This summer, Waterside Adventures invited interns on two wildly different trips that showcased the variety of places accessible from the Bay Area using multimodal transportation. From an Amtrak train to Sacramento to a ferry ride out to Angel Island, these day trips exposed interns to new places, rich California history, and alternative forms of transit.
July Trip to the Sacramento Railroad Museum
At the end of July, before school started, 12 interns and staff walked to the Berkeley Amtrak station, a convenient two blocks from Waterside’s campus at the Aquatic Park, and boarded the Capital Corridor for a day trip. With breakfast burritos in hand, we relaxed in the cabins and enjoyed the hour and a half long beautiful ride to Old Sacramento.
When we arrived in Sacramento, we walked to the State of California Railroad Museum. We were hosted graciously by the volunteer docents at the museum who took us on a tour where we learned about the history and significance of connecting the western coastal economies to the rest of the country. We discussed past and current jobs available in the railroad industry. Our interns were engaged with our wonderful tour guide, Paul, and excited to be there to explore something totally different than our usual programming. After the tour, interns explored the museum on their own and were able to see all the exhibits.
We left the museum and walked around Old Sacramento stopping for some ice cream, lemonade, and pizza. We meandered our way back to the train station and played our new favorite card game Skulls and Roses once on board. Then we arrived back in Berkeley just around sunset.
Program staff were incredibly pleased to see this enthusiasm for a new type of trip for Waterside Adventures. We are excited to share knowledge about sustainable and accessible transportation, and exposure to Amtrak is a great way to introduce interns to alternative transportation beyond personal vehicles.
This day trip was made possible through our Route to Parks grant from Parks California.
August Visit to Angel Island
In August, interns and staff traveled to another site easily accessible via multimodal transit – Angel Island. Interns and staff made their way to the San Francisco Ferry Building in the morning and boarded the Angel Island Ferry. Along the ride, interns spotted classic Bay Area islands like Treasure Island and Alcatraz. They saw amazing views of the East Bay, Sausalito, and San Francisco.
We arrived on Angel Island and stopped for a picnic lunch at the beach before heading up the trail where we saw deer and blackberry bushes. Interns absorbed every moment of the expansive views while we were on the hike. The further up the trail you go, the more and more of the beautiful bay views you can see – it is such a delight!
Back at the beach, only the staff were brave enough to take a plunge in the cold water of Ayala Cove but it made the hot hike all the more worth it. As we waited in line for the last ferry, interns were already excited to come back for another trip or camp out in the future. We made our way back to San Francisco and then drove back to Waterside with full bellies after tacos.
This day trip was made possible by our Explore the Coast grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy.
