A不能仅仅说wordy/awarkward,如果说state that 和state where都可以,状语从句和定语从句都能接受的话,那么A的时态是有问题的,visite不能出现在journeyed之前。
In choice A it is not immediately clear whether forming modifies journals or parallels sketching and keeping. Also, where they had visited is wordy and inappropriate for a simple reference to past events.