Coast Starlight - "Trails and Rails"

Saturday October 3, 2009

For me, this next section was the most interesting part of the trip. It's not that it was especially beautiful but because National Park Service guides are on board as part of the "Trails & Rails" program, and they give interesting information on nature and the area's features and history. In this case the guides were an elderly couple.

This particular program was hosted by the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail as we were following a section of the 1,210 mile route. In 1775-1776 a Spanish expedition consisting of thirty families trekked overland from Arizona to San Francisco.

Another interesting feature about this part of the trip is that the train travels through a restricted military base that many people wouldn't get to see. The Vandenberg Air Force Base is used for testing missiles and for launching satellites. It was also supposed to be used to launch a space shuttle but that didn't happen. I can't remember how many storeys high they said that flag is on the side of the building, but it was huge.

We were told this location was chosen because there is nothing but ocean between this point of land and Antarctica.

There are particularly rough seas in this area. The lady ranger brought by a photo album with pictures like this showing the Honda Point disaster of September 1923 where seven destroyers ran aground and 23 sailors died. It was the biggest peacetime loss of US Navy ships.

On a lighter note, the ranger brought around two abalone shells. One was large, just like the shell we had in our house when I was a kid. The second was an example of the puny size they tend to get to these days. I can't remember if she was talking about farmed or wild ones since I didn't take notes, or if I did I can't find them. Unfortunately we couldn't hear everything that was said. Even though loudspeakers were set up, some people came to the car to socialize or play games. Across the aisle from us a very loud Russian talked non-stop to a girl at his table. The more the rangers tried to be heard over him, the louder he got.

When the rangers left the train later on, I was sorry to see them go.