Day 8: Spectacular Ride through California

The all-day ride on the Coast Starlight from Sacramento was spectacular. Great scenery all the way, starting with the delta of the Sacramento River with bright green grasses, flashes of yellow flowers, deep blue water and white birds. The delta widened into San Francisco Bay when we crossed the river and headed to the East Bay Area, passing ocean-going ships heading upriver to Stockton and other ports.

We were delayed for a while in Oakland for an engine change. Saw the San Francisco skyline across the bay from the Oakland container port and rail yards. After Oakland we headed along the bay past salt flats and then through San Jose and south to Salinas, John Steinbeck’s home town.

The Salinas Valley is flat, fertile and busy with people growing lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, artichokes, cauliflower, garlic and other crops - they boast about being “the nation’s salad bowl” - as well as grapes for wine. As we headed south, we climbed up into tan rolling hills and the farms gave way to small ranches.

We climbed further into the San Luis Obispo mountain range, with the train going through tunnels and around hairpin turns. After a long descent, we reached the Pacific Coast and followed it for more than three hours as the surf pounded and the sun set. After dark we could see the lights on the oil rigs in the Santa Barbara Channel before we headed inland for the final stretch into Union Station in Los Angeles, with arrival at 11:00 p.m., two hours behind schedule.

Overall it was a beautiful ride, with an incredible variety of cities, towns and landscapes.

Amtrak’s Coast Starlight in the San Luis Obispo Mountains

Heading south toward Santa Barbara

Crops in the Salinas Valley

Oakland container port, with
San Francisco skyline in the distance