The Coast Starlight was about five hours late into Oakland, because track work on the usual Union Pacific route south from Klamath Falls forced a very interesting detour down the Burlington Northern "high line" to the Keddie Wye in the Feather River Canyon. There hasn't been scheduled passenger service on this route in decades, so Mom and Dad were treated to some rare and magnificent scenery. It's always good to be flexible about your schedule when you're traveling by train! After arriving in San Luis Obispo, we spent one day touring the Hearst Castle, and another exploring Solvang. Mom and Dad stayed on in San Luis Obispo visiting their friends the Orths, while Mo and I headed further south on Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner to Anaheim.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| This is the "back yard" of the Hearst Castle. Whenever I see wide open spaces like this, I imagine walking along the hills with Kiyoti running free. | Magnificent wood and tile work adorn the twin towers on the main house. | Most ceilings have some kind of sculpted or painted decoration. | Imagine waking to this view of the California coast from one of the bedrooms. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| This is Hearst's office, which reminded me a lot of my den at home. | Just one of the pools in the house. Mom and Dad are peering over the edge on the right. | Another view of the pool. | This is the front door to the "guest house". |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Another one of the pools. | Beautiful green hills (at this time of year, anyway) behind the house. | Looking through the gardens between the guest and main houses. | The coastline from the plaza in front of the main house. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| This sculpture is thought to be 3500 years old, from the Luxor region in Egypt. | Twin towers on the main house. There are bedrooms near the top of the towers! | The main public gathering room. Tapestries all around, an enormous fireplace, and surrounded by choir chairs built into each of the walls. | The dining room. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| This is the view from the Orth's house, looking over Avila Beach. | The Orth's graciously offered the use of their car while we toured the area. I will probably not be in a Mercedes again, so I wanted to document it this time! | Looking back at the town of Avila Beach from one of the three piers. | The Olde Port Inn on the pier. |
 |
 |
||
| We ate at the "Fat Cat" in town. | Moon over Avila Beach about 5 a.m. as we prepared to leave for Anaheim. |