As we continued our drive on Point Loma, we arrived at Fort Rosecrans’ military gate entrance where we saw this battery. Hmm…
CABRILLO NATIONAL MONUMENT
At the gate, we were passed to visit the National Park Service’s Cabrillo National Monument, on the southernmost tip of Point Loma.
In 1542, a Portugese explorer, Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo, became the first European explorer to navigate the west coast of the future United States and to land in the future California.
Upon reaching this spot, Cabrillo described the current San Diego Bay as: a very good enclosed port.
OLD LIGHT HOUSE
Left to the wild, the highest point of Point Loma became the site of a lighthouse in 1855, after California entered the union as the 31st state.
With commanding views of San Diego Bay to the east, Mexico to the south…
…and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The large hill arising from the ocean is Mexico.
…the lighthouse was too high for its beams to effectively warn ships during fog, so the lighthouse keeper shot guns into the sky.
Eventually, it was replaced by another lighthouse at the bottom of the hill in the late 19th century…which became a Top Gun movie site.
The old lighthouse is now a museum.
Although I’d love to recreate that gown, I can’t imagine working at a lighthouse while wearing it.
WWII COASTAL DEFENSE SYSTEM
While observing the Pacific Ocean views of Point Loma, I noticed lots of odd structures which ended up explaining the battery we saw when we first entered Fort Rosecrans at the military gate.
…to the far right in this photo is a circular ledge that is too even to be natural…
Again, that spot of land in the distance is Mexico. While here, I even got text alerts from Mexico ready to switch over to international service.
At this point we entered the building to tour of a museum of the WWII Coastal Defense System…which had great views of the Pacific to the west…
…and terrific views of San Diego Bay and North Island Naval facilities to the east.
When Japanese submarines began firing on the West Coast…
…coastal defense systems were established on the West Coast…
Here’s an illustration detailing the fortification at Point Loma, which explains the structures we found on the outside.
Thankfully, they were never needed during the anxious years of WWII.
POINT LOMA TIDE POOLS
At the top of my list had been the Point Loma Tide Pools, seen below.
Although we drove down for a closer look, they were at high tide, so we returned the next day for low tide…stay tuned for that fun post!
Loved watching the water turn from grey to blue to green as the sun came out from behind the clouds.
FORT ROSECRANS CEMETERY
At the same point on the road near the cemetery I shot this view of the solemn graves overlooking San Diego Bay and North Island…
…then I turned around to snap this view of the graves overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Since my husband thought he had a relative buried here, he’s going to connect dots with a family member, so we might return for that journey.
