Day 31 Point Loma

I went to church early on Sunday and then thought I was going to chill in San Marcos for the day, but Marshall suggested we drive out to the Point Loma peninsula and visit the Cabrillo National Monument. It was well worth the trip. We loaded up Alex’s car with three adults, two kids and three dogs and drove nearly an hour to the park. Once inside, we walked along the cliffs on the Pacific side of the peninsula and viewed the Cabrillo Beach Tidepools. It was a popular tourist place, and I struggled to keep the dogs from interacting with others. The dogs could not get close to the tidepools, but the kids spent a long time searching for little crabs and other mollusks.

We then drove closer to the tip of the park to the Visitor Center. This area offered a stunning view of the city across the San Diego Bay. We also saw the actual monument, a statue of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, commemorating his landing at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. We then walked up to the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. Built in 1855, it missed by one year being the first lighthouse on the Pacific Coast. (The first was the Alcatraz Lighthouse.)

Upon exiting the park, we drove by the Point Loma Naval Base and the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, one of the nation’s largest veterans’ cemeteries and the final resting place for more than 120,000 people.

On the way back, we stopped at the Ocean Beach Dog Beach, self-proclaimed as the number one dog beach. It is apparently nationally famous and one of the first official leash-free beaches in the United States. Gipper and Alex’s dog had a blast, repeatedly swimming into the surf to retrieve tennis balls. Madison was once again afraid of the ocean, backtracking quickly whenever the waves came close. And Rosette entertained herself by trying to collect seaweed.

We drove back home, hosed down the dirty dogs, and brought in pizza for dinner. I had a wonderful three days with family. The dental visit was a blessing (although costly) as it gave me an extra day with them.

After the Point Loma trip, I have now officially made it from coast to coast. Monday, I start travelling up the coast through California and up towards Washington.