TRIP UPDATES

students horse back riding away
June 24, 2026
2026 Grand Western Tour

In the Saddle: Day 10 of Ranch Life in Swan Valley

Swan Valley, ID

If yesterday was all about friendly competition, today with The Grand Western Tour was all about easing into true cowboy mode. We started the morning by heading over to Granite Creek Ranch for some horseback riding. After a bit of riding instruction and a proper introduction to our individual horses, we set off in a […]

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students raising american flag in costumers outside
June 23, 2026
2026 Grand Western Tour

Costumes, Brackets, and Bonfires: Day 9 at the Ranch

Swan Valley, ID

Some of the best days with The Grand Western Tour are the ones where we get to slow down, settle in, and just enjoy being together. Today at the ranch was exactly that. We eased into the morning with a more relaxed pace, hanging out and putting the finishing touches on our costumes for the […]

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students walking away from camera toward hole in the rock
June 22, 2026
2026 Grand Western Tour

Carved Cliffs and Red Rock Arches: Day 7 to Salt Lake City

Moab, UT

Day 7 with The Grand Western Tour took us deep into red rock country, and it gave us one of the most memorable rest stops of the trip so far. We pulled over at Hole N’ the Rock, a quirky roadside attraction near Moab where an entire home has been carved right into the cliff […]

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Teen leaning on the railing of the open-air Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train car, looking up at steep rocky mountain slopes covered in pine and aspen trees
June 21, 2026
2026 Grand Western Tour

Quarters, Mountain Towns, and an Open-Air Train: Day 6 in Silverton and Durango

Durango, CO

Day 6 with The Grand Western Tour kicked off with one of the more underrated milestones of any trip: a morning at the laundromat. For more than a few of us, this was the first time ever doing our own laundry, and we came prepared with what felt like several pounds of quarters to get […]

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