Our California trip continued with a boat cruise around Lake Tahoe. The mountainous scenery around us was so beautiful and several trip members remarked at how rare it was that the weather was warm, yet there was snow on top of the mountains. Everyone enjoyed soaking up the rays and a special congratulations goes to Lola who conquered her fear of boats. We continued the beautiful day by having a delicious barbecue near the beach, complete with swimming, tubing and water skiing. Later in the evening the group was split into teams for a scavenger hunt and a special shoutout to North for his creativity. Afterwards, we each shared what we were grateful for on the trip so far and the overwhelming answer was friendship!

The next day our group arrived in Ventura, where we celebrated with cake for Ethan’s birthday! Then everyone took a lovely walk into the quaint town to eat some delicious food before going to the beach for a swim in the Pacific. In the evening we got a game of football going and watched a remarkable fireworks show with the locals to celebrate the Fourth of July.

As we made our way to Los Angeles, we stopped by Venice Beach and tried some delicious poke bowls. We enjoyed the perfect ice cream sandwich snack from the famous Diddy Riese before heading to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. It was a close competition, but Ella C. won the contest for the best pose with a wax figure for her re-enactment of Beyonce! Our trip was able to see a great view of the Hollywood sign from the Highland Center and had fun stepping in the shoe prints of some of the most famous celebrities in the world at the Chinese Theatre. As we returned to our dorms, Robert spotted some players from the UCLA basketball team and they were kind enough to let him FaceTime Moses Brown!

The next day we visited the UCLA bookstore before making our way to Universal Studios. Once there, we took a tram tour around many different sets and learned how special effects, such as fire and rain, are created. We even saw them filming a Netflix show before taking on the amazing rides and exploring the Universal City Walk area. William couldn’t stop talking about the new virtual reality Harry Potter ride!

To add to the excitement, we also went to the home of Mickey and Minnie! The group went on many rides and Samantha said the Indiana Jones one was really thrilling! At the end of the day, we watched an amazing fireworks show and played Disney trivia. Lainey G. got into the Disney spirit by wearing her Moana costume.

In the afternoon we ate lunch at the Farmers Market and walked around The Grove. We continued our day by checking out Rodeo Drive. Afterwards we began a game called Gotcha, where each trip member has a given word that they try and get another member to say. Erynn and Miles were the final two contestants! In the evening we attended the Improv Comedy Club, which was absolutely hilarious! Nick even had the courage to go on stage and sing happy birthday to one of the staff.

We cannot wait for what is next to come!

The Westcoast Blogger

Want to experience a sunny California summer? Take a look at our 21-day California and the Canyons adventure!