From a window seat on the Pacific Surfliner westbound past Goleta, the appeal of train travel came quickly into view. We quietly rumbled past campgrounds, coastal ranches, and sandstone ridgelines above empty beaches before crossing the trestle over Gaviota Creek. Then it was into Hollister Ranch, the Dangermond Preserve, past Point Conception to Vandenberg Space Force Base — the whole of it among the most picturesque seaside splendor in all of California, if not the world.
Our plan was simple: Leave the car at home; take the early train on a Saturday from Santa Barbara to Pismo Beach; spend the afternoon, evening, and much of the next day eating and exploring; then jump on the return train late Sunday. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner runs daily between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, and no reservations are needed in the off season. Just climb aboard and the journey begins.
After about two hours, we arrived in Grover Beach, the closest stop to Pismo, about two miles away. Around the corner from the station, we caught the city bus to our hotel.