Originally Posted by
jimhudson
Also the Time of Year doesnt really matter since the Beach around Santa Barbara and the Cascades Run is spectacular any time of year! Especially colorful is Winter with Snow in the cascades!)
Sorry Jim, but I have to disagree with this just a bit. It does matter what time of the year if one is going southbound to LA. During the Winter months, and especially if the train is running late, one will arrive in the dark for the run along the Pacific coast. This is NOT something to be missed!
In fact, I think it's part of the charm and uniqueness of this train that you get both mountains and the ocean all on the same trip!