Now that it is officially 2018, we’re getting serious about this year’s RMOWP conference.The 2018 conference takes place in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve area, with headquarters in Alamosa, Colorado. Dates are Sunday, September 23 through Wednesday, September 26, (that’s Sunday afternoon through Wednesday evening), with a post-conference all-day trip on the historic Cumbres and Toltec narrow-gauge steam train on Thursday, September 27.
Lodging will be at the Alamosa Super 8, which has offered us a group rate of $89 per night for one or two adults. Reservations can be made by calling the motel directly at 719-589-6447. All rooms have microwaves and refrigerators, and breakfast is included. Pets are accepted in a limited number of designated pet rooms for $10 per pet per night. If you have any problems reserving your room, ask to speak with RMOWP’s contact, Assistant General Manager Carol Lasley.
Most workshops and other sit-down presentations will take place in the Student Union Building at Adams State University in Alamosa. RMOWP will provide university parking passes for registrants. Those bringing pets need to know that pets are not permitted in the Student Union Building but can be walked on the university grounds. Of course, service animals can be taken anywhere.
The conference will involve some driving – Great Sand Dunes is about 35 miles from Alamosa – but it will be well worth the effort. Late September should have wonderful fall colors, especially along the steam train’s route over 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass, and the weather will be cool (downright chilly in the evenings).
Registration forms will be included with the March-April edition of this newsletter, but for those who want to plan ahead, registration fee is expected to be about $50 per person and the Cumbres and Toltec train ride will be about $90 per person, including lunch.
We haven’t negotiated meal prices yet, but expect them to be reasonable. Please bring your America the Beautiful or other federal lands passes, as we will be carpooling into the national park and other public lands.
Alamosa is about 235 miles southwest of Denver and 200 miles north of Albuquerque, New Mexico.