Cabrillo National Monument

While it was a gorgeous day, sadly, Cabrillo National Monument was our last stop in San Diego before flying back to the Pacific Northwest. We headed along the coast to Cabrillo National Monument, which is about a half hour from downtown San Diego. The park is situated at the very tip of Point Loma peninsula and oversees all of San Diego including Coronado Island and the famous Hotel Del Coronado. Our first stop at Cabrillo National Monument was down the hill to the tide pools. Supposedly we were there during low-tide... I guess when you're spoiled by Oregon tide pools, you can come up disappointed. Except for the occasional small crab that would run away to hide from any people invading their habitat, the tide pools were barren. 

Getting down to the rocks was a little bit of a trek in flip flops while trying to navigate loose rocks and dirt. (I definitely thought that there was going to be more sandy beach than there ended up being!) Even though there wasn't much to see in the tide pools, the coast was still impressive. The California coastline is still some of my favorite stretch of coastline along the West Coast. While the time of day wasn't ideal for photos, the photos still go to show how rugged the coast really is.

After we headed to the tide pools at the base of Cabrillo National Monument, we drove back up to the top of the hill to see the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. This was the original lighthouse built at the very top of the hill in 1854, but later became inactive when New Point Loma Lighthouse was built at the base of the hill in 1891 and served as a beacon that marked the edge of the coastline. 

Unfortunately, the tower to the lighthouse was closed and I wasn't able to get into the tower. I wish I could have because it would have been spectacular to be able to grab a panoramic shot of San Diego! In an attempt to get the best picture I could of the light, I stuck my camera through a gate blocking the entrance to the tower and fired away. Luckily I was using a wide angle and was able to show most of the light and capture some of the detail in the light. I knew shooting with a wide aperture would let me get it in focus. After all, the camera was arms length away and I couldn't see through the viewfinder to focus or aim... :)

Close to the visitor's center is the statue of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, the first European to step foot onto the west coast of the United States. The land for Cabrillo National Monument was first purchased in 1913 by Woodrow Wilson, but it wasn't until 1939 that a statue of Cabrillo was put in place. The location of the statue has Cabrillo overlooking the entire bay of San Diego. It was quite a popular spot and everyone wanted their photo taken with the famous discoverer. 

I have to say, this was not a bad last stop before heading to the airport straight from here.