Coastal Starlight - day 1

 We have done the Amtrak Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle, the Californian Zepher from SFO to Chicago and the Sunset Limited from Los Angeles to New Orleans. But I still wanted to take the Coastal Starlight from Los Angeles to Seattle so I decided to include it in our trip along with the Canadian from Vancouver to Toronto.

It is not pleasant waiting on a hot platform for your train to pull in so that you can get on board. The day before, the temperature was over 90 F and it was quite hot the next morning. There are very few seats provided and the roar of the diesel engines on the neighboring trains is deafening.

Our train pulled in about an hour late. I received several texts from Amtrak, each proclaiming a different reason for the delay.

Eventually, we made it into our sleeper compartment. You can tell that Marianne was super excited about being given the opportunity to climb up into the top bunk that night. The space is so small, I can't fit, particularly with that gut which I am sure is an optical illusion caused by the camera.

We set off into the industrial area north of the station.

Bridge over one of the concrete water channels that you see so often in films where cars race along them. I have never seen any water in them.

The menus. Click on the image to enlarge.

There has been a long drought in California and I was pleased to see some flowers.

Bob Hope Airport. Years ago, I read an article that said that Bob was advised to buy up orange groves on the outskirts of Los Angeles. He made a fortune when he subsequently sold them for housing developments.

Eventually, we left the endless suburbs.

Orange trees.

All the grass was brown from the drought.

Interesting supports for transmission lines.

California is one of the main food producing states in the US.

They grow plenty of these plastic strips which we think house strawberry plants.

Agriculture everywhere.

The train line heads towards the coast and a fog had rolled in.

Normally, you would see the ocean on the other side of the buildings, but the fog obscured the view.

We had moved up to the observation car for this part of the journey. Our compartment faced east to the land side and the ocean is to the west.

The Ventura Fairgrounds.

Wetland beside the ocean.

At times, the train line is right beside the sand.

Parking lot for RVs.

Eventually, the fog diminished and it was very pleasant looking at the view.

We left the observation car and returned to our compartment after lunch.

I was intrigued by this lowset house.

Vandenberg Airforce base.

The train line still hugs the coast.

On top of the hill is the runway.

You may be able to make out the end of the runway.

We had no idea what this was.

We arrived in oil-producing country.

Just add water and stuff grows here.

Grape vines.

Stopped at San Luis Obispo where we were allowed to get out and stretch our legs.

Our car attendant was named Antwuan.

Inside the station hall.

We were in very hilly country.

In the afternoon sun, it was all quite beautiful.

An unusual touch of green in a shady gully.

More grape vines.

This area had suffered from a fire.

More oil wells.

I had a steak for dinner and I would say it was the best steak I have ever had on an Amtrak train. The taste was quite different from an Australian steak which comes from grass-fed cattle.