TRIP UPDATES

students facing away with a red fireworks display in the background
July 6, 2026
2026 Grand Western Tour

Sun, Surf, and Fireworks: A Fourth of July at Pismo Beach

Pismo Beach, CA

Today with The Grand Western Tour, we celebrated the Fourth of July in true summer style, with sand between our toes and fireworks overhead. We started the morning with a drive down to Pismo Beach, grabbing Chick-fil-A for breakfast along the way. The bus was buzzing the whole ride, full of face painting, fairy hair, […]

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students in a line in front of the golden gate bridge
July 4, 2026
2026 Grand Western Tour

Fog, History, and the Golden Gate: A Full Day in San Francisco

San Fransisco, CA

Today with The Grand Western Tour, we gave San Francisco the full day it deserves, and it did not disappoint. We kicked things off with a morning trip to Alcatraz, taking a ferry across the bay to tour the old prison complex. It was such a strange and striking feeling to see the city in […]

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students at the bottom of a redwood stump
July 4, 2026
2026 Grand Western Tour

Among the Giants and Into the City: Hello, San Francisco

San Fransisco, CA

Yesterday with The Grand Western Tour was another big driving day, but it came with some pretty unforgettable stops along the way. We hit the road super early and grabbed prepared breakfast and lunch from the store to keep us going. Before lunch, we took a small but very worthwhile detour into the redwoods, where […]

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students in a red jet boat in the rogue river
July 2, 2026
2026 Grand Western Tour

Splashes, Sturgeon, and Jet Boats: A Day on the Rogue River

Gold Beach, OR

Today with The Grand Western Tour, we stayed put in Oregon, and the Rogue River gave us a day we won’t soon forget. The main event was a fantastic jet boat ride up the river. Our captain, Andy, kept things exciting the whole way, soaking us more than a few times with splashing stops and […]

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