Coastal Trip Episode VI: Return of the San Luis Obispo (and me to LA!)

Saying goodbye to the fishies and the coast was a bit sad, but I couldn't complain about the scenery on the way back down through the Central Valley. I couldn't help but think of the work I had been doing this summer as I drove through these rural areas with not much around except farms or vineyards (with NO buildings as far as I could see, which left me to wonder where the people were that took care of the vineyards??). [Basically I have been working on a project this summer to evaluate low-volume dealers, most of which are located in remote areas, so that's why it reminded me of that.]

This was the place I stopped to get gas and as you can see, it was in a wide valley surrounded by mountains. I wish I had better photos of this part of the trip.

More scenery as I drove along...

After about 2.5 hours of driving, I came to San Luis Obispo, which used to be one of the only stops between LA and San Francisco and originated the word "motel". I wish I had more time to spend there since it looked like a cute little town, much like Santa Barbara. But I did get to stop at the mission and walk around for a bit.

The mission had some beautiful gardens in the back.

In this shot, you can see a little bit of the mountains that surrounded the town.

So then I had to be on my way. This time, I drove along a different road coming into Santa Barbara, right along the Gaviota coast. As you may remember from my post about horseback riding, we rode above and just to the south of the Gaviota coast. It's an area just north of SB, and the absolute BEST part of this drive was that I could actually see the largest of the Channel Islands off the coast that evening! It took my breath away every time I turned my head to get a glimpse of it. It was amazing to see this huge mountainous piece of land in the middle of the water. Especially since I had been by that spot several times before and hadn't seen it because of the darn haze and ocean fog. I didn't manage to get a photo, but I really wish you had all been there to see it.

There was one last scenic vista on the way to Santa Barbara, and I had to stop, especially since the sun was setting.

As I was standing there enjoying the sunset, I heard a train in the distance. It was an Amtrak passenger train coming right down the shoreline. I thought it was so romantic -- it just made the moment! Just imagine standing here, listening to the ocean waves, seeing the sun set behind mountains, and hearing the whistle and clickety-clack of the train going by. Ahhh...

In this photo, you can just see the train coming towards me to the upper right of the car (it has its light on).

One last self-taken photo and I was on my way for the final time, down the homestretch back to Los Angeles. I encountered the same traffic in Santa Barbara caused by that flaming torch I mentioned in my horseback riding post, but otherwise, it was smooth sailing. This was definitely the best weekend road trip I took being out here this summer and I was sad to see it end. But at the same time, I was definitely feeling a little lonely doing all this stuff by myself. One of the lines in a Keane song I listened to on the way back hit home: "For a lonely soul, you're having such a nice time." Well, luckily I can share it with you all through photos, but someday I will go back and take someone with me to share it with in person!