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The Sandhill Cranes of Whitewater Draw
featuring the Historic Gadsden Hotel

January 30-31, 2024
$426 (Based Upon Double Occupancy) $65 (Single Supplement)

Day One: We’re traveling south to Tombstone—The Town Too Tough To Die—where we’ll find plenty of great little restaurants to choose from and enjoy lunch on self. Later, back in the Transits, we’ll head for Douglas, Arizona. Just a few miles north of the Mexican border, Douglas, a once remote ranching town is home to the infamous Gadsden Hotel. Built in 1902, then destroyed by fire, the Gadsden was rebuilt in 1929 in the Art Nouveau style—offering a magnificent Tiffany stained glass window overlooking the lobby, and a sweeping Italian marble staircase—up which Pancho Villa reportedly rode his horse. The hotel provided gracious hospitality to the growing business brought in by the mining industry and the settling of the Arizona Territory. The lobby of the Gadsden, “the living room,” hosted cattlemen, ranchers, copper mining executives and businessmen. For all of the Gadsden’s rich history, the hotel also had a dark side—catering to gamblers, and notable lawless characters of the American West. Famously haunted, guests and staff members have reported paranormal encounters on every floor, with the third floor seemingly the epicenter. The basement of the Gadsden is beyond fascinating—a 7,000 square foot labyrinth of twenty rooms—which secretly housed bootleg whiskey tunnels, brothels and a notorious speakeasy. We’ll check into our beautifully renovated rooms, and after a refresh we’ll enjoy a Welcome Dinner, served buffet-style with a glass of beer or wine, and it’s all included. After dinner, we’ll explore the Gadsden, beginning on the third floor, and winding our way down into the basement—with guides recounting the darker history that arose from the underbelly of the hotel. Afterwards you might want to call it an early night—we’ve got a big day tomorrow!

Day Two: We’ll be up before the crack of dawn to enjoy a continental breakfast, included, at the hotel. Back in the Transits, we’ll hit the road for Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, one of the best places to view sandhill cranes, with an estimated winter population of over 30,000. Located in the Sulphur Springs Valley—a Chihuahuan desert grassland habitat—Whitewater Draw is surrounded by Arizona’s magnificent sky islands. The sandhill cranes spend the night standing in the draw’s shallow waters to evade predators, and then fly out at sunrise, to feed and socialize in the surrounding area. With an impressive wingspan of 6 to 7 feet, the early morning mass ascension of the sandhill cranes is a sight to behold! There is no visitor’s center at the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, but there are restrooms. In addition to sandhill cranes, the waters of the draw attract many kinds of ducks, geese, herons, egrets, shorebirds, gulls and terns, as well as various mammals. Don’t forget your camera! Formerly a cattle ranch, Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area was purchased in 1997 and is now managed to enhance wetland habitats and provide waterfowl habitat, and wildlife viewing. After this heart-stopping experience, we’ll travel to Bisbee, located 90 miles southeast of Tucson in the scenic Mule Mountains. Founded in 1880, Bisbee was one of the most cultured cities in the American West—the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco. Downtown Bisbee still retains much of its cosmopolitan charm, with its mining camp roots also fully on display in the rollicking Brewery Gulch district—once home to 50 saloons and several brothels. We’ll visit the Queen Mine, don hard hats, miner’s headlamps and the always stylish yellow slicker, then head underground and back in time! Retired Phelps Dodge employees will narrate our journey 1,500 feet into the mine, recounting the dangers and dramas of mining days. Afterwards we’ll stroll the streets of Bisbee, now home to many interesting shops and galleries, and we’ll enjoy lunch on self with several fantastic restaurants to choose from. Midafternoon we’ll head for home—a relaxing journey through the rolling grasslands of Southern Arizona, with plenty of great stops along the way. This Kindred Tours Classic should not be missed!

Northwest Valley:
Sundome Plaza
13515 W. Camino Del Sol
Sun City West, AZ 85375

Located in the heart of Sun City West at the Sundome Plaza Shopping Center, just a few doors down from Safeway.

Scottsdale:
La Quinta Inn & Suites
8888 E Shea Blvd
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

The Scottsdale pickup location can be easily reached via AZ 101/Pima Freeway. Exit the freeway at Shea. The La Quinta Hotel is located at the northeast corner of AZ 101 and Shea Blvd.

Mesa:
Mesa Doubletree Hotel
1011 W. Holmes Ave
Mesa, AZ 85210

This is the Fiesta Mall region, and the Hilton Hotel is easily viewed from the U.S. 60/Superstition Freeway. Exit the freeway at Alma School and head east to Holmes. Park and wait for the bus at the west end of the hotel parking lot.

FAQ’s

Cancellation/ Refund Policy2024-01-08T20:58:01-07:00

It’s easy to make a reservation for an OVERNIGHT Van or Motorcoach Tour. Simply call us, or fill out our online reservation form. We’ll ask you for a bit of information and a $100 nonrefundable deposit. Wondering why that deposit is nonrefundable? Kindred Tours has made deposits to hotels, vendors, and attractions… sometimes months in advance, and that money is often nonrefundable to us. Your final payment for OVERNIGHT Van or Motorcoach Tours will be due 45 days prior to your departure date. Final payments are nonrefundable. On rare occasions, Kindred Tours may need to cancel a tour prior to departure. If this happens, we’ll notify you as far in advance as possible. You, of course, will receive a full refund for the cost of your tour, or you can transfer your credit to another tour of your choice.


ONE-DAY Van or Motorcoach Tours must be paid for when you make your reservation. Reservations can be made either by phone or online.
One-day tours are nonrefundable within 30 days of the tour.

Tips on Tipping2023-06-02T08:02:07-07:00

People ask us all the time about tipping. “Should we?” and “How much?” While we at Kindred Tours want to make it clear that we do not require tips, they are certainly appreciated by our tour guides and drivers when the service meets or exceeds your expectations.

As to the amounts, use your own judgment. Recommendations are all over the map. USA Today recommends $3 to $5 per person for half-day trips, $10 for a full-day excursion, and $1  to $2 for a one or two hour tour. On overnight tours, calculate the per-day tip and multiply it by the number of days, and add $1 to $2 per person for loading and unloading bags.

Trip Advisor suggests that most major Tour Operators are suggesting $4 – $5.00 per day per passenger. At this rate you should budget $8 – $10.00 per day if traveling as a couple. The guideline is per person not per couple. Tips to the driver usually fall within the same range.

Again, these are just guidelines and we want to repeat that they are not required. Give a tip if you think one is warranted.

Can I arrange a Kindred Tour for my group?2023-06-02T08:02:03-07:00
Absolutely!  And there are so many great ways that we can work together.  Select a tour from our newsletter or website, and we’ll take care of all the details—providing marketing materials, sending a representative to speak with your group, and collecting payments.  If you need help selecting a tour, give us a call.  And you’re not limited to our current selection of tours.  We’ll work hard to customize or plan a tour specifically for your group.  Just give us a call, and we’ll get started.
Can I pay a Single Supplement?2023-06-02T08:01:54-07:00
If you really feel that you’d like to have your own hotel room, consider paying a single supplement.  A single supplement is just the additional 50% on the hotel room expense that you would have shared with a roommate.
Can you find me a roommate?2023-06-02T08:01:49-07:00
We get asked this question a lot, and the answer is always yes!  Don’t let the fact that you are single keep you from signing up for a tour.  The majority of people who travel with Kindred Tours are single.  They sign up for a tour, we assign them a roommate, and they often go on to become lifelong friends.  We have decades of success matching roommates.
How do I pay for my tour?2023-06-02T08:01:45-07:00
Use your credit card when you sign-up online, or when you call the office to make a reservation.  We do not keep your card credit information on file.  You can also sign up for a tour, receive confirmation of your reservation from the office, and then pop a check into the mail.  Most reservations for extended tours require a $100 deposit, with the balance to be paid closer to the date of the tour.
What if the trip is full?2023-06-02T08:01:37-07:00
We’ll always encourage you to USE THE WAIT LIST!  When a trip fills, and it can happen very quickly, we begin a wait list. If there’s enough participation to fill a second bus, we’ll let you know.  We’ll also check with our wait list, should we have any cancellations, fielding those requests in the order in which they were received.
How do I sign up for a tour?2023-06-02T08:02:15-07:00
Check out online for one-stop shopping, or call the office to make a reservation.  You may reach our voicemail, after all we are in the travel business, but leave us a message and we’ll always call you back to confirm.  

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