Cabrillo National Monument

Moonrise over San Diego from Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego, California
Old Point Loma Lighthouse, Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego, California
Enjoying the view, Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego, California

Cabrillo National Monument at the end of Point Loma is one of the first places I’ll take out-of-town guests, with its commanding views of San Diego harbor and the Pacific Ocean, and its history dating back to the arrival of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo on 28 September 1542.

 

Joshua Tree NP & Mojave National Preserve, 2013

The Joshua trees in 2013 were supposed to be in a “once-in-a-century” bloom, so I hopped in my car and drove up from San Diego to check them out. My timing may have been off a tad, but there were still plenty of blossoms to be seen.

Joshua tree, Joshua Tree National Park, California
Joshua tree blossom, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Coastal Maine

I’ve always loved coastal Maine and this was a great trip back to the region—that is until an approaching hurricane forced me to cut my trip a few days short. Good thing I did. There was significant damage to some of the places I had stayed at just before.

Harbor, Camden, Maine
Acadia National Park, Maine
Acadia National Park, Maine
Lobster pot buoys, Port Clyde, Maine
Low tide, Port Clyde, Maine
Portland Head Lighthouse, Portland, Maine
Camden, Maine
Marshall Point Lighthouse, Port Clyde, Maine
Dories, Ogunquit, Maine

San Francisco & Yosemite, 2009

I joined my sister and her husband to a trip to two of my favorite places in North America: San Francisco and Yosemite National Park. I don’t think I could tire of returning to either.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
Stained glass lighting the floor of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, California
Boats and reflections, San Francisco, California
Merced River reflections, Yosemite National Park, California
El Capitan and Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California
Painted Ladies, San Francisco, California

France 2009

I had to travel to France for work for the first time ever, and I convinced my manager to let me take an additional twelve days of vacation once I was through with my assignment. It was great—especially the food!

 

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
Cherubs on planter, Versailles, France
Flowers in open window, Beaune, France
Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
Window detail, Mont Saint-Michel, France
Cliffs at Etretat, France
Path to Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France
Wrought iron railings, Paris, France
Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
Clock from inside the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France

 

 

 

Germany, Austria, & Switzerland 2007

Barn, Schwangau, Germany
Geraniums, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Luzern, Switzerland
Biergarten, Munich, Germany
Neuschwanstein Castle, Schwangau, Germany
Swiss Alps, near Gridelwald, Switzerland

 

Ever since I chickened out on a trip to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland during my freshman year in high school, I had been dreaming of making the trip. It took decades to make it happen, but I finally made it there and even connected with some of our relatives in Germany.