First thing, welcome to the forum.
In all honesty I would recommend a digital, mostly because you can delete any bad photos, and not pay for them.
As for cameras, my personal would be the following: I don't want to scare you here either.)
Point and shoot: Fuji Fine pix, Sony cool pix, or any of the Olympus.
SLR: This is where things can get expensive, so caution is in order here for any one new to this. Nikon D-70, D50 or a Canon D-10 (used for around $550.) Lenses, go with a good 'bundle set' from the OEM, or from companies like Sigma, Tamaron, Tokina, etc. Recently several outlets have been selling the Nikon D-50 with a variate of lenses for around $600. The 28-80, and 70-300 is common, and for what you want to do, I would also recommend several books on the subject. I would get extra batteries, and at least 1 GB card. In the long run you will be much happier, and spend much less than if you went with film. Plus, during the hot summer months, you wont burn the digital, whereas with film, it is susceptible to heat in cars. (Great way to kill good shots.)
With the tripod, see if you can also get a remote cable with the camera. They can be expensive, but if you look on e-bay you may find one for around $30.00. One more thing. Get a GOOD water resistant bag! Lo-pro is a good one, or even an M-rock. This will save you many an hour of frustration.