Cabrillo Namesakes

Cabrillo National Monument, Point Loma, California
February 15, 2010

Statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo

Being an attendee of Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, I naturally became curious as to who is Cabrillo and what kind of mascot is a Conquistador. Well, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a conquistador – soldier, explorer, adventurer for the Spanish realm in the New World. In 1542 he and his expedition were the first Europeans to see the sights of the coast of California and set foot on the future Golden State. His expedition planted the seed for California's settlement by the Spanish two centuries later.

My alma mater is one of a small number of namesakes for Cabrillo. I've always been interested in visiting other Cabrillo namesakes, and once again, an opportunity was now staring at me just down the road. Mr. Cabrillo has his own national monument at Point Loma, and I guess this is the definitive namesake for him. The monument commemorates the landing of Cabrillo at San Diego Bay, and offers films and exhibits on his voyage and expedition.  The monument also has a statue of Cabrillo overlooking the bay, although I suspect most visitors come to the monument not for Cabrillo but for the spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, San Diego Bay, and the surrounding lands.

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse

The monument's visitor center and Point Loma Lighthouse lie high on top of a ridge that forms the western shoulder of the channel into San Diego Bay. It was a beautiful winter day in southern California, sunny in the low 70s. After visiting the visitor center, I walked out onto its viewing area and looked eastwards. The view overpowered me as I was able to label so much. Over there ... it's Coronado and the naval base that takes over the north part of the island. Over there ... it is the city of San Diego hugging the coast and the skyscrapers of its downtown. Over there ... to the south it's Tijuana and Mexico. Over there ... it's La Mesa and the other communities of the foothills. Over there ... it's San Diego Bay where Cabrillo's ships entered nearly 500 years ago.  Over there ... today's ocean crossing ships of the United States Navy. From the lighthouse, I looked westwards to the expanse of the Pacific Ocean. The view underpowered me as I only saw water and the curvature of the earth stopped me from seeing any further and left me wondering what was over the horizon.

After a short drive from the top of the ridge down to the ocean shore and a short stay on the sand of the beach, I ventured back to Carlsbad for a short rest and then an evening of poker at the Ocean's Eleven casino in neighboring Oceanside.

View to the northeast from Cabrillo National Monument Visitor Center