Scenes from a Train: The American Landscape Part 2 (Green Shores)

By Eula @omgaeula

The scenic train ride continues... The Coast Starlight runs along the Pacific Ocean for about 178 miles, all the way to San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, giving a beautiful view of the beach. We were told to look out for baleen whales, which have two blowholes, so when they blow the water spouts out heart-shaped. We didn't see any, but I did see a lot of birds and fish.
Scenes from a Train: The American Landscape Part 2 (Green Shores)

The reason they call it the Coast Starlight.
Scenes from a Train: The American Landscape Part 2 (Green Shores)

I can't tell what these critters are...
I was amazed by the variety of textures in the landscape...the shore ending in cliffs and mountains, climbing up onto variegated flora. Blues and greens and yellows and I finally understand the watercolor of seaside paintings.
Scenes from a Train: The American Landscape Part 2 (Green Shores)

Nearing beach cities, we passed by surfers and their vans on the shore, or trailers parked higher up the cliffs.
Scenes from a Train: The American Landscape Part 2 (Green Shores)

Gradually, the beaches gave way to greater greenery, with more residential artifacts: pickup trucks, houses, and telephone lines. It was amazing, how colorful the landscape could be so near the sea.
Scenes from a Train: The American Landscape Part 2 (Green Shores)

The last leg of my journey had my window displaying "America's Salad Bowl." As this is long enough as it is, I will save that for a later post.
Scenes from a Train: The American Landscape Part 2 (Green Shores)

Gratuitous selfie. Hey, I was traveling alone!