Point Loma

This is the view looking north from a flight to Boston after taking off from Lindbergh Field in February 2001.

Cabrillo National Monument

In addition to the historical significance of Cabrillo National Monument, the view of San Diego Bay is magnificent. From December to March, you can see whales just offshore (if you're lucky). There are tidepools to poke around in as well. The map and text below are lifted from the Guide handed out at the gate. The photos are all mine, however.

The Old...

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse is a reminder is different times: of sailing ships and oil lamps and the men and women who day after day faithfully tended the coastal lights that guided mariners. In 1851, a year after California entered the Union, the U.S. Coastal Survey selected this headland as a site for a navigational aid. The crest seemed like the right location: It stood 422 feet above sea level, overlooking the bay and the ocean, and a lighthouse there could serve as both a harbor light and a coastal beacon. At dusk on November 15, 1855, the keeper climbed the winding stairs and lit the oil lamp for the first time. In clear weather its light was visible at sea for 39 miles. For the next 36 years, except on foggy nights, it welcomed sailors to San Diego Harbor.

The light had only a short life because the seemingly good location concealed a serious flaw. Fog and low clouds often obscured the light. On March 23, 1891, the keeper extinguished the lamp for the last time. Boarding up the lighthouse, he moved his family and belongings into a new light station at the bottom of the hill. Today the old lighthouse is refurbished and open to visitors, a sentinel from the vanished past.

And the New...

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