San Diego: Point Loma and La Jolla

On our last full day in San Diego, we explored Point Loma and La Jolla. Both of these places were absolutely gorgeous, and this was by far one of my favorite days of the vacation.

While the morning was a bit hazy, the view from the Cabrillo National Park's sandstone cliffs was still breathtaking. We explored this park for about 3 hours, and there was definitely something for everyone here!

I don't remember what was going on here, but I can only assume Olivia did not want her picture taken and Ethan was pretending to be a bear.

Olivia is improving with her photography skills - she no longer cuts off the heads and is able to frame a shot.

Inside the stairwell of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse (circa 1851). The kids loved exploring this lighthouse - especially trying to imagine living there and tending to the light!

Old Point Loma lighthouse.

Within our 3 hours at the park, the kids spotted a dozen of these little lizards. Here is Ethan attempting to capture him.

Inside the Cabrillo National Park visitor's center. The kids really enjoyed trying on the armor and attempting to walk in it (it was too heavy for long wear they discovered!).

Watching helicopters and naval ships from the whale overlook. We did not spot any whales (as it was the wrong time of year for their migration).

The Cabrillo statue. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European (he was a Spaniard) to set foot on the west coast in 1520.

The kids and I in the whale overlook, with the lighthouse in the background.

The last site we visited in Point Loma was the tidepools. This was obviously the kids' favorite part of the morning! This is an overlook view of the pools.

Tidepool beauty.

Ethan attempting to find a crab in the tidepools.

The pools were beautiful!

Our one and only family picture of the entire vacation - and Olivia hides behind Joe!

After Point Loma, we moved on to La Jolla for the afternoon. La Jolla seems to be known for its cliffs, caves, and seals. Here is a picture of all 3 (seals are on the bottom left of the picture).

Pretending to be seals (the real seals are over Olivia's shoulder).

Olivia has a love/hate relationship with the camera. She went through a spell where she would not look at/smile for the camera, and now she is into posing for the camera. Here she is walking around the La Jolla Children's Pool.

Exploring a cave off the La Jolla cove beach.

A horribly lighted picture from inside the cave.

Seals! I think the kids could have watched them all day! (me too)

Beautiful cliffs and caves in La Jolla. I would like to return here with no kids (or with older kids) so that I could explore the town (and the shopping!!). It appeared to be a gorgeous town, but we were only able to explore the seals and beaches on this trip.