Once you leave Tucson, most of the roads you will drive will be 2-lane with the  occasional 4-lane to get us to our destination quicker. For the most part, the road surfaces  on the 2-lane roads are in good condition and lightly traveled.  

Most of the 2-lane roads will be fun to drive – lots of curves, up and down mountains,  through canyons and along rushing rivers and streams. But driving out West is a bit different  than driving in the Alps: 

• Motorcycles – We might encounter some folks trying to check off another state from  their bucket list. On some of the back roads we may also encounter bicyclists in some  unbelievable places. Pass them carefully. 

• Hikers – the same as bicyclists. Why walk when you can drive? Hikers are often  walking along the shoulders of the roads, so watch for them too. 

• Kayakers & rafters – most of the 2-lane roads pass through canyons carved by a  river. You will see SUVs and Jeeps parked along the sides of the roads with kayaks  and rafts floating below in the river. Watch for them loading and unloading their craft – they often forget they are on a road. 

• Wildlife – You may encounter animals such deer or small ones such as chipmunks.  Please be very careful – look on the periphery of the road, not just straight ahead.  • Limited sight – there are certain places where you will be driving through curve after  curve after curve, especially in tight canyons. Your sight may be limited to the 25 feet  in front of you. Try not to hug the center line – someone coming from the other  direction may be doing the same thing. Your guides, Marc and Peter, will be using the  familiar "incoming" vs. "clear" warning system. 

• Rocks – you will see lots of signs for “Falling Rocks” means watch out or you’ll get  squashed. “Fallen Rocks” means that there might be one on the road, i.e., don’t hit it. The possibility of a rock (or even a huge boulder) on the road is very real. Be alert! 

• Arizona, Utah & Nevada – The Arizona Department of Transportation offers the 511  Traveler Information Service. It’s simple; by just dialing 511, you can get information  on closures, delays, public transit services, major airports, tourism, weather and more.  You no longer need to remember those long phone numbers. All this information is  available by dialing 3 digits, 511. Likewise, we’ll monitor all the other States we’ll  traverse to get the maximum enjoyment of our drives.

When we travel to higher altitudes like Sedona or the Grand Canyon, the air pressure is a bit lower, meaning fewer oxygen molecules are present in the air. For every 1,000 feet that you ascend in elevation, a loss of about 3 percent of oxygen occurs. Use a BOOST oxygen pack, as needed, to help your breathing. We are providing each of you with an oxygen pack for you to use and we have extra ones. They are easy to use. Much of the West is very dry so please stay well hydrated – drink lots of water, minimize alcohol intake. 

Cell signals can be non-existent in remote areas, especially when traveling through rock canyons with high walls. On Marc and Lori’s pre-tour in July, they had reasonable reception from T Mobile while on the road; there were some areas where they didn’t have reception, but reception was fine at the hotels. Our guests in 2016 and 2019 had extremely limited cell service – even at the hotels. Our guides also carry Satellite Phones for emergencies.

With about 300 days of annual sunshine and low humidity (33 percent average), the weather should be glorious. The average high and low temperatures in October for some of  the places we’ll visit are as follows:

Unlike Europe where “gratuities” are defined as “something given voluntarily or beyond  obligation usually for exemplary service.” The luxury hotels in the US automatically add a  mandatory 22% to 24% “gratuity” on all food and beverages which we have included in the  budget. Therefore, at the hotels where you sign the breakfast check, for example, and it is  posted to the Trip Master Account – please DO NOT ADD ANY GRATUITY – because the  hotel automatically adds it, as indicated. If anything changes, I’ll advise you during my nightly  dinner presentation about “what we’ll do tomorrow.”

The American West is very casual. Everywhere we are going is casual. The  restaurant meals will be relaxed and casual. There is no need to bring “the little black dress”  or a blazer. Jeans are the most common attire. However, please bring clothes that are  appropriate for the varying of temperatures you will encounter. The sunshine will be bright  and intense, but the low humidity means the temperature drops as soon as the sun goes  down. 

Bring sunglasses, comfortable shoes, and something warm for the evenings. But also  bring shorts, a bathing suit, etc. for the warm days at some of the resorts. Stay casual and  enjoy!

Because you are driving your own PORSCHE to Tucson, we know that space for large  pieces of luggage may be problematic. We have engaged a luggage shipping service for  you that can ship your large luggage from your home to The Hacienda del Sol and ship  it back to your home from The Bellagio. Please contact: ShipGo at Tel: 866-923-7447 or  book it online: https://www.shipgo.com/pricing/ to arrange your luggage shipment. ShipGo is backed by the reliability of FedEx and UPS. Payment is made directly to the luggage  shipping company via your credit card. Their pricing is reasonable and we’ve had good  experience. Our key contact is James at Tel: 561 336 6190 or james@shipgo.com.

Just like in Europe, everyone will be connected by walkie-talkies. Due to COVID  precautions every driving team is issued their own walkie talkie for the entire trip. Peter will  hand out the walkie-talkies including the charging stations, and the famous Fast Lane Travel  Navi books on the first night’s dinner. Marc and Peter will also provide information and road  cautions and other potential obstacles, when necessary, via the walkie-talkies. When we  stop for lunch, please shut them off to conserve the battery. In the evening, don’t forget to  re-charge your walkie talkies. Please note, however, that the high walls of some of the  tight canyons may temporarily disrupt the signal. We are planning to drive in two groups of  seven cars each. We’ll also appoint a wing team for each group which will be of enormous  assistance to the lead driver. Of course, you have the option of taking off on your own, but  just let Marc or Peter know.

We have included Premium gasoline in the price of the trip. When we stop for  gasoline, your guide will pull up to a pump and the rest of the cars will line up behind him.  We will all tank up from the same pump without hanging up the hose. After your car is  refueled, pull forward so the next car can get to the pump. After the last car, the guide will go  inside and pay the cashier for all the cars at that pump (try not to have any other drivers  break into our line). Note: we may “top off” our tanks more frequently on this tour.  There are desert areas where there won’t be any gas stations for 50 miles or more. We will  make sure we have full tanks whenever possible.

Just in case - Address: 4690 E 22nd St, Tucson, AZ 85711 Tel: (520) 512 5852 Christian E. Lerma, Customer Experience Concierge Mobile Tel: (520) 500 7025 ChristianLerma@chapmanTucson.com – He’s ready to help you any way he can.

When you get home from your Romantic Wild West Fest you will receive a questionnaire in an email from Wendy about your tour experience that we hope you will complete and return to us via email. Your suggestions and comments will be greatly appreciated and all or portions of them may be quoted in future advertisements only with your consent, of course.