Valerie and I are always looking for National Parks and monuments to explore. While in San Diego California we decided to visit this great place. The monument is located on the peninsula with the Naval Base at Point Loma. There are some photos of the Naval and Marine cemetery.

Cabrillo National Monument is located at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego, California. It commemorates the landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. This event marked the first time that a European expedition had set foot on what later became the West Coast of the United States. The site was designated as California Historical Landmark #56 in 1932

I have been hearing about the San Diego Zoo since Val and I got married. She was stationed in San Diego when she was in the Navy and visited the zoo regularly. She always said it was one of the finest in the USA and I think she may be right. We spent most of the day touring as much of the zoo as we could, however there was too much to see in one day. We must have taken hundreds of photos but as to not bore you we only present these as an appetizer.

Okapi The okapi /oʊˈkɑːpiː/ (Okapia johnstoni), is a giraffid artiodactyl mammal native to the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Although the okapi bears striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe.

Leaving Arizona and driving through the most southern part of California  on Interstate 8 we came upon this way station and another surprise…the “Coyotes Flying Saucer Repair Shop”. You never know when you might need to get your saucer fixed…maybe when you come down from what ever you’ve been smokin’. Directions are below.

View from atop of the tower looking back on California

Saguaro National Park is in southern Arizona. Its 2 sections are on either side of the city of Tucson. The park is named for the large saguaro cactus, native to its desert environment. In the western Tucson Mountain District, Signal Hill Trail leads to petroglyphs of the ancient Hohokam people. In the eastern Rincon Mountain District, Cactus Forest Drive is a loop road with striking views of the desert landscape.

Some of these cacti can reach heights of between 30 and 50 feet. The arms of the saguaro develop after the age of 75 years.

Believe it or not Valerie is standing at the base of this monster.

Tucson Arizona was just a stopping point on our way to California but there were some unique attractions. I was wanting to visit the Aircraft Boneyard (the largest in the world) but again it was closed on the day we wanted to visit.

The concept for the Pima Air & Space Museum began in 1966 during the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the creation of the United States Air Force. Earlier the commanders of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) the forerunner to today’s Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) recognized that the historic World War II and 1950s era aircraft stored on the base were rapidly disappearing into smelters and that the flames were consuming not just metal, but the aviation heritage of the country. On their own initiative base officials began to set aside examples of the many types of aircraft stored in MASDC’s yards. These planes were placed along the base’s fence line so that the public could see them through the fence. The display quickly became very popular with the local community, but viewing the aircraft through the fence was somewhat unsatisfying.

Below are just a few of the collections at the Pima Museum. Many more were on the tarmac but was closed on the day we were there.