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Journey with Tom Russell, The Flatlanders (Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore) and Paul Zarzyski on a spectacular journey filled with unforgettable scenery, great train rides and fantastic music as we travel into the magical San Juan Mountains of Colorado and New Mexico!
We will ride legendary narrow-gauge steam trains just as the aspen leaves are at their most spectacular: the world-famous The Durango & Silverton , and North America's longest, highest and most remote narrow gauge railroad, The Cumbres & Toltec.
And the music! Unlike large, impersonal cruises, you'll be one of a maxium of 85 patrons. We'll have concerts almost every night (two public and three exclusive private shows) - filled with songs from Tom, Butch, Jimmie Dale and Joe, open mics hosted by guitar wizard Thad Beckman with picking parties and singalongs liable to spring up at any moment!
This is one of our most popular trips. Gretchen Peters made an impromptu video of the great time she had as one of our performers on the 2009 trip. See just how much fun Roots on the Narrow Gauge really is... click here to watch!
Naturalist Elsabe Kloppers will be with us to point out the fascinating flora, fauna and topography of this remarkable region. Traveling solo or with friends, returning Roots on the Railer or newcomer... a warm welcome awaits you. We promise you, you won't find a better group of people to hang out or travel with anywhere!
"Thanks so much for an amazing week! We made lots of new friends, discovered new (to us) musicians,and came home happy, tired and smelling like a bonfire. Who could want more? We especially appreciated naturalist Elsabe Kloppers' contributions. See you next year!" - Trip participants (couple)
We'll gather in Albuquerque on Friday, September 24, for a kickoff concert and a night at our comfortable hotel. Saturday, we board a chartered motor coach for the drive through the stark southwestern landscape of buttes and mesas to Durango, Colorado, the gateway city of the "Silver San Juans," at 6,600 feet above sea level. We have the afternoon free to explore this fascinating town, then a show that evening and overnight accommodations.
On Sunday, September 26 we board the storied Durango and Silverton Railroad for the unforgettable trip to Silverton, twisting through the Canyon of the Rio de las Animas Perditas ("The River of Lost Souls") on rails three feet apart in a land where no roads reach. Silverton is now a quiet hamlet of 500 year-round residents, but at one time it was the nexus of the booming mining industry. Nestled in a mountain valley at 9,300 feet, one steps into another era when one steps off the train. Once we check into the vintage Grand Imperial Hotel, the afternoon is free for exploring. Late afternoon sees an open mic, fantastic all-you-can-eat barbeque dinner and intimate private show.
Hiking, jeep and mine tours are favorite activities Monday morning, with everyone returning to town for departure early in the afternoon, retracing the rails to Durango (some of our best on-board singalongs have taken place on this leg of the trip), where we board our motor coach for the easy trip to the resort at Pagosa Springs, our home for the next two nights. Native peoples have visited the springs on the banks of the San Juan River for thousands of years, and the thermal pools are ours to enjoy 24/7. Tuesday is a day free to explore: soak in the springs, or join us on the optional trip to the Ancestral Puebloan ruins of nearby Chimney Rock. We provide a casual dinner during an open mic, followed by a private show to cap off a full day.
Wednesday morning, we set out for Chama, New Mexico, where we board the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The open-air platform car is a great place to take in the sights, sounds and smells of narrow-gauge mountain railroading at its most authentic. We climb from Chama, around breathtaking Windy Point to the summit of Cumbres Pass at 10,022 feet, then wind our way through wide valleys to the old railroad camp of Osier, Colorado, where lunch is served. We arrive back in Chama late in the afternoon. There's time to wash up at our hotel, then to the atmospheric High Country Restaurant for a buffet dinner and an outdoor show finale, complete with bonfire.
On Thursday, September 30, we travel by motor coach from Chama to Santa Fe, where we have several hours for lunch, exploring downtown and the historic Plaza area. Then it's a simple drive back to Albuquerque (patrons wishing to stay longer in Santa Fe are welcome to leave us here, or take the Rail Runner back to Albuquerque later in the day) for a final night at our hotel and fond farewells. Friday morning, October 1, some travellers head home, while others will choose to stay longer, to experience the famed Balloon Fiesta, starting on the 2nd.
"I can't thank you enough for the wonderful job. It's such a treat to be part of an adventure like this where everything is taken care of for you and you get to experience the most amazing things in addition to the trains and the music! I'm already looking forward to next year!" - Trip participant (solo)
Sign up today, by e-mailing Roots on the Rails at trains@sover.net, by calling 866-484-3669 (toll free in the US & Canada) or 802-258-1397.
THE PERFORMERS:
TOM RUSSELL
"Russell's work is among the most moving and literary of the past thirty years, an antidote to the recent trajectory of self-absorption in American singer-songwriting . . . his story-songs are unlike any others." - Andrew Marcus, East Bay Express.
Tom Russell was born in Los Angeles and now makes his home on the border in El Paso, Texas. His latest disc, BLOOD & CANDLESMOKE on Shout! Factory, has been hailed as the finest of his career. A familiar face on Late Night With David Letterman, he has written such classics as "Navajo Rug," "Gallo del Cielo," "Blue Wing," "Walking on the Moon," "St. Olav's Gate," and "Outbound Plane." Russell's songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Doug Sahm, Dave Alvin, Joe Ely, Ian Tyson, Suzy Bogguss, Iris DeMent, Peter Case, k.d. lang, Bob Neuwirth, Sylvia Tyson, Katy Moffatt and many others.
Rolling Stone stated: "Russell is one of America's greatest songwriters...as close to a Homeric treatment of American history as we're ever likely to see."
THE FLATLANDERS
"This is country at its elemental best, equal parts whimsy, passion, and revelation." - Entertainment Weekly
The fact that Texas music titans Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock - on their first go-round as The Flatlanders in 1972 - were completely rejected by the country music establishment is surprising in retrospect but, ultimately, poetic. That each went on to have formidable solo careers is a testament to their talent and determination. Add to this their diverse yet complimentary styles - Joe the street-wise rocker, Jimmie Dale the mystic with the classic country voice and Butch the cerebral folk singer - and you've got a story of one of the most extraordinary kinships in American musical history.
Hancock reflects, "We came together as a bunch of friends who happened to be musicians, too. There's just that crazy Lubbock mystery to it. We've all had our focus on the quality of the songs and the music, instead of any kind of 'me first' thing, or any kind of ego trips. It's almost like the old Marx Brothers thing: Three guys get to the door at the same time, and they all say, 'Oh, no, you go first.' 'No, you go first.' 'No, please, please, you go first.'"
Ely adds, "We've always been close, but now I think that we all realize that this is something that is really special. There are very few people who have remained as close as we have, especially in the music world. There are cases out there where brothers won't even talk to each other because they've been in the music business together. We consider this a real precious thing."
"For it to still be as much fun as it was in the beginning, I feel blessed," says Gilmore. "A lot of musicians don't get that luxury."
PAUL ZARZYSKI
Paul Zarzyski calls himself a Rodeo Poet, a title earned from the 35 years he's spent spurrin' the words wild across fenceless/open range of the blank page-15 of those years in which he rode bareback broncs on various rodeo circuits including the PRCA. Paul's been selected as a featured performer for every Elko Gathering since 1987. Three of his collections have become modern classics: WOLF TRACKS ON THE WELCOME MAT, which received the 2004 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America, ALL THIS WAY FOR THE SHORT RIDE (the rodeo poems), winner of The 1997 Western Heritage (Wrangler) Award from The National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, and BLUE-COLLAR LIGHT, a chapbook which speaks in both prose and poetry to his boyhood roots in northern Wisconsin. Paul has also co-written song lyrics with artists such as Ian Tyson, Tom Russell, Wylie Gustafson, Don Edwards and others.
"Mr. Zarzyski alternates between bluster and lyricism. For the former, he uses lopingly metered stanzas and punch-drunk, self-mythologizing bravura. But he proves equally adept at meditative free verse." - The New York Times
PRICE:
Trip cost is $2489 USD per person. Optional single supplement of $750 for solo travelers wishing additional privacy, otherwise we will pair you with another same-gender patron at hotels. Deluxe hotel option $375 additional solo or couple (nights of 9/26-27-28-29). Driving option available at $2129 USD per person (an excellent option for two couples or a group of friends travelling together - rent your own vehicle and travel at your own schedule, joining us for train rides and all activities). $300 USD per person non-refundable deposit by credit card required to hold space. 2% discount on total price if you prepay in entirety or provide us with monthly postdated checks, sent at time of sign-up. Payment schedules happily arranged. Payments outside of deposit are refundable until 60 days prior to departure. Reservations are transferable. Trip is limited to 85 patrons. Itinerary above is subject to change. Liability release signature required. Sign up today, by e-mailing Roots on the Rails at trains@sover.net, by calling 866-484-3669 (toll free in the US & Canada) or 802-258-1397.
The Fine Print: The payment of a deposit or any part or full payment for a reservation shall constitute consent to all the provisions contained herein. Flying Under Radar, LLC, Charlie Hunter, Sarah Ovenden and Tom Russell shall not be held responsible for property loss or damage and/or any damages resulting from illness, personal injuries or death which may be sustained by reason of, or while engaged on, any trip or tour whether due to the ownership, maintenance, use, operation or control of any vehicle, hotel, common carrier or any other conveyance used in carrying out these tours. We can assume no liability due to any cause whatsoever whether caused by failure or delay or other irregularity, acts or omissions occurring during a tour under which the means of transportation or other service thereby is offered or supplied by owners, operators or public carriers for whom Flying Under Radar, LLC acts only as agent. Flying Under Radar, LLC reserves the right (at its discretion) to alter or omit any part of the itinerary, or change any reservation, feature and/or means of conveyance without notice or for any reason whatsoever and without allowance or refund and with extra costs, if any, resulting therefrom paid by the passengers. Lineup subject to change. We reserve the right to cancel any tour prior to departure, in which case payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. Flying Under Radar, LLC shall not be responsible for any injury to person (whether or not resulting in death) or damage to property. Flying Under Radar, LLC strongly urges individual passengers to obtain appropriate insurance coverage. Baggage is at the owner's risk entirely. The transportation companies concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not aboard their carriers or conveyances. The passenger contract in use by the carriers concerned (when issued) shall constitute the sole contract between the transportation companies and the purchaser of these tours and/or passage. By accepting the ticket the passenger also agrees to its terms and conditions. By forwarding of deposit, the passenger certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other passengers. Flying Under Radar, LLC reserves the right to cancel or withdraw any person as a member of the tour at any time.
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