sit quietly on the Plaza in Santa Fe and be a part of the “scene.” Hosted by Mary and Piet Van de Mark of Baja’s Frontier Tours (http://www.bajasfrontiertours.com/rio_grande_pueblos.htm), this travel ed-venture is also open to members of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Cost includes accommodations, all breakfasts and three lunches, and roundtrip motorcoach transportation. $2495 pp double occupancy members/$2595 general public ($425 single supplement)

To sign up for any of these travel ed-ventures, call 742-6455 x0

Wine Country Safari
Fri., Dec. 10 / 8:30am-5:00pm
Back by popular demand is this trip to the rolling grasslands of southeastern Arizona to sample some of the world class vintages being produced right here in southern Arizona. The wine business here began in 1973 with Dr. Gordon Dutt’s first experimental vineyard in the region’s terra rosa (red clay) soil nearly identical to that of Burgundy. Today, there are more than a dozen wineries spread out around Patagonia, Elgin and Sonoita. Our first stop is Sonoita Vineyards, founded by Dr. Dutt and featuring his water harvesting system that utilizes berms on the existing hillside to reduce erosion and the need for supplemental irrigation. Following a tour and tasting, we’ll enjoy a catered lunch by The Prairie Chicks before heading to Callaghan Vineyards. From its first vintage in 1991, Callaghan wines have been praised by wine critics. We’ll sample some of their rich, complex reds produced from Mediterranean and Spanish varietals uniquely suited to this climate. Our final stop is sustainably-farmed Kief-Joshua Vineyards for a course in the proper techniques of Wine Tasting 101 and how to recognize “off” smells! Cost includes transportation, wine tastings and lunch. $99 members/$120 general public

Sandhill Snowbirds
Thu., Jan. 13 / 12:00pm-8:30pm
OR
Thu. Jan. 20 / 8am-5pm
Each winter, thousands of Sandhill Cranes gather in the Sulphur Springs Valley of southeastern Arizona. Herds (yes, that is the name for a group of cranes) numbering as many as 20,000 individuals spend the night at Whitewater Draw, dispersing at dawn to feed on corn stubble and other waste grains in nearby agricultural fields and returning to Whitewater for a mid-day siesta. On this day-long birding trip we’ll also be on the lookout for waterfowl and land birds; the Valley is a good spot for wintering raptors. Please select your date of choice — January 13 starts later in the day, allowing us to linger at Whitewater close to sunset and watch the evening fly-in; January 20 begins earlier, putting us at Whitewater in time for some general birding before lunch and a mid-day fly-in. Cost includes transportation to and from Tohono Chul Park, guide services and boxed lunch (1/20) or dinner (1/13). Also open to members of the Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix. $95 members/$115 general public

¡South Texas Birds Y Mas!
March 23-April 1, 2011
Starting in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, just north of the Mexican border, we explore the region’s outstanding preserves from South Padre Island upstream along the Rio Grande to the more arid Falcon Reservoir. Of primary interest will be species rare or absent elsewhere in the United States such as Muscovy Duck, Hook-billed Kite, White-tailed Hawk, Plain Chachalaca, Red-crowned Parrot, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Green Jay, Clay-colored Thrush and White-collared Seedeater. After four full days birding these border regions, we shift north to the famed “Hill Country” of the Edwards Plateau, a scenic region host to two local and endangered species – Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo – as well as a diversity of birds from both the western and eastern U.S. Weather conditions permitting, an added highlight will be a visit to a sinkhole cave on a private ranch to see millions of Brazilian free-tailed bats on their dusk fly out. And, since it’s the beginning of wildflower season, we’ll check out back roads in search of the best locations for flowers and schedule a visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center near Austin, of which the Park is an affiliate! Our tour concludes in San Antonio, with dinner on the River Walk, an urban sanctuary that winds along the San Antonio River. Your hosts and guides for this trip include our old friend, David Mackay of Solipaso and a new friend, Kip Miller, naturalist and birding guide based in southwest Michigan. The cost of the trip (excluding airfare, alcoholic beverages and all personal items) is $2850 members/$3000 general public per person, double occupancy ($500 single supplement); a $500 deposit will reserve your space.

Mt. Lemmon SkyNights Adventure
March (day TBD)/ 1pm-10:30pm
Star-gazing is a popular pastime among Tucsonans because of our clear and open skies. Our winter night sky programs have been popular with members since the early 1990s and this year we are pleased to offer a new cosmic experience at over 9,000 feet – the recently opened Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter! Celestial wonders like star clusters and distant galaxies that have fascinated humanity since the dawn of time are waiting to be explored. Learn about sunset points and star charts and view the heavens through the SkyCenter’s 24-inch reflecting telescope and, if we’re lucky, the 32-inch Schulman telescope due to arrive in September. Cost includes transportation, guide services and a boxed supper. $99 members/$120 general public

Designing the West: The Legacy of Mary Jane Colter and Fred Harvey
May 2-6, 2011

In the last decades of the 19th century, dime novels tantalized Americans with tales of the Wild West; a desire for adventure travel was born. Railroads were replacing stagecoaches, making travel faster and easier though still rough around the edges. Enter Fred Harvey who teamed with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad to provide comfort, reliability and even luxury in both the train’s dining cars and his famed Harvey Houses. In 1901 he hired Mary Jane Colter to design the interior of his Albuquerque establishment, the Alvarado. One of America’s few female architects, Colter went on to complete 21 projects for Harvey in the ensuing years, crafting a series of landmark hotels and lodges including Winslow’s La Posada and five buildings on the south rim of the Grand Canyon as inspiring as the Canyon itself: Hopi House (1905), Hermit’s Rest (1914), Lookout Studio (1914), Desert View Watchtower (1932) and Bright Angel Lodge (1935). Uniquely her own and much imitated, Colter’s style is a mix of Pueblo, Spanish and Mission revival architecture as well as American Craftsman and Arts and Crafts design elements. Incorporating Native American themes and designs, as well as local materials, her buildings became known as “National Park Service Rustic” and several today grace the National Register of Historic Places. On this travel ed-venture, rediscover the West as interpreted by the work of Mary Jane Colter, the legacy of Fred Harvey and the impact of fabled Route 66, including a full day at the Grand Canyon. Our hosts are Mary and Piet Van de Mark of Baja’s Frontier Tours (www.bajasfrontiertours.com). Cost includes transportation, accommodations (with two nights at the restored masterpiece that is La Posada) and an array of knowledgeable local guides and historians. $1395 members/$1495 general public per person, double occupancy ($240 single-supplement); a $300 deposit will hold your space.

Death Valley: Geology, Ghost Towns and Glitter!
November 13-19, 2011
Our hosts are Mary and Piet Van de Mark of Baja’s Frontier Tours (http://www.bajasfrontiertours.com/death_valley.htm)