While on board, you'll be experiencing the utmost in train travel,
and some of our country's most breathtaking and fascinating sights:
the King Dome, Puget Sound, the Coiumbia River, Mt. St. Helens,
Diamond Peak and the Three Sisters Mountains. You'll pass waterfalls,
timberlands, orchards, vineyards, orange groves, and logging camps - not
to mention Spansh missions, Vandenberg Air Force Base, and the
Pacific Ocean.
Amtrak and your crew are proud to host you on board. We'll do
everything we can to ensure you enjoy your trip. If you have any
questions please don't hesitate to ask your Attendant or On-Board
Service Chief.
You're traveling on board Amtrak's
Superliner train - the Coast Starlight. On this route, you'll be
traveling between the "Emerald City", Seattle and the "City
of Angels", Los Angeles along the Pacific Coast through Portland,
the "City of Roses", Eugene, Sacramento, Oakland and
Santa Barbara.
The Coast Starlight features on board activities the whole family
will enjoy. Listen for announcements of the specific time and
location of activities, and most of all - have fun!
MOVIES IN THE SIGHTSEER
LOUNGE CAR. Video presentations
including features for childern during summer months, will be
shown.
HOSPITALITY HOUR. Join fellow passengers in the Lounge Car for
drinks and complimentary snacks, and don't forget to ask about
regional specialties.
GAMES are usally conducted in the Dining Car. Small
prizes will be rewarded. Listen for annoucements for time and location.
The Conductor is in charge of all crew members and is responsible
for the collection of tickets and the safe operation of the train.
The Chief of On-Board Service supervises the on-board service
crew, and oversees the quality of service.
ROOMY COACH SEATS
. Your Coach Attendant will see
to your needs. Since your seat is assigned for the length of your
journey, please do not change without first consulting a crew
member.
PRIVATE SLEEPING COMPARTMENTS
. Your Sleeping Car Attendant will
prepare your room for daytime or nighttime use, provide wake-up
calls and bring the morning paper and beverages. Individual speakers
bring you recorded music on channels 2 or 3, and train announcements
on channels 1 and 2. Simply turn the channel selector near the
reading light. First class passengers recive additional amenities
including complimentary meals in the Dining Car.
Economy, Family, Special and Deluxe bedrooms are available. Special
bedrooms have a private bathroom and Deluxe have private baths with shower.
Sleeping accommodations may be purchased on board from the Conductor if space permits.
DINING CAR SERVICE. The Dining Car features complete meals in a comfortable
setting. Major credit cards are accepted. Sorry, there is no smoking
in the Dining Car. A crew member will contact you if dinner reservations
are necessary.
SPECTACULAR SIGHTSEER
LOUNGE CAR. Enjoy the magnificent
scenery from our large picture windows, and don't forget the sandwiches,
snacks and beverages available for purchase at the Cafe Bar. You
can also purchase souvenir playing cards, post cards and blankets.
Lounge Car hours are generally from 6 a.m. to 12 midnight.
SCENIC SPOTS: Your train passes many beautiful and interesting
sights. The "camera" symbol
on your Route Guide Map marks the best spots, so have your camera
ready!
OUTSIDE SHOTS: Medium-speed films (ASA 64 or higher) are recommended
for shooting scenery through the train windows. If your shutter
speed is adjustable and light conditions permit,set it at a higher
speed(1/125 or 1/250 sec.) for the clearest results. Hold your
lens close to the window to eliminate glar and reflections.
INSIDE SHOTS: Flash is recommended. To aviod glare and rrefections,
do not point the flash directly at the windows.
This guide is written from north to south, noting how many minutes
past the previous Amtrak station you can expect to see a particular
sight, and whether you should look right or left.
The first time reference tells you how far that point is from
the next Amtrak station from the north, and the second time, how
far it is to the next Amtrak stop to the south. If you're traveling
north, just begin at Los Angeles, or your point of origin, and read
the entries in reverse order. Remember to look left when we indicated
to look right, and right when we indicated to look left.
Note that all
Welcome aboard! Amtrak's Superliner, the Coast Starlight,
will be making a 1,390-mile trip from Seattle, Washington to Los
Angeles, California. Along this route you will travel
up steep mountain ranges, down into rolling, green valleys, and
along the beautiful, sandy shores of the Pacific Ocean. The scenery
is breathtaking and the history is fascinating.
So sit back, read all about it and enjoy your Coast Starlight
tour.
SEATTLE King Street Station is only blocks away from
the busy harbor and piers which make Seattle a gateway to the
Orient and Alaska. The Space Needle, built for the 1962 World's
Fair, is north of downtown and can be seen as the train leaves
the city. Adjacent to the station is the King Dome, home of the
Seattle Seahawks and Mariners.
BOEING FIELD (7MIN./42MIN.) On the right is the home of the famous family
of Boeing jetliners. This historic airport is still used for private
aircraft and for Boeing test flights. The original red-bricked
Boeing plant is now the museum of flight.
KENT (16MIN./33MIN.)Long Acres Racetrack is on the left near Kent.
PUYALLUP (40MIN./12MIN.)The town, pronounced "Pew-OWL-up" is
named for an area Indian tribe. The train crosses the Puyallup
Indian Reservation along the Puyallup River.
TACOMA was called the "City of Destiny" because
of the sawmills and lumber all along McCarver Street. Today, Tacoma
remains a major seaport city. The large blue round building on
the left is the Tacoma Dome, a convention center.
PUGET SOUND Beyond the city, the train follows Commencement
Bay in Puget Sound, to the right. The Olympic Moutains rise from
the far side of the Puget Sound and the Tacoma Narrows.
STEILACOOM (24MIN./17MIN.)A Pierce County Ferry terminal is on the right.
It serves Anderson Island and McNeil Island also to the right,across
Henderson Bay.
OLYMPIA-LACEY Just outside of town, the train crosses the Nisqually
River. Olympia is the capital of Washington State.
CENTRALIA was founded by a former slave from Virgina in
1875. The Skookumchuck River crosses through Centralia. As the
train passes through the outskirts of Centralia, look beyond the
ball fields on the left toward the mountains to view Mt. St. Helens.
Its 1980 volcanic eruption sent ash in this direction. The grayish
ash can still be seen in the countryside.
WINLOCK (19MIN./28MIN.)Winlock claims to be the "Egg Capitol of
the World". On the right side of the train, the town proudly
displays a huge "egg" as a mounument to its egg production.
CASTLE ROCK (35MIN./10MIN.)As the train crosses the Toutle River outside
of Castle Rock,it also passes the distance reached by the devastating
mudslide from the Mt. St. Helens eruption. The volcanic slide reached
the Cowlitz River, on the right, nearly 40 miles away from the mountain.
KELSO-LONGVEIW is the "Smelt Capital of the World"
because each year, during January and Febuary, thousands of the
tiny sliver fish swim up the Cowlitz River to spwan. From here
to Vancouver, the train follows the Columbia River, on the right.
Oregon is on the opposite shore. Until the War of 1812, the Columbia
was the border between the U.S. and Canada.
THE TROJAN NUCLEAR
POWER PLANT (7MIN./28MIN.)is on
the right, across the Columbia River on the Oregon side.
VANCOUVER The Hudson Bay Company built Ft. Vancouver in
1824 as a trading post. Locals like to refer to thier city as
"Vancouver USA" to distinguish it from the Canadian
city of the same name. This is the oldest continuous settlement
in the Pacific Northwest. The train crosses two arms of the Columbia
River and then crosses over the
Willamette River which it then follows into Portland. Here the
train crosses between Washington and Oregon. Look upriver to the
left for a veiw of Mt.Hood.
PORTLAND,the beautiful "City of Roses" is Oregon's
largest metropolitan area. Know for its parks, fountains, gardens, jazz
festivals and, of course, the Portland Rose Festival. East of
Portland station, the train crosses over the Willamette River via
the Steel Bridge. As we leave Portland and
enter the suburb of Milwaukie,we see Mt. St. Helens and Mt.Hood
on the left. At Portland, we change railroads. The train follows
the Burlington Northern route from Seattle to Portland. We travel
on the Southern Pacific railroad all the way from Portland to
Los Angeles.
WILLAMETTE VALLEY We are are now traveling through the Willamette
Valley which continues for 145 miles to Eugene. The Cascade Mountians
are on the left and the Coast Range is on the right.
OREGON CITY (29MIN./36MIN.)Founded in 1842, Oregon City was the "End
of the Oregon Trail" and the original capital of Oregon Territory.
Keep your eyes open for the natural waterfalls as we ride through
Oregon City. The huge Crown Zellerbach pulp plant and log rafts
along the are the dramatic evidence of Oregon's lumber country.
AURORA (46MIN./24MIN.)We cross the Pudding River and enter Aurora. Aurora,the
first commune in the U.S., was settled by Germans in the 1850's.
Just south of Aurora, we pass through a region known for the variety
of berries grown here.
WOODBURN (53MIN./17MIN)has attracted both Hispanic and Russian settlers.
WILLMETTE UNIVERSITY
(1:08MIN./1MIN.)Just before we
arrive in Salem you see Willmette University, on the right, founded
in 1842 by Jason Lee. It is the oldest university in the west.
SALEM is the state capital and the second largest city
in Oregon. On the right side of the train, you will see a gold-plated
statue atop the state capitol building. The statue is that of
a man holding an ax and represents the spirit of the people who
developed the state of Oregon.
LLAMA FARM (17MIN./12MIN.)On the right side of the train as we pass between
the towns of Turner and Marion, you see a llama farm. At one time, llamas
were bred for thier wool. Now,they are popular for use in backpacking expeditions in the
nearby mountain wilderness.
ALBANY began as a small but prosperous river town in
1845. Today,it is a lumber and agricultural center. Albany is
known as a major supplier of our nation's grass seed, and as covered
bridge country.
TANGENT (10MIN./25MIN.)As we travel through Tangent, named for the 20
miles of straight track that runs through here, note the dome-like
buttes on the right. They were formed by volcanic eruptions
thousands of years ago. Marine fossils have been found on the
tops of the buttes and mammoth and mastodon bones have been found
at their bases. On the left side of the train you see vast fields
of grass seed farms. 95% of the grass seed raised in the U.S.
is raised between Albany and Eugene. 80% of the mint plants grown
between Harrisburg and Eugene. You will see feilds of mint plants
alongside the tracks.
THREE SISTERS MOUNTAINS
(25MIN./10MIN.)Just before we
enter Eugene, you'll see the snow-capped peaks of the Three Sisters
Mountains. They are on the left side, far to the east
EUGENE Lane County, in which Eugene is located, is known
as the "Lumber Capital of the U.S." Eugene is also the
home of the University of Oregon. This is the westeren-most city
on the Amtrak system. As we leave Eugene,we pass the university
campus on the right, and then cross the Willmette River.
SPRINGFIELD (6MIN./2:50MIN.)At this point we will start our climb into the
Cascade Mountains. From here on, note the changing landscape. You
will see many more trees, evergreens and shrubbery. The terrain
also becomes rocky.
LOOKOUT POINT RESERVOIR
(30MIN./2:15MIN.)You'll see Lookout
Point Reservoir and Dam on the left. Looking south along the reservior, you
can see Diamond Peak (8,750 ft.) and looking to the left, the triple
peaks of the Three Sisters Mountains are in the distance.
WESTFIR (55MIN./2:05MIN.)Just north of Oakridge, we cross the north fork
of the Willmette River. Look for the quaint, red covered bridge
which spans the river on the right side of the train.
OAKRIDGE (60MIN./2:00MIN.)We now begin our climb up "The Hill".
We will ascend 3,600 ft. in 44 miles until we reach Cascade Summit.
After crossing Salmon Creek, we follow Salt Creek,on the right.
Willamette National Forest encompasses this entire region.
SALT CREEK CANYON (1:20MIN./55MIN.)Here we get a spectacular view of the tracks above
and below as the train climbs the Cascades. Now you can get an
idea just how high we are climbing into the mountains. From McCreedie
Springs to Cascade Summit, just 30 miles away, we will climb another
2,700 ft., starting with two hairpin turns when we cross over Salt
Creek into the mountains . Along this part of the route, take note
of the snowsheds. Snowsheds are concrete or wooden structures
which support a roof over the railroad tracks from snow accumulation
and avalanches. Also along this route, notice the waterfalls streaming
down the mountainside.
WILLAMETTE PASS (2:05MIN./40MIN.)We are now traveling through Willamette Pass.
Note the ski trails of the Willamette Path Ski Resort. At this
point, we also meet the headwaters of the Willamette River. The
tall, thin evergreens lining the track are Douglas Fir. North of
the pass you'll be able two see the tracks of our route far below.
There are 22 tunnels between Eugene and the end of our crossing
of the Cascade Mountains heading south.
CASCADE SUMMIT (2:20MIN/30MIN.)The large body of water you see on the left is
Odell Lake. Don't miss the spectacular veiw of the snowcapped
Maiden Peak (7,811 ft.) majestically overlooking the lake. We are
now at an elevation of just over 4,800 ft.
CHEMULT As we enter Chemult Station, Diamond Peak is visable
on the right. As we leave Chemult,look to your right. You see Mt. Thielsen
(9,178 ft.) Mt. Scott (9,128 ft.) and DIAMOND
LAKE (5MIN./1:10MIN.). Mt.Scott was formed after Mt. Mazama (14,00 ft.) erupted
approximately 6,000 years ago. The remains of Mt. Mazama now form
Crater Lake National Park.
KLAMATH MARSH South Chemult, we cross board, flat Klamath Marsh
for the next 40 miles. Notice the brackish waters of WILLIAMSON RIVER (30MIN./45MIN.)as we enter the canyon on the right. We will follow
the Williamson River for the next 15 miles.
UPPER KLAMATH LAKE
(60MIN./10MIN.)On the right, is
one of the largest fresh water lakes west of the Rockies. The lake
is 8 miles wide and 40 miles long. On the right, we see the snow-capped
peak of Mt. McLaughlin (9,760 ft.).
KLAMATH FALLS As we arrive in the Klamath Falls station, note
the sawmills on the left side of the train. The scent of freshly
cut wood is often in the air. South of Klamath Falls, we'll see
the Klamath River on the right.
OREGON/CALIFORNIA STATE
LINE (16MIN./2:40MIN)We cross
state line in 20 miles south of Klamath Falls.
MT.SHASTA
Between Klamath Falls and Dunsmuir, snow-covered Mt.Shasta (14,162 ft.) dominates
the scenery. Some of the most dramatic views of Mt.Shasta are
had from the train on moonlit nights. During the night, the
train stops in DUNSMUIR,
REDDING, CHICO and MARYSVILLE
SACRAMENTO is the capital of California. On the eastern end
of Saramento, the train crosses the American River. West of the
station, the train passes the California State Railroad Museum, on
the left, and crosses the Sacramento River.
DAVIS Agriculture
and veterinary medicine are specialties studied at this campus
of the University of California. The 1913 Davis adobestyle train
station on the right is a historic landmark.
THE "MOTHBALL FLEET"(3MIN./7MIN.)A fleet of ships has been mothballed in the
SUISUN BAY to the left of the train. These are mostly World War II ships, though some of them saw action in Desert Storm in 1991. The mountain in the distance to the far right is Mt. Diablo. Here the train crosses the Carquinez Strait on the Martinez Benicia Bridge at the mouth of the Suisun Bay.MARTINEZ
is the home of the Martini, and the birthplace of baseball's Joe
Dimaggio. Benicia, to the left across the bridge, was the capital
of the state from 1853 to 1854 before the statehouse was moved
to Sacramento. Martinez is the connecting point for Amtrak service
to cities in the San Joaquin Valley.
SAN PABLO BAY and the CARQUINEZ
STRAIT(5MIN./10MIN.)This large
shipping lane and recreational waterway is also home of the Mare
Island Shipyard which can be seen across the water. Across the
strait on the left of the Carquinez Bridge is the California Maritime
academy.
RICHMOND This station is the interchange with the Bay Area
Rapid Transit(BART)system, offering connections to points throughout
the region. BART trains can be seen on the left. Between Richmond
and Oakland, look for the skyline of San Fransico and the Golden
Gate Bridge on the right across the San Fransico Bay.
OAKLAND is the fourth largest city in California. The
port of Oakland boasts the largest containerized cargo terminal
in the west. For those of you detraining at Oakland and continuing
on to San Franisco, you will make convenient shuttle bus connections
at trainside. Your bus will take you over the 8 1/2 mile long
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and into the heart of exciting
San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO is a thriving cosmopolitan city famous for gourmet
dining, exotic shopping, the Golden Gate Bridge and a beautiful
climate. Amtrak's downtown station is located in the Trans-Bay
Terminal on Mission Street.
JACK LONDON SQUARE
& VILLAGE (9MIN./60MIN.)Just
south of the station, the train crosses Jack London Square. It
is located directly next to the wharf and was named after the
American writter Jack London. He was famous for books such as
the Call of the Wild and other stories of the frontier days. To
the right, we see Alameda Naval Base.
OAKLAND COLISEUM (19MIN./51MIN.)The large, circular structure is to the right.
To the left,the BART rapid transit line follows our route once more.
MOFFETT AIRFIELD (45MIN./20MIN.)Across the lower end of San Franisco Bay, we see
Moffett Field Naval Air Station. note the huge former blimp hangers
in the background. A little further south on the right, we see
the Graet America theme park in Santa Clara.
SANTA CLARA (1:03MIN./5MIN.)is an important industrial and fruit growing center, and
the heart of the computer industry's "Silicon Valley".
SAN JOSE was founded in 1777 as an agricultural settlement
known as "Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe" in the name
of Charles III of Spain. In 1849, San Jose became the first state
capital of the newly proclaimed Republic of California. This station
is also the stop for local CalTrain commute service to Peninsula
cities and San Francisco.
SANTA CLARA VALLEY From San Jose to Gilroy, we will be traveling
through the Santa Clara Valley. We see the Santa Cruz Mountain
Range on the right side of the train. Mt.Hamilton (4,430 ft.) is
visible on the left after we leave San Jose. We also follow the
Diablo Range, to the left. From Oakland to Los Angeles, the railroad
tracks follow the same route of the old Spanish mission road, El
Camino Real which means the "Royal Road". From 1769
to 1823,Franciscan Friar Junipero Serra founded a chain of 21 missions
and 4 chapels along this road from San Diego to Sonoma. Each was
bulit to be one day's horseback journey from the next. Serra himself
has come to be known as the "Apostle of California".
GILROY (48MIN./50MIN.) calls itself the "Garlic Capital of the World".
Note the garlic plants along the tracks. Every August, Gilroy hosts
their annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.
PAJARO GAP (60MIN./30MIN.)We are now crossing the Santa Cruz Mountains through
the Pajaro Gap. Pajaro Valley means "Valley of the Birds".
We get a beautiful view of th green, rolling Santa Cruz Mountains
on the right.
WATSONVILLE JUNCTION
(1:10MIN./25MIN.)Watsonville was
settled by Gold Rush prospectors who turned their attention to
agriculture. Along the tracks,take note of the many strawberry
fields,apple orchards,and lettuce paches. Nearby,the Spanish explore
Portola discovered the first redwood tree.
CASTROVILLE (1:25MIN./10MIN.)Welcome to the "Artichoke Capital of the
World". You see the bushy tops of the artichoke plants in
the fields on the right side of the train.
SALINAS
is the head of the Salinas Valley, known as the "Country's
Salad Bowl" because of the many varieties of vegetables grown
here. It was the boyhood home of Pulitzer Prize winner, John Steinbeck.
Steinbeck's childhood home has been preserved and today is a museum/restaurant.
Salinas is the closest station to Monterey, 15 miles to the west.
SALINAS VALLEY As we leave Salinas, we pick up the Diablo Range
on the left. San Benito Mountain (5,258 ft.) on the left is the
highest point of the Diablo Range. On our right is the Santa Lucia
Range. We follow the Salinas River Valley for the next one hundred
miles.
SOLEDAD (30MIN./2:27MIN.)Founded in 1791 as a mission town, Soledad Prison
is prominent on the left side of the train. While imprisoned here, Black
Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver wrote his famed book, Soul on Ice.
In just a few minutes, we rejoin the salinas River on our right.
On our left, we will see Pinnacles National Monument and the begining
of the Gabilan Range. Look for vineyards and a crop duster base
and airfield (50min./2:07min.) on the left, just before we enter
the 1,305-ft. Rocky Point tunnel.
KING CITY (45MIN./1:10MIN.)King City was the site of one of the Spanish missions
built in 1771. J.E. Steinbeck, father of author John Steinbeck, was
King City's first railroad agent.
SAN MIGUEL (1:41MIN./79MIN.)As we pass through this quaint town,you can see
Mission San Miguel Arcangel, founded in 1771. This was once of
Father Serra's orginal missions along El Camino Real. Look on
the right for a two-story adobe building adjoined by a long,arched
wing.
CUESTA PASS (2:24MIN./10MIN.)Just soouth of Santa Margarita, we enter the Cuesta
Pass. We will be climbing the mountains and getting a spectacular
view of the San Lucia Mountains as we wind in and out of five
tunnels, high above the Los Osos Valley. U.S. Highway 101 climbs
the oppsite side. From the top of Cuesta Grade, we descend over
1,000 feet in the next 11 miles. Below, you'll see our tracks into
San Luis Obispo and the trestle over Stenner Creek.
HORESHOE CURVES (2:46MIN./10MIN.)The train winds around two sweeping horeshoe
curves which the railroad bulit to gain altitude climbing the
pass. The fortress-like structure coming up on the right side
of the train is the California Men's Colony, a state penitentiary.
Its most famous escapee was Dr.Timothy Leary. You'll get a good
view of the entire train here. The GM-bulit diesel locomotives
each develop 3000 horespower and pulling the Coast Starlight at
speeds up to 80mph. Each Superliner car is 85 feet long, over 16
feet high and weighs approximately 75 tons.
SAN LUIS OBISPO was founded as Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
in 1772. After experiencing several fires in the thatched roofs
of their missions, it was here the Spanish missionaries developed
the technique to manufacture the red tiles that became a distinctive
feature of mission architecture. Today, the study of architecture
continues at California Polytechnic State University which is
located north of the station. Amtrak Tours depart from here to
San Simeon, site of Hearst Castle,the extravagant home of the late
newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.
PISMO BEACH (25MIN./1:50MIN.)Pismo Beach is a popular resort famous for its
23 miles of wide beaches, sand dunes and ins Pismo Clams. As we
pass behind Pismo State Beach and Dunes, you get a glimpse of the
massive sand dunes through the tall Eucalyptus trees on the right
side of the train.
PACIFIC OCEAN (50MIN./1:25MIN.)You now get a full veiw of the beautiful Pacific
Ocean. We will be following the coastline for the next 104 miles
to Ventura.
VANDENBURG AIR FORCE
BASE (50MIN./56MIN.) For 30 minutes,
as the trains follows the Pacific Ocean, we cross right through
the Strategic Air Command's Western Missile Test Range, the launch
site for military missiles and satellites. As our route first
approaches the base from the north, we enter just below the Minuteman
Missile area with Minuteman Beach to the right. At PURISMA POINT(55MIN,/1:20MIN.), we see the first of several launch pads, called
Space Launch Complexes (SLC), on the right and the Vandenburg
airfield to the left.
SURF(1:02MIN./1:13MIN.) We cross the Santa Ynez River at Ocean Beach
Park. Just below Surf, look for more launch pads on the right
and, out to sea, the first of several off-shore oil wells.
SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH
PAD(1:08MIN./1:07MIN.) The launch
pad SLC6, ana the huge white, flagbedecked support building on
the left were built to be the home of the military's Space Shuttle
program. They have now been abandoned.
POINT ARGUELLO(1:09MIN./1:06MIN.)At Point Arguello, our route turns southeastward
toward Los Angeles. In spring and fall, you may be able to spot
migrating whales off the point . On the right side of the train,
you see a lighthouse on the point. Today, an automatic beacon
warns ships of the impending rocks. Over the years, Point Arguello
has been the site of many shipwrecks. One of the most famous shipwrecks
occurred here on September 8,1923. The U.S. Navy's Destroyer Squadron
11 was steaming south at 20 knots when they encoutered thick fog.
Believing they had passed Point Arguello, the squadron commander
ordered the turn into Santa Barbara Channel. Instead,seven of
the destroyers were wrecked and 23 sailors died when they struck
the rocks. It was one of the greatest peacetime Naval disasters.
POINT CONCEPTION(1:24MIN./51MIN.) Just north of the point, we cross a high trestle
over Jalama Beach Park at the southern boundary of Vandenberg
Air Force Base. Point Conception comes into view. The lighthouse
was built in 1855 and is still in use. The beaches below are popular
with surfers, bathers and campers. The SANTA YNEZ MOUNTAINS come
up to the left. To the right, you'll see that cows enjoy the seaside
as much as people. Grazing lands line the palisades high above
the surf. Much of this spactacular, cliff-top view of the Pacific
is unspoiled because of the continuing presence of large ranches
in this area. It's a view you'll only see on Amtrak!
GAVIOTA(90MIN./36MIN.)
is Spanish for "seagull."
Look forward on the ocean side as the train curves toward a spectacular
high trestle at Gaviota Pass. A little further south is
TAJIGUS CREEK TRESTLE(1:43MIN./32MIN.). Refugio State Beach
is just to the south. Here, we are following the Santa Barbara
Channel.In addition to ship traffic, you will also see off-shore drilling
platforms which pump oil from below the sea floor. Portugese explorer
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovered the channel in 1542.
ELLWOOD OIL FIELD(2:03MIN/15MIN.) Beyond the grasshopper-like oil wells is a little
known historic spot. On Febuary 25, 1942, Captain Kozo Nishino surfaced
the Japanese submarine I-17 in the Santa Barbara Channel and fired
17 rounds from his 140mm deck gun toward the oil field, inflicting
little damage. It was probably the only direct enemy attack on
the continental United States in the past century.
Los Angeles El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora de la Reinade Los
Angeles, now known simply as Los Angeles, was founded in 1781.
The los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal is a fitting blend of
Spanish and Art Deco styles-reflecting both Los Angeles' earliest
heritage and the great film tradition. Across from the station
is Olvera Street, a colorful historic district that marks the
site of the original village.
