Willa Cather, one of America’s greatest novelists, found deep inspiration in New Mexico’s art, history, and landscapes. Politics and Prose is offering this unique opportunity to walk in Cather’s footsteps on a magical six day trip to Santa Fe and the surrounding pueblos. The itinerary includes expert led walking tours, scenic drives, and day trips to the real places Cather describes in many of her writings, including Death Comes for the Archbishop.

This is a six-day tour with numerous options to explore Willa Cather and Archbishop Lamy’s time in New Mexico in depth. New Mexico is stunningly beautiful and is called the Land of Enchantment for a reason. All of the places that Cather wrote about in Death Comes for the Archbishop are real places, and she described them from her own experience.

ITINERARY

Please note that, depending on weather, unexpected closings and other unforeseen events, we may amend this itinerary.

Friday, March 1

You will fly into either Albuquerque International Sunport or the Santa Fe airport. If arriving at Albuquerque, a van or bus will depart at 1:00 p.m. for our hotel La Fonda on the Plaza.

If flying into Santa Fe you will take a quick 20 minute taxi cab to the hotel.

Check in to hotel, La Fonda on the Plaza, where Cather and her partner Edith Lewis stayed in 1925 and 1926. for more information about the hotel please click here.

Return to hotel.

Group dinner at 6:30pm

Saturday, March 2: Santa Fe

Breakfast at the hotel

9:00am – 12pm: Walking tour of Willa Cather’s Santa Fe (1.5 miles)

End for group photos at the colorful columns at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts.

12pm – 2pm: Lunch on your own downtown

La Fonda Art & History tour

New Mexico History Museum and the Harvey Girls exhibit

Dinner on own

Sunday, March 3: Acoma Pueblo

Breakfast at the hotel

Drive to Acoma Pueblo (2 hours from Santa Fe)

Tour the pueblo atop the mesa

Lunch on your own at K’aag’a Café and explore the exhibits and gift shop

Drive to Laguna Pueblo and tour the 1699 mission church

Drive by La Bajada hill (the “descent”) on the return.

Return to hotel

Dinner on own

Monday, March 4: Taos

This is an ambitious day, and we’ll want to set out early to cover it all.

8:00 AM Depart La Fonda; drive the Low Road to Taos (70 miles)

9:45 AM Arrive San Francisco de Asís Church (Ranchos de Taos)

10:15 AM Depart for Taos Plaza

10:30 AM Arrive Taos Plaza and start walking tour (inc. restroom time)

11:45 AM Two-hour break for lunch. Best nearby lunch choices include:

Bent Street Grille

Michael’s Kitchen & Bakery

The Gorge Bar & Grill

La Cueva Café

Taos Mesa Brewing

1:45 PM Tour gathers at Taos Plaza in front of La Fonda; bus pickup

2:00 PM Mabel Dodge Luhan House

3:00 PM High Road to Taos back to Santa Fe

4:00 PM Chimayó Sanctuary (closes 5:00 PM)

5:00 PM Depart Chimayó for Santa Fe / La Fonda

5:45 PM Arrive La Fonda

Dinner on your own.

Tuesday, March 5: Pecos

Breakfast at the hotel

8:30am departure

Drive to Pecos National Historical Park (1.25-mile trail, easy)

Return to Santa Fe via the village of Lamy to view the Cerro Colorado quarry (provided the sandstone for the St. Francis Cathedral, mentioned in chapter 8), the Lamy train depot, and the site of the El Ortiz hotel

Early-afternoon: Tour Bishop’s Lodge: Lamy Chapel and SkyFire art collection. This is the subject of chapter 9, the last chapter in Cather’s novel.

Lunch on your own at Bishop’s Lodge SkyFire restaurant

Return to Santa Fe

Free time in the afternoon

Dinner on your own

Wednesday, March 6

Breakfast at the hotel

Guests check out of the hotel or can stay longer.

Here’s What’s Included:

- Politics and Prose trip leader and instructor, Garrett Peck.

- Two Politics and Prose assistants who will assist with logistics and help with any questions.

- All nights at the four-star La Fonda on the Plaza.

- Full hot breakfast every morning.

- Wine and conversation socials several evenings.

- Dinner on the first night.

- Admissions to every museum or other sitementioned in the itinerary.

- Bus and Driver for all-day trips and transportation from ABQ airport to the hotel.

- Restaurant recommendations for lunches and dinners.

What's Not included:
Airfare, taxes, tips. Transportation back to the airport is on your own. There are trains and shuttles between Santa Fe and ABQ airport.

Free-time activities in Santa Fe:

Santa Fe offers big city amenities with a small-town vibe. It hasabout 400 restaurants, and food is a big part of the culture. Santa Fe is also the third largest art market in the country, and you can spend a considerable
amount of time exploring the arts scene.

Places to go:

New Mexico Museum of Art
New Mexico History Museum
Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Museum Hill (four art museums + the Botanical Garden)

Suggestions for Reading in Preparation for a Rewarding Visit to Santa Fe, New Mexico

Click here for the reading list: https://www.politics-prose.com/santa-fe-trip.

Ready to Pack Your Bags?

The price for the trip is $3700. You’ll have your own room without paying an additional single supplement. To reserve your space, register here: https://www.wildblueyondertrips.com/trip-registration.

Before signing up, be sure to read all the Frequently Asked Questions and Terms and Conditions.

If you have questions regarding this trip and the itinerary, please contact: classes@politics-prose.com

For questions regarding registration or payments, please email: scampbell@wildblueyonder.biz or call (301)-587-4555.

To secure your space, mail your deposit check, made out to Wild Blue Yonder in the amount of $500, to Sheila Campbell, Wild Blue Yonder, 1001 Spring Street, Suite 623, Silver Spring, MD 20910. If you’d prefer to pay by credit card (there’s a 3% surcharge), email Sheila at scampbell@wildblueyonder.biz and she’ll send you a Paypal invoice.

Q. Who are the trip leaders for this trip?

Garrett Peck, author and resident of Sante Fe. Garrett is a former instructor at Politics and Prose and is currently working on a biography of Willa Cather. Bob Attarti, head of classes and trips at Politics and Prose.

Q. Who should come on this trip?
This is the perfect trip to take by yourself; you’ll make new friends and will always have people to do things with if you like. Or come with a friend or spouse or partner. You can spend time with each other and also have time to pursue your separate interests. The trip is also perfect for any small group that wants to travel together but doesn’t want the hassle of planning it all in advance. Do note that there is a fair amount of walking; usually about a mile and a half per day.

Q. Can I come early or stay on for some extra days?
Absolutely. We suggest you come early, as the trip leaders will be around to help you plan your days. Please let us know the exact dates you plan to arrive and depart, so we can alert the hotel. You’ll pay for your extra nights directly to the hotel when you get there.

Q. I’m coming with a spouse or partner and we want to share a room. Do we both have to pay the full rate?
For people who share a room, we offer a discount of $150 each.We’ve priced the trip primarily for people to have their own rooms. But of
course you can share a room if you prefer.

Q. How many people will be on the trip?
The maximum number of people is 18, so you won’t feel like you’repart of a huge group – especially since there are two trip leaders to break us up into smaller sections.

Q. Is there internet access at the hotel?
Yes, free wifi comes with your room.

Q. What will the weather be like?
It’s hard to predict these days. It should be dry with average temperatures in the 40's to 50's. Our advice is to come
prepared for just about anything. Layers are always nice and can be left in the bus if it gets too warm. Bring an umbrella, a jacket and – most important of all – very comfortable walking shoes.

Q. What to wear?
Jeans are fine. At night, if you’re eating in neighborhood restaurants, you don’t need to dress up–casual slacks or nice jeans are
perfect. Of course, for any place where you need a reservation, you’ll want to dress appropriately. Please bring clothes that you feel comfortable in seeing as we will be doing quite a lot of walking.

Q. Why aren’t lunches and dinners included in the price?
Restaurants that accept tour groups are usually the last places wewant to eat. There are just so many delicious choices for meals in New Mexico that we want everyone to be free to eat where and when they want. Alternatively, we often make lunch the biggest meal of the day, maybe even eating at a restaurant that would be too pricey at night. You’ll choose where you’ll eat, and with whom and how much you want to spend.

Q. Is it safe to walk around by myself at night?
As in any city, it makes sense to be aware of your surroundings after dark. But in Santa Fe it’s usually quite safe to be out on your own or
with a friend in the evenings. Within a few blocks are cafés, take-out food, and charming bars for cocktails.

Q. I’d love to come on this trip, but a friend has suggested a different hotel. Can I stay there?
Because we’ll be doing so much coordination from the La Fonda, and all our walking and transportation directions start there, we don’t think it’s practical to stay in another hotel. Plus, staying elsewhere would make getting to the evening wine and planning meetings difficult. Of course you can stay somewhere else, but the price of the trip wouldn’t change, so it wouldn’t be a good value.

Q. Some friends are going to be in Santa Fe while I’m there. Can they come along with us?

Because we want to keep our groups small, we can’t invite your friends to come with us on our daily excursions. But you can bring them to our evening get-togethers. Please give us a day’s notice, and there’s an extra $15 per person charge for the wine and snacks.

Q. When do I need to sign up by?

The sooner you put down your deposit, the better. The last day to put down a deposit will be December 1st. The last day for full payment will be December 14th.
 

Q. Do you require us to buy travel insurance?

We very strongly encourage you to purchase travel insurance. Please read our Terms and Conditions carefully to see our
cancellation policy. Be aware that trip insurance companies are very strict about what they will and won’t reimburse you for, so read their policies closely.

Please read this information carefully, as payment of a deposit represents your acceptance of the following Terms and Conditions.

Trip Prices
Trip prices include hotel accommodations on a single or doubleoccupancy basis, breakfast at the hotel, daily transportation as mentioned in the itinerary, entrance fees to museums if with the group as listed in the itinerary, evening socials to plan the next day’s activities, and the services of the trip leaders as outlined in the trip description.

Not included in the trip price are entrance fees to museums andother attractions not expressly included; taxis or other forms of city transportation; airfare and airline baggage fees; lunches and dinners; hotel, restaurant or airport tips; costs of passports and visas; personal expenses such as beverages, laundry or room service; internet wifi except as established in the trip description; airport transfers or any other services not specified in the trip description.

Please note that we cannot guarantee any special requests for hotel rooms.

Registration and Payment
The payment of your deposit confirms your reservation. Deposits may be paid by check made out to Wild Blue Yonder, Inc., or credit card via PayPal. There is a 3% surcharge for PayPal.

Your deposit is refundable for two weeks from the date it is received by Wild Blue Yonder, except for deposits made less than 60 days before a trip departs; those deposits are completely nonrefundable. Two weeks after the receipt of the deposit by Wild Blue Yonder, deposits are not refundable for any reason and will be forfeited if you cancel your trip reservation. Cancellations must be in writing by either letter to Wild Blue Yonder or email to scampbell@wildblueyonder.biz. Cancellations become effective on the date they are received by Wild Blue Yonder.

Please note that, should a covid pandemic recur after trip deposits have been paid, no refunds will be possible (the funds will now be in
New Mexico), but we will reschedule the trip as soon as possible with no change in price.

Once your reservation deposit has been paid, you will receive aconfirmation email and further information to help you plan your trip.

We reserve the right to cancel any reservations that are not paidin full at any time after the final payment is due. If you make your
reservation after the final payment due date, payment in full will be required immediately.

Full final payment is due December 14th, 2023

Cancellations and Refunds
For any cancellations made before November 27, 2023, you will forfeit your deposit but will be refunded any other payments you have made. If you must cancel your trip, the effective date of cancellation will be upon our
receipt of your notification, which must be made in writing either by email or letter. No refunds are possible after November 27, 2023.

We strongly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance when you pay your deposit for this trip.

Changes to Your Reservation

If you would like to stay on for longer than the official days ofthe trip, we will make reservations for you at the hotel. We will not charge you for any changes to your reservation outside of 90 days before the trip
start date. From 30 – 89 days before the trip start date, if you make any changes to your reservation, a $100 per person administrative fee will apply. Changes are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed. If your
reservation changes from double occupancy to single occupancy, you will be charged the single occupancy rate.
 

Travel Documents

"Real ID" if traveling by plane into the state.

Health and Medical Issues

We welcome all travelers, but you must be in good health to participate in our trips. The trips require a reasonable amount of walking, possibly several hours a day, uphill or on uneven streets or streets without
curb cuts. You must be able to climb stairs and board trains and buses on your own. We regret that we cannot provide individual assistance if you have mobility issues; in such cases you must be accompanied by a companion who will assist you.

If you are unable to navigate this amount of walking, you will not be able to participate fully in the trip, and we suggest you choose another type of trip. We cannot provide individual alternatives to the planned group
activities. If your fitness level does not allow you to keep up with the group and/or travel on public transportation, you will be responsible for planning your own activities and for any additional costs incurred (for instance, but not limited to, personal taxis, train tickets, and entrance fees).
 

Trip Insurance
We strongly recommend that you purchase both trip cancellation insurance and traveler’s medical and evacuation insurance for your trip. Should you have to cancel your trip after you have paid in full, we cannot offer refunds other than specified above, because we will have already paid the costs of your trip to our vendors.

Arrival and Departure Dates

It is your responsibility to make sure you arrive on the specified trip start date. We cannot refund part of your trip if you arrive late or leave early, unless you have notified us of your different start or end date 90 days
before the trip start date.
 

Responsibility
The liability of Wild Blue Yonder and Politics and Prose,individually or jointly (referred to hereafter as Trip Planners), is strictly limited. In no event will the Trip Planners be liable for amounts in excess of the amounts payable to the Trip Planners in accordance with the termshereunder, nor will Trip Planners be liable for any consequential indirect or incidental damages arising from this agreement. Trip Planners purchase accommodations, transportation and other services from independent suppliers not under our control. We serve only as agents for these suppliers in securing trip arrangements, and therefore will not accept responsibility and liability for wrongful, negligent or arbitrary acts or omissions of these independent contractors, their employees, agents or representatives.
 

Trip Planners are not liable for injury, damage, loss, accident, or delay that may be caused by events not within our control, including but not limited to, without limitation, acts of terrorism, war, strikes, defects of any vehicle, adverse weather conditions, natural disasters or the negligence or default of any third party.

Trip Planners reserve the right to correct errors in advertised prices. We reserve the right to cancel an advertised trip, decline to accept a reservation or remove a person from a trip if it is determined by us to be in the best interests of the health, safety or general well-being of other trip participants. We will make every effort to conduct our trip as planned, but we reserve the right to make itinerary and other changes as necessary. If unforeseen circumstances require us to change a hotel, we will make every effort to select alternative accommodations of the same quality. The forgoing terms and conditions and all aspects of the relationship between Trip Planners and you shall be governed by the laws of the State of Maryland.