Awake: 6:40am Temp 49 sleep 6+49 sunny overnight @ San Diego, CA.
After our usual healthy breakfast, & checking our e-mail, weather, & national/local news, we motored to a different side of San Diego called: Point Loma.
Well, there are several distinct neighborhoods in P.L.: the commercial & the heart of the peninsula is called Point Loma Village.
Then there is Liberty Station which has residential & educational sections.
And there is the Midway district at the northern end of the peninsula, which is primarily commercial & industrial with a few small residential developments.
Also La Playa, which includes some of the most expensive homes in San Diego; and the hills above La Playa are known as the Wooded Area.
And not to forget the northwest corner of the peninsula, where the San Diego River flows into the ocean, there is a separate community known as: Ocean Beach.
There are a few more areas of less known distinction but I need to move on.
As you can see, we had to do some homework this morning before leaping off into this new territory of Point Loma. Our goals for today are only the old Point Loma lighthouse, the Cabrillo National Monument & Visitors Center, viewing downtown San Diego, & the Military field + airport, surrounding neighborhoods & we also hope to spot some gray whales migrating north this time of year.
We brought our cheat sheet with us to stay on course & we were off @ 12:05pm. The Cabrillo National Monument (the end of Point Loma) is a mere (4) miles from our campground.
It didn't take long for us to detour the course we set out to follow......due to such nice & intriguing neighborhoods + a sneak peek @ the Pacific Ocean....... but wait a minute....that girl on the beach, is she carrying a Bible ?
We had quite a nice talk with Kristin, who lives nearby & frequently brings her Bible with her to the beach at Ocean Beach.
We continued our course on Catalina Blvd, & arrived @ the pay hut; the young lady told us: "that will be $5.00 for a (7) day pass." I asked her if I could use my Golden Age Passport, & after showing her some identification, we were free to go.
After parking, we went directly to the viewing area & what a grand surprise. Aside from the day being a little foggy/hazy, we were stunned by what we could see. We each had our 10X
binoculars bringing those views even closer.On your far right is downtown San Diego; most of the middle picture is all Navy & Coastguard. Straight out beyond the Military field, is San Diego's Lindbergh Field. Too much haze & difficult to see though.
Then the visitor center announced a 25 min movie @ 2:00pm on: The search of Cabrillo The explorer that discovered San Diego.
After the movie, we walked over to the Cabrillo Monument & read about this guy. On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo accidentally hit paradise, or as it's more commonly known, Southern California, he anchored his ships on the peninsula of Point Loma. The Cabrillo National Monument stands in his honor at Ballast Point in San Diego Bay.
So far, we've seen no signs of gray whales. The waters were relatively
calm & the only wave making signs were done by the Coast Guard,
small sail boats or yachts.
Next, we climbed the hill & checked out the old Point Loma Light House which was built to guide the vessels safely into the harbor. Unfortunately, the location hadn't been well thought out & fog + clouds frequently obscured the light's signal. However the old lighthouse still stands as a tribute to the lonely life of a lighthouse keeper & the many crews who depended on the light's guidance.
There were whale watching areas up near the light house also, but no gray whale waves to be seen. We climbed the circular stairway up to the Fresnel lens. The circular stairway was not made for touring so we did get up close & personal a few times.
Time was ticking so before the shops close, we drove about 1/2 mile down to the ocean to witness the Tidepools. Some of the rocks were slippery so we were careful in walking around.
We found out the tides control the rhythm of life along the ocean's shore. The marine plants & animals living here in the rocky intertidal zone have adapted to harsh conditions of pounding surf, intermittent exposure to sun & drying wind & sharp changes in temperature & salinity.
Mother Nature does a fairly good job of slicing the rocks.
En route back to the campground, we experienced a wee bit of rush hour traffic, otherwise our tour time was super duper. There are more things to see & do in Point Loma so we want to return soon.
Dinner: Pork chops, fried noodles, mango slices & a mixed salad.
Evening movie:"The Prize." We watched (14) min due to!
Lights out: 12:06 am.
After our usual healthy breakfast, & checking our e-mail, weather, & national/local news, we motored to a different side of San Diego called: Point Loma.
Well, there are several distinct neighborhoods in P.L.: the commercial & the heart of the peninsula is called Point Loma Village.
Then there is Liberty Station which has residential & educational sections.
And there is the Midway district at the northern end of the peninsula, which is primarily commercial & industrial with a few small residential developments.
Also La Playa, which includes some of the most expensive homes in San Diego; and the hills above La Playa are known as the Wooded Area.
And not to forget the northwest corner of the peninsula, where the San Diego River flows into the ocean, there is a separate community known as: Ocean Beach.
There are a few more areas of less known distinction but I need to move on.
As you can see, we had to do some homework this morning before leaping off into this new territory of Point Loma. Our goals for today are only the old Point Loma lighthouse, the Cabrillo National Monument & Visitors Center, viewing downtown San Diego, & the Military field + airport, surrounding neighborhoods & we also hope to spot some gray whales migrating north this time of year.
We brought our cheat sheet with us to stay on course & we were off @ 12:05pm. The Cabrillo National Monument (the end of Point Loma) is a mere (4) miles from our campground.
It didn't take long for us to detour the course we set out to follow......due to such nice & intriguing neighborhoods + a sneak peek @ the Pacific Ocean....... but wait a minute....that girl on the beach, is she carrying a Bible ?
We had quite a nice talk with Kristin, who lives nearby & frequently brings her Bible with her to the beach at Ocean Beach. We continued our course on Catalina Blvd, & arrived @ the pay hut; the young lady told us: "that will be $5.00 for a (7) day pass." I asked her if I could use my Golden Age Passport, & after showing her some identification, we were free to go.
After parking, we went directly to the viewing area & what a grand surprise. Aside from the day being a little foggy/hazy, we were stunned by what we could see. We each had our 10X
binoculars bringing those views even closer.On your far right is downtown San Diego; most of the middle picture is all Navy & Coastguard. Straight out beyond the Military field, is San Diego's Lindbergh Field. Too much haze & difficult to see though.
Then the visitor center announced a 25 min movie @ 2:00pm on: The search of Cabrillo The explorer that discovered San Diego. After the movie, we walked over to the Cabrillo Monument & read about this guy. On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo accidentally hit paradise, or as it's more commonly known, Southern California, he anchored his ships on the peninsula of Point Loma. The Cabrillo National Monument stands in his honor at Ballast Point in San Diego Bay.
So far, we've seen no signs of gray whales. The waters were relatively
calm & the only wave making signs were done by the Coast Guard,
small sail boats or yachts. Next, we climbed the hill & checked out the old Point Loma Light House which was built to guide the vessels safely into the harbor. Unfortunately, the location hadn't been well thought out & fog + clouds frequently obscured the light's signal. However the old lighthouse still stands as a tribute to the lonely life of a lighthouse keeper & the many crews who depended on the light's guidance.There were whale watching areas up near the light house also, but no gray whale waves to be seen. We climbed the circular stairway up to the Fresnel lens. The circular stairway was not made for touring so we did get up close & personal a few times. Time was ticking so before the shops close, we drove about 1/2 mile down to the ocean to witness the Tidepools. Some of the rocks were slippery so we were careful in walking around. We found out the tides control the rhythm of life along the ocean's shore. The marine plants & animals living here in the rocky intertidal zone have adapted to harsh conditions of pounding surf, intermittent exposure to sun & drying wind & sharp changes in temperature & salinity. Here is a photo of surf grass.
And another photo of an intertidal zone creature that needs identified.
Mother Nature does a fairly good job of slicing the rocks. En route back to the campground, we experienced a wee bit of rush hour traffic, otherwise our tour time was super duper. There are more things to see & do in Point Loma so we want to return soon. Dinner: Pork chops, fried noodles, mango slices & a mixed salad.
Evening movie:"The Prize." We watched (14) min due to!
Lights out: 12:06 am.
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