Upcoming Trips: 2021 Gathering of the Tribe: La Posada
MAY 17 - 21, 2021 AT LA POSADA IN WINSLOW, ARIZONA
FOUR NIGHTS OF WONDERFUL MUSIC AT A LEGENDARY RAILROAD HOTEL
with Jon Dee Graham, Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris, Bonnie Whitmore, and Dead Rock West
Over the last 17 years of organizing these musical adventures, an extraordinary and entirely unplanned phenomenon has developed – the formation of the Train Tribe. This band of merry travelers have forged deep connections with each other over the years – whether having traveled on one trip or twenty – and we couldn’t be happier about it! The Tribe continues to expand its welcoming embrace with every new traveler who signs up for one of our trips and "gets it".
This past year of social isolation has been tough on all who love to gather to enjoy love music. We know you all miss each other terribly, miss the artists you've come to know on our trips, and miss gathering in community for the music we all love. For those who were considering signing up for their first ROTR trip when the world shut down -- we hope you can join us for our first outing back into the world!
One of our favorite stops on many of our adventures has been La Posada – a beautifully-restored Mary Colter designed former Harvey House, La Posada is considered by many to be her architectural masterpiece. It is now a small hotel, with beautiful rooms, garden spaces, a spectacular restaurant and a perfect setting in which to gather safely socialize, and enjoy live music. We’ve done many trips here, and know the owners well. They have been meticulous in their re-opening and Covid-19 precautions, and since we will be essentially occupying the entire hotel, traffic from the outside world will be minimal.
La Posada is also situated perfectly for day trips to some of the Southwest’s great attractions: the Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Meteor Crater, the Hopi ruins at Homolovi State park. So by day we’ll organize optional trips out to explore the region, or those who wish a more sedate experience can hang at the hotel in the rocking chairs on the platform and watch the trains roll by. We’ll have plenty of space for song circles, open mics, and perhaps some dramatic readings by those who have been honing their read aloud chops during the pandemic. By night, we’ll gather for music in the ballroom, or out in the Cottonwood grove. The gardens should be approaching their peak loveliness, and the weather should not be oppressively hot.
GETTING TO WINSLOW, AZ: Amtrak’s Southwest Chief does stop directly in front of the hotel, and it is very cool to hop off the train and roll your bags inside. Even with Amtrak’s schedule changes it is still possible to take the train to and from La Posada, but it is slightly more complicated than in the past. We are happy to provide technical assistance in figuring out the best plan for you and what type of tickets to purchase. It would mean:
- Folks coming from Los Angeles would need to board the eastbound Southwest Chief at 6 pm on Saturday, May 15th, arrive at La Posada at 5:28 am on Sunday, May 16th, stay that night at their own expense (we can get you our group rate - link) and on the return, you would depart Friday May 21 at 7:28 pm, and arrive back in LA on Saturday, May 22 at 8:15 am.
- Folks coming from Chicago or Kansas City would need to board the westbound Southwest Chief on Saturday, May 15 at 2:50 pm CHI (10:40 pm KC) , arrive at La Posada at 7:28 pm on Sunday May 16, stay that night at their own expense (we can get you our group rate -- link) and on the return, you would depart Friday, May 21 at 5:25 am and arrive back in Chicago Saturday, May 22 at 2:50 pm.
Another option for getting to Winslow would be to fly in and out of Flagstaff (62 miles, 1 hour from Winslow) or Phoenix (154 miles, 3 hours away) and rent a car.
THE PROGRAM
Monday, May 17: Staggered arrivals during the day, late afternoon trip check-in and Open Mic, dinner on your own, evening music program in either the ballroom or one of the outdoor spaces (weather dependent)Tuesday, May 18: Morning departure for optional day trip to the Grand Canyon, lunch on your own at Grand Canyon, latte afternoon return to La Posada in time for dinner and evening music program.
Wednesday, May 19: UPDATE: It looks likely that the Navajo Nation will not have re-opened to visitors by the time we get there, and we have no desire to pose them any risk, so we will likely take this day for a side trip down to the beautiful red rocks of Sedona and a chance to explore the funky little town of Jerome -- which used to be known as "The Wickedest Town in the West". If the Navajo Nation has reopened for visitors, we’ll take a group out for a tour of Canyon de Chelly. Led by Navajo guides born and raised in the canyon, we’ll take 4x4 vehicles along the canyon floor, flanked by soaring sandstone walls, cliff dwelling ruins and petroglyphs. and hear the history of this fascinating place and meet the people still living here today. Late afternoon return to La Posada in time for Happy Hour/Open Mic and the evening’s music program.
Thursday, May 20: Mid-day trip to the Meteor Crater – the world's best-preserved meteor impact site. At mile wide and over 500 feet deep, this is a truly awesome sight to behold! Late afternoon musical Happy Hour, followed by a festive Farewell Dinner at the famous Turquoise Room, and evening music program.
Friday, May 21: The gathering officially winds down and we all head home.
THE ARTISTS
JON DEE GRAHAM is the only artist to have been inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame three times: as a solo artist in 2000, again in 2008 as a member of The Skunks, and again in 2009 as a member of the True Believers. His spare and succinct songwriting style is an unassuming portal through which the listener is drawn into an immensely complex emotional and narrative landscape – a place of immense beauty amidst heartbreaking difficulty. He has spent part of his social isolation time amazing a loyal following at his noontime Facebook readings of children’s stories as Tio Pantalones or “Uncle Baggy Pants” while painting his signature evocative bear paintings.BONNIE WHITMORE songs are carefully crafted vignettes that invite the listener into a rich world of clear-eyed observations about love, heartbreak, and the humor and humanity in it all. A frequent collaborator with a veritable who's-who of Austin musicians, Whitmore has amassed a fanatical following with her weekly Continental Club Gallery residency, "Bonnie Whitmore and Friend." Her most recent record, “F*ck With Sad Girls” showcases her outstanding musical and vocal chops through a series of tightly-crafted songs delivered with equal measures of rage and delicate vulnerability.
MARY GAUTHIER first traveled with us in 2005, on one of our epic trans-Canadian trips. Since then, her musical journey has been remarkable, including her song “Mercy Now" being named One of The Saddest 40 Country Songs Of All Time by Rolling Stone Magazine. Now that's an honor! Her most recent work, evolving out of her “Songwriting With Soldiers” workshops, the Grammy-nominated and multi-award winning album, “Rifles and Rosary Beads,” was co-written with and for wounded veterans, and is astonishing in its raw honesty. Mary’s work consistently features a clear-eyed, unflinching take on the stories of people living on the margins, and to hear her discuss her songwriting process is inspirational. With eleven records under her belt, she has a book, “Saved By A Song,” coming out in August of 2021,
JAIMEE HARRIS is a Texas native - and her musical influences dug their hooks in early. Her dad bought her her first guitar when she turned five, and she spent the bulk of her formative years chasing all the live music she could find. A move to Austin in 2009 connected her with artists who would become collaborators as well as mentors, inspiring a clarity and purpose in her songwriting and performing. Lauded by none other than the legendary Jimmy LaFave as one of Austin’s most promising singer-songwriters, Jaimee has come well into her own with a powerful debut record, “Red Rescue”, about which Americana Highways posited, “Red Rescue may be a debut record, but this is the work of an artist of considerable maturity and sophistication. This could very well mark the arrival of one of the major figures in the next generation of Americana artists.”
DEAD ROCK WEST In 2017 Frank Lee Drennen, songwriter, guitarist, and singer with Cindy Wasserman in the band Dead Rock West explained the title of their newly released record “More Love” by saying, “These are difficult days and we need more and more love,” From a 2021 perspective, those words are both prescient and poignant. From their 2007 debut record, “Honey and Salt” Dead Rock West have explored a vast musical landscape, collaborating with LA-based musical luminaries like John Doe, Dave Alvin, and Peter Case to produce a body of work that reflects their individual and collective fondness for gorgeous melodies, tight harmonies, and songs that transcend their California roots to become American classics. With 4 studio albums under their belts, Dead Rock West have garnered critical acclaim for their original material as well as their homages to artists who have inspired them along the way, including 2015’s “It's Everly Time!”, their unique spin on the work of pioneering rock vocalists and songwriters, the Everly Brothers.
PRICING
We're really pleased to be able to offer this great event at a price only marginally higher than we did six years ago! With our traditional no-interest payment plans, we're aiming to make this trip truly affordable to as many as we can."Gathering of the Tribe" - $2189 per person (shared hotel room)
"Gathering of the Tribe" - Deluxe: $2489 per person (shared hotel room)
Deluxe Rooms are unique, featuring either fireplaces, whirlpool tubs or balconies - let Sarah know when you reserve what your preferences are, and she'll accommodate requests as they come in.
If you are traveling solo, we will pair you with a similarly-gendered patron, or you can purchase a solo supplement (see below) for your own hotel room each of the four nights.
TO PURCHASE:
Pay in Full for maximum savings! It makes our life much easier if trips are paid in full, and we pass the savings in time and bookkeeping on to you. 2% discount off regular price.• Pay in Full: $2145.22 per person
• Deluxe - Pay in Full: $2439.22 per person
- OR -
Pay a per person deposit then return within 30 days to pay your balance, or contact Sarah to set up an interest-free monthly payment plan
Per person deposit $300
THEN: Within 30 days of deposit, pay your remaining balance through our online store:
• Per person balance payment: $1889
• Deluxe per person balance payment: $2189
• or Contact Sarah at sarah@rootsontherails.com or 802-258-1397 to set up a convenient monthly credit card draw.
Solo Hotel Supplement: $300 supplement for four nights single occupancy of standard La Posada room.
Deluxe Solo Hotel Supplement: $500 supplement for four nights single occupancy of deluxe La Posada room.
Add-on hotel nights: If you’re arriving to Winslow prior to Monday 5/17 or electing to add on nights after Thursday 5/20, we can book those nights for you at our group rate of $160 for a standard room.
Credit cards (Visa, MC, Amex, Discover) and checks accepted. Payment plans at no additional charge are happily accommodated. Payment plan must be agreed upon and set up within 30 days of sign-up. Deposits, whether paid separately or as part of a full payment up front, are non-refundable, though they can be applied to a future trip with us. Liability release signature required.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance for your trip. By purchasing through this link to Squaremouth (an aggregator where various insurance company policies can be compared at no additional cost to you), we receive a small commission (about five percent). This helps us keep our trips as affordable as possible. On virtually every trip we have someone who needs to cancel at the last minute due to injury or illness, family emergency, or any number of unexpected circumstances. Those who had purchased the trip insurance were disappointed to be missing the trip, but very relieved that they were not losing all the funds they had paid us, the airlines, hotels, and others. Those who did not purchase the trip insurance were really, really sad to lose a train trip and a bunch of money too. We'd hate to see you be one of those people, which is why we stress the importance of trip insurance. Really, truly, we think it is worth it.THE FINE PRINT
Our customers are extremely important to us, and when travel disruptions occur we are committed to working with you to minimize the financial impact. In the even that you need to cancel a trip for whatever reason, we will work with you to try and find a buyer for the space you are needing to give up. Often this works out great for the person needing to cancel, as they recover most of not all of their investment, and a person who might have been on a waiting list gets to go on the trip!We understand that the new realities of travel are such that we need to be more flexible than ever before. We are also an extremely small business with many fixed costs that can't be recovered once a trip is within 90 days of departure. Given that the coming months are filled with unknowns, we are proceeding ahead with confidence that we can deliver the products promised (with some reasonable degree of change when necessary), and will be completely transparent if a scheduled trip looks like it needs to be adjusted in any way that might impact your enjoyment of the experience. So please read through our cancellation policy carefully and feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.Cancellation policy: Deposits, whether paid separately or as part of a full payment up front, are non-refundable, though they can be applied to a future trip with us. Outside of deposit and credit card fees, full refund will be given up until 90 days prior to start of trip. 50% refund 60-90 days. No refund less than 60 days prior to start of trip. Reservations are fully transferable to another person.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 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. Although all artists are contracted to appear, lineup is potentially subject to change due to illness or force majeure. 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. Flying Under Radar, LLC and Roots on the Rails management reserve the right to refuse service to anyone whom it considers incompatible with the best interests of its services or its guests.