NPS #9: Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego History

If you are looking to combine history and nature, save a half day in your San Diego travel plan to visit the Cabrillo National Monument.  Operated by the National Park Service, the monument commemorates the landing of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542.  

It's a great way to teach kids about exploration to the New World.  Cabrillo National Monument will tell stories of the 16th century exploration.  Born in Spain, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a conquistador, a Spanish soldier who explored and settled in the New World.  Cabrillo explored in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico.  He left Mexico on June 27th, 1542 with three ships and landed in what is now the West Coast of the United States.  The Kuneyaay Indians who lived in the southern border of the United States greeted Cabrillo.

Not far from the visitor center and parking lot, you will find the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and Cabrillo statue overlooking the harbor and ocean.  To keep focused on the history and nature, I've written a separate article about the lighthouse.  Standing at 422 feet above water views, you'll want your camera to capture
the breathtaking views.  If you visit during whale migration season (December through March), use your id to borrow binoculars from the visitor center.  You might see 30 to 50 foot long gray whales.  Peak time to see the whales is mid-January.

We kept hiking past the monument to the Bayside Trail.  Only a two mile hike and relatively easy (note some stairs and rock hopping), the website claims you can accomplish in an hour.  However, we took our time to enjoy the beauty of the plants and crashing waves against the rocks.  Also, you can explore more about the area history.  Since the Point Loma peninsula forms a natural protective barrier to San Diego Bay, this was an important military location.  It served as a military reserve in 1852 and Fort Rosecrans protected during the World Wars.  Within the park, you can find structures from the military past including base-end stations, fire control stations, searchlight stations, and radio station.

Interested in short video clip of crashing waves at the park or view from flight departing San Diego?  Visit my YouTube pagehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPe_8GnvSvwxgjoNHEzwfWQ/videos 

If I could repeat the visit, I would have allocated more time.  I visited in February and it would have been the right time to see the tidepools.  Late fall and winter are the best times to visit the tidepools.  It's only a one mile hike.  Go two hours before low tide times.  Check the NPS website for tide charts.  The depressions in the rocks along the coastline capture animals during low tide (when water recedes) which would create a great nature exploration for kids.  Make sure they wear shoes that won't easily slip on the wet rocks.

If I could choose anytime to visit, I would time the visit to the Cabrillo Festival in September.  It's a free festival with cultural music and dancing, food from Mexico, Portugal, and Spain, and Kumeyaay baskets and other crafts.  I'd time arrive in time for the 1PM re-enactment of Cabrillo's landing on Ballast Point.  If you want to help support, buy tickets (approximately $30) for the evening social reception.

The National Park Service brings history alive.  If you are interested in another way to teach your kids through travel about early Spanish explorers, visit my article on the DeSoto National Memorial.

Business Lesson #2: Moon Marble Company and three Marble Events

The English proudly claim The British and World Marbles Championship has been held at Finsley Green, West Sussex, England every year since 1932.  However, Americans can claim the National Marbles Tournament founded in 1922 and held in Wildwood, New Jersey.  It gives kids an opportunity for a scholarship, competing against other kids age 7-14 who have won a local championship.  If you don't compete, you may still want to visit and witness a game or two.  The event holds over 1,200 games over four days.

Learn a few of the terms before you arrive:
- "knuckle down" means the position adopted at the start line with his or her knuckles against the ground
-"keepsies" the player keeps all the marbles he or she wins
-"quitsies" allows any opponent to stop the game without consequences, if quitsies are allowed
Plus marbles have different names depending opon the marble size:  Peewee (under 1/2"), Shooter (3/4"), Targets, Duckies, or Alleys (5/8"), Boulder (1"), Jumbo (1 3/8"), Super Jumbo (1 5/8"), Toebreakers (2"), Grandfather (billiard ball or tennis ball size)
If you plan to compete, you'll need your Shooter.  It's the only size accepted in U.S. tournaments.

I spent hours playing with marbles, watching them move down the wooden run in my grandparent's house.  A form of kinetic art, the marble run or rolling ball sculpture, can mesmerize you. Kids don't play with marbles as often these days which makes it understandable why it's difficult to find a marble plant tour.  The United States had two factories, Jabo Vitro in Reno, Ohio and Marble King in Paden City, West Virginia.  Despite Ohio's fame as the marble-producing capital of the world, Jabo Vitro shut down.  Marble King as featured on The Travel Channel's Made in America and Discovery Channel's Some Assembly Required does not offer factory tours.  However, you can see hand made marble creation at a small toy shop in a small town called Bonner Springs, Kansas.  Moon Marble Company is located less than 30 miles from Kansas City.  We took a seat in the bleachers and watched the glass art demonstration.  If you plan for the right timing, you can see over 25 artists at Moon Marble Company.  The company hosts "Marble Crazy" event with free admission.  Here's three other marble events to consider:
1.  Badger Marble Show:  October, Madison, Wisconsin, show presenters exhibit marbles in their rooms Friday and Saturday prior to the show, free admission
2.  Des Moines Marble Show:  First Saturday in June, Des Moines, Iowa, six day event with in-room trading, free admission
3.  Humboldt Marble Weekend:  February, Eureka, California, visit artists, see glass blowing demonstrations, participate in a marble hunt, and attend the Bella Vita Fire Dance (dance entry requires a minimum $20 dollar donation to charity)