Cabrillo National Monument

We arrived in southern California on Saturday night April 28th but it wasn’t sunny and it hasn’t been sunny and warm since we’ve been here.  We’re staying at Fiddler’s Cove which is the navy marina in Coronado.  It’s right on San Diego Bay with great views of sailboats and the skyline.  Unfortunately, it is no longer a full hook-up park and is only dry camping.  On Sunday, the 29th we visited the Cabrillo National Monument in the afternoon.  It is a fantastic place and we should have allowed more time.  There are several historical aspects that are significant. First is that Spaniard Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was first European to set foot on west coast and stayed six days in what is now San Diego.  He was trying to discover a route to Asia and find gold.  He mysteriously died on the expedition and though they tried to continue, the expedition was abandoned near Oregon coast before they turned and headed home.  The record of his voyage made later exploration safer and helped with the eventual trade route between New Spain (California) and Philippines.

Janae and Stefan were immediately drawn to the life in the 16th c. presentation going on in the visitor center.  Stefan got to experience wearing some heavy chain army or helmet and Janae was thrilled to get to wear a velvet dress that looked like it was custom made for her.  We learned that the most desirable trait of a woman was to have large hips and they would wear these donut like straps around their waists to give a greater illusion.  Having many children insured in their later years greater wellbeing and having large hips was a sign that you could bear lots of children.  The woman also wore daily veils and since no hair could be shown, would shave the first inch or so of their hairline.

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse is also on the site and is a reminder of different times: of sailing ships and oil lamps and the men and women who tended these isolated coastal lights.  It was a demanding job.  A dedicated keeper was on-duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no vacations.  We enjoyed seeing the living quarters.  It was very quaint and nice. Robert Israel and his family tended the lighthouse for 20 years and it was fun to imagine the possibility of a distant relation?  Their three boys had to row across the bay during the week to go to school and stay with their grandma.  The lighthouse was built in 1854 and closed in 1891.  During WWI and II military facilities on the point provided vital coast and harbor defense systems.

We found out in the museum that San Francisco bay wasn’t even discovered until the 1750’s and San Diego in the 1870’s only had a couple thousand people.  Hard to believe how it’s grown in less than 150 years.  Also, Mark was fascinated by the combination of Japanese and WWII tourists visiting.  He had a nice conversation with a 4 year old Japanese girl and overheard a WWII vet talking about the significance of this place. 

Gray whales pass Point Loma on their yearly round-trip migration of 12,000 miles in February and early March and a lot of plant communities live on the edge of Point Loma.  It has the largest kelp bed in the US and also has one of the best preserved rocky intertidal areas open to the public on southern Ca’s coast.