Cabrillo National Monument

I have lived in San Diego County my entire life but I had never been to the Point Loma Lighthouse on Cabrillo National Monument until this past weekend. Ive known lots of people who love it there and Ive seen photographs of the area, but I never seized the opportunity to check the place out for myself. That all changed on Saturday. Before the long weekend began, Matt asked me if I was up for a trip to Palomar Mountain and I surprised him when I said "Not really, but what do you think about driving out the Point Loma lighthouse instead?" Matt thought it was a great idea.

We had a wonderful time. There were quite a few people out there for Memorial Day, but that didnt obscure the beauty and peacefulness of the area. Matt, the boys and I spent the first hour and a half up near the visitor center and lighthouse. There are incredible views up there. It was still a bit hazy when we visited around 1pm so I didnt get any great pictures of San Diego and the bay. I imagine on a clear day the vistas are quite dramatic. Seamus and Finn had a bunch of information they had to gather around the lighthouse area in order to earn their Junior Ranger badge. At this age, they are both so into that kind of thing - running from one exibit to the next tracking down answers about the location. After exploring the bluff, we ventured down to the coast below. Apparently, in the winter time the tidepools at Cabrillo are quite extensive. However, during the summertime the tide doesnt get low enough during daylight hours for anyone to really get into the plentiful sea life. Lucky for us, we saw some anemones and stuck our fingers into their sticky centers. I love doing that! Even without lots of marine life, the coastline of Cabrillo and its very distinct erosion patterns were so worth seeing. We stayed there for well over an hour and when it was time to go, the kids begged to stay.






It was such a nice family day. All four of us are excited to go back soon. Maybe we'll take Dama Shan out there when she comes in June.
Happy Monday. :)