Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma

Jill's Journal: On September 28, 1542, California was born. Or so they say. It does mark the day, 50 years after Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, that the first European set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States. That European was Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. Exploring on behalf of New Spain, he sailed into what is now San Diego Bay with his three ships and hardly could have known he earned San Diego the moniker, “Birthplace of California.” Although present-day San Diego, which he named “San Miguel,” was his first stop, he actually navigated much of the California coast, going at least as far north as the mouth of the Russian River (about 60 miles north of San Francisco Bay).

Cabrillo would be dead a little more than three months after sailing into San Diego Bay, but history has not forgotten him. There are tributes to Cabrillo, ranging from roads to schools bearing his name, all up and down the California coast.

It is believed that when Cabrillo docked his ship and set foot in San Diego, he was actually on Point Loma, a peninsula which separates San Diego Bay from the Pacific Ocean. He spent six days on land. Standing at the monument, one gets a fantastic view of the bay and the city.

Walking farther up the point, one can see Baja California – yes, Mexico! – in the distance. The border town of Tijuana is an easy trip from San Diego, but I think the rampant crime it’s known for at the moment will keep us on this side of the border with three little girls. However, if anyone wants to send a plane to bring us farther south to Cabo or just about anywhere beyond the border, we’re game! :)

Near the monument is the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. It makes for a nice walk and the bonus is that the lighthouse contains a little museum, showing how the lightkeepers and their families lived.

The lighthouse was built in 1854 and was among the first handful of lighthouses built on the Pacific coast. It ceased operations in 1891 because at 422 feet above sea level, fog and low clouds often hid its light. A new lighthouse in a better/lower location took over, but Old Point Loma went back into service briefly as a Navy signal tower during World War II.

Just outside the gates to the Cabrillo National Monument is Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Beautiful.