Journal Entries

First day ever packrafting! My new paddle and PFD arrived from Amazon the other day. Thanks to the pacraft loaner from @Hig, I am now able to give this sport a go. This morning, while waiting for the family to get thier act together, I took it out for a spin in Berkeley Marina.

Cowpens, South Carolina, site of a crucial battle in the American Revolutionary War. The Battle of Cowpens was a very important victory for Americans in their fight for independence from Great Britain. It was the beginning of the end for the British in this war.

The area isa national park, and the visitor center had a very well-done film that taught all about the battle and its significance in US history. Not normally a history buff, I did enjoy this visit and the trail through the battle sites, which were pasture lands at the time.

Rhode Island was a destination for us because my hubby has family there. Here are my hubby, our teenage son and his cousin (same age) clamming at the Town Beach in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. They hauled a lot of clams that day, along with my father-in-law and brother-in-law, and they cooked 'em up. I didn't partake because I am allergic to shellfish.

(If you've followed the posts, between the last locale - Badlands, South Dakota - and here, we hit Wisconsin Dells for waterpark action and Indiana Dunes on shore of Lake Michigan, ((where we encountered poor weather and had miserable camping in the heat and mosquitos!)) also Poconos Mountains, Pennsylvania.)

Our last stop on our way out of town was lunch at Ithaca Beer Co. We went on the recommendation of a friend, and it did not disappoint. It's a microbrewery with a restaurant, both indoor and outdoor seating. The patio looked tempting but with the kids, we opted to sit inside. My litmus test for a new restaurant is the burger, and the burger was good, especially with my Flower Power beer. This place gets a thumbs-up for having good food, being kid-friendly and having great customer service.

San Francisco across the Bay from the marina where we're staying.

Badlands National Park was incredible! We camped out at a free, primitive camping area called Sage creek. We saw bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and the amazing layered rock formations that Badlands is famous for. The weather was beautiful, with some dry lightning storms that cleared up and allowed for a view of thousands/millions of stars in the heavens. The hikes we did were awesome - I highly recommend a trip here to South Dakota.

We've arrived in Berkeley and this boat will be homebase for the next 3 weeks.

Our home for the next leg of this journey will be a sailboat in a marina in California. In this photo, @mypictograph, @celine, myslelf, and our host are moving Aria from Richmond, CA to Berkeley, CA. Waters in San Francisco bay were a little choppy, but fun.

This is hot weather for this Canadian girl. Tomorrow we leave Nevada for San Francisco Bay where the daytime highs are 15C cooler. I like the sun and I'm a summer girl but I'm ready for some cooler temps and ocean breezes.