Day 19: San Francisco

Our first morning in San Francisco started off with a noteworthy continental breakfast with warm cinnamon buns, muffins, sausage and eggs. The crew was relieved to have a slow and relaxing morning, not having to meet until 9:45am. The past few mornings have been very early, so a little extra sleep was much appreciated! 

We boarded the bus with a local tour guide, Linda, who escorted the group through "The City by the Bay". She educated the group on the diverse neighborhoods, the history of the city including past earthquakes and fires, and the different cultures that are prominent throughout. The landmass of the San Francisco is a mere 46.9 square miles and is the smallest county in California. Though the landmass is small, it is the second most densely populated city in the U.S. behind New York City. 

(Holy Virgin Cathedral)

(Burger Urge, Haight Street)

About halfway through the tour we reached the top of Twin Peaks, the highest point overlooking the city. I'm sure the view would be incredible on a clear day, but we were welcomed by thick fog and chilly air. We were at the Twin Peaks just long enough to take a few misty pictures. 

(View from Twin Peaks)

Typical San Francisco weather :)

Later on in the tour, we made a stop at the Lands End Lookout visitor center with views of the Pacific, wild flowers, hills and ruins of Sutro Baths. 

(Sutro Bath ruins)

Our guided tour continued from the furthest point west in San Francisco toward Golden Gate Park. At the end of the tour, we were dropped off on the south side of the Golden Gate Bridge. The group embarked on a windblown hike to the north side of the bridge toward Saulsalito. The windchill made the walk a cold one but that didn't stop the group from enjoying it. 

The most amazing part of the walk was spotting at least 4 or 5 whales swimming near the Golden Gate Bridge. This was such a rare and unusual sight! I heard a student say "it was on my bucket list to see a whale in the wild." It was definitely an unforgettable and special experience. 

(Whale tail)

Once we arrived at the north side of the bridge, the bus met and drove us into the heart of Saulsalito. This cute town overlooks the bay with restaurants, shops and a small marina. The weather was much warmer with clear blue skies on the mainland. The crew spread out for lunch before loading the bus back to Fisherman's Wharf.

(Pizza parlor for lunch)

After a little afternoon free time, we loaded the bus for AT&T Park to watch a Major League Baseball game, the San Francisco Giants versus the Colorado Rockies. The stadium was packed and the crowd was rowdy! The crew seemed to feed off the ballpark atmosphere and even sang along to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." A baseball game is never complete without a hot dog or snacks and our crew certainly had their fair share. AT&T Park is known for its delicious food, especially the garlic fries, and man did they smell good! The game ended with a home team victory, 5-1. Go Giants!

(3 strikes you're out!)

Stayed tuned for another adventurous day in San Francisco tomorrow!

Day 18: To San Francisco, CA

After an eventful evening of fireworks the crew slowly made their way to the bus as the sun rose. We stopped for breakfast at a local McDonald's before heading south into California.  We quickly found ourselves in the midst of the various redwood forest state and national parks.  The redwood trees are native to California with some as old as 1,200-1,800 years old. They are some of the tallest trees on earth growing to height of 379 feet with diameters possible up to 29.2 feet. Clarence drove us through the Avenue of the Giants which is a scenic highway running through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. We were able to stop a few times to allow the kids  to run and play among the giant redwood trees. It was like a scene from Twilight. 

The majority of the day was taken up by the drive through California to San Francisco. As we popped out of the mountains and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge we watched the temperature drop from 77 to about 56 degrees. The kids were astonished at the temperature and the foggy atmosphere of San Francisco along the bay. 

Dinner was as a group at the In-and-out Burger on Fisherman's Wharf. The crew hungrily lined up outside the building eager to eat. As fast as they prepared 57 meals for us it seemed like a lifetime in the chilly San Francisco Bay temperatures. For some this was their first taste of the West Coast burger joint. We had two thumbs up from many of the group members. As the group was finishing up with dinner they were allowed to go explore Fisherman's Wharf in groups of 6 or more. The Wharf acts as a larger version of Broadway at the Beach which many students are familiar with from Myrtle Beach vacations. There are restaurants, shops, dessert/candy stores, an arcade, and the Ghirardelli chocolate factory within easy walking distance. At the right time of day sea lions can be seen laying on the docks near the Wharf basking in the sun. 

 

Day 17: Seattle to Gold Beach, OR

Day 17 marks the official halfway point of the 2016 Grand Western Tour. Time flies when you are having fun, and this trip is passing at lightning speed!

Early this morning, we departed sleepy Seattle and spent the majority of the day driving through Washington and Oregon. Most of the students slept for the first couple of hours, as expected. After the first rest stop, we watched a patriotic movie called "Independence Day" in light of the 4th of July.

We took a lunch break in Cottage Grove, Oregon. The group ate at a local restaurant called The Vintage or at a string fast food chains. 

Forrest Gump was the next movie as we tried to pass the time until we reached the Oregon coast. Once we got close to Gold Beach, the group was shocked to see such stunning cliffs that dropped straight down to the Pacific Ocean from the highway. It's gorgeous! 

We arrived at Jot's Fishing Resort around 5PM, just in time to settle in before our 4th of July celebration. Our hotel had the perfect view of the Rogue River and few of the students were lucky enough to spot seal or two from their balcony!

Tonight the group indulged in a outdoor barbecue dinner of chicken and ribs, Caesar salad, baked beans and rolls. We also celebrated the birthdays occurring on the tour. Loflin, Caroline, and Amber all have had or will have birthdays while we are on the trip. The group sang "Happy Birthday" loud enough for the entire resort to hear! We also consumed two large cakes that were prepared by a local baker (tasty, might I add)! Let's just say the group ate well tonight.

Soon after dinner, a DJ started up a dance and karaoke party to help kick off the evening of festivities. We had some entertaining performances to say the least! The song choices ranged from Journey to Justin Bieber.

Later on we walked down to the beach and jetty to experience a windy and chilly Pacific coast sunset.

The 4th of July wouldn't be complete without fireworks. The group made it back to the resort and had the perfect view of Gold Beach's show across the river. We couldn't have asked for a better place to celebrate our country's independence. Happy 4th of July from the GWT to all of our families at home.

Next stop, California!