OUR NATIONAL PARK CHALLENGE: TO VISIT ALL 51 NATIONAL PARKS LOCATED IN THE LOWER 48 STATES
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As the graphic above shows we have currently visited 40 of the 51 National Parks located in the "Lower 48" states. All of that is going to change over the next 8-months.
With a little luck, and a few more key reservations, we will have visited all 51 "Lower 48" National Parks by the middle of October this year.
Also under our belts are the 2 National Parks in Hawaii and 3 of the 8 National Parks in Alaska.
Two of the five National Parks we missed in Alaska are earmarked for possible visits if we ever return to Alaska. The other 3 can only be visited by flying in on a bush plane.
There are also National Parks in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but we don't ever envision ourselves visiting those two parks either.
MONDAY - We had a short and fairly uneventful drive today.
Our GPS routed us on a short stretch of highway where we got charged a $4 toll, not the end of the world, but I thought I had it set to avoid tolls?
Appartently we left a little too early this morning, because we arrived at the park at 10AM when the check-in time isn't until 2PM, so we got turned away.
What did we do? Find the nearest Walmart of course and park in their lot until it was time. We also did a little grocery shopping and got lunch at the Subway inside the store.
SCENES FROM OUR TRAVEL DAY
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We'll be leaving our campsite today at 5500' and descending down to Interstate 8 at 4100'.
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At each turn along the 13-mile roadway we have wide long-range views of the forest.
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There's the Interstate, we should be on our way further west in just a few more minutes.
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A few hours later we have arrived at our campsite just outside of San Diego, CA.
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The Sweetwater Summit County Park has reasonable prices at $40 a night for full hookups.
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Those aren't the Blue Angels again, this time it's just a flock of white pelicans overhead.
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If it weren't for the creation of Sweetwater Summit County Park, I imagine this summit would look like the one next door, filled with houses.
TUESDAY - Our first full day here in San Diego and we're already out sightseeing.
On today's agenda is a visit to the Cabrillo National Monument. In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo climbed out of his boat and onto shore, becoming the first European to set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States.
Think of him as the lesser known Christopher Columbus type, who famously landed in 1492 (50-years earlier) on the East Coast of the future United States.
While there is a lot of history here, most people visit the National Monument at low tide so they can explore the exposed tide pools found on the shoreline here. We were no exception to this!
As a bonus, our good friends David and Barb are currently camped in a California State Park about 40-miles north of us, so he and his wife drove down to share our visit of the National Monument.
We first met David in Texas back in April of 2021. He was camped right next to us in his Airstream and we visited the Waco Mammoth National Monument together. We've kept in touch ever since.
You may remember, he is the person who gave us a ride from Sacramento to San Fransisco last February when we jumped on a plane and headed for Hawaii. He and his wife have a home just north of San Fransisco in Napa, CA.
CABRILLO NATIONAL MONUMENT
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Dave and I drove 20+ miles from opposite directions, fighting San Diego rush hour traffic and still managed to both arrive at the gate at 9:02AM when they open the park.
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We immediately headed down to the shoreline where the tide pools are. Low tide today is at 9:58AM and the prime viewing occurs 2-hours before and after low tide.
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This is the NEW Point Loma lighthouse, erected in March of 1891. It's only 88' above the sea, well below the dense fog that frequently occurs here.
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The NEW lighthouse currently houses military officers and as such is OFF LIMITS.
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Southern California coastline is nothing like the sandy beaches of South Florida.
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Down there is where we are going to be searching out the inhabitants of the tidepools.
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It takes a lot of water and hard surf to carve out the rock like that.
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We spotted our first of many colorful Sea Anemones.
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There were many barnacle like shells attached to the exposed rocks at low tide.
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Can you spot the "Woolly Tidepool Sculpin" in this photo?
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I'll zoom in a little bit, maybe that will help locate him.
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It's easier to spot him when he's moving about.
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How about this "crabby" little guy.
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There were many of them if you stood still and watched for them.
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Another colorful Sea Anemone.
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There were a bunch of these active hermit crabs dragging their protective shells around.
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It was soon time to relax and sit on the rocks to watch the waves roll in.
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That's the OLD Point Loma lighthouse which sits 400' above the sea, often covered by the fog.
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We were treated to a fairly rare Orca Whale sighting while relaxing on the rocks.
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A few minutes later there was a Sea Lion just off shore.
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It was finally time to head back up the hill to the Visitor Center and the OLD lighthouse.
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From up at the Visitor Center we had a great view of the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
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The OLD Point Loma lighthouse was brought into service on November 15, 1855.
After finishing our 2-hour visit at Cabrillo National Monument the only thing left to do was decide on where we'd enjoy lunch together.
Dave picked out a great place for lunch, Phil's BBQ in Point Loma. Sadly, Phil's wouldn't be my new first choice for a BBQ outing. Phil's uses mesquite wood to flavor their meats, plus their BBQ sauce is not as sweet as I like it. It would be hard to top my favorite BBQ restaurant, 4Rivers BBQ back in Florida.
With that said, today wasn't so much about the quality of the food we shared, as it was about the quality of the time we shared with our California friends, Barb and Dave.
We arrived at noon, just in time to beat the lunch hour crowds.
Welcome to Phil's BBQ! As you can see in the window, we are #1 and rated "A" for cleanliness.
THURSDAY - We learned our lesson on Tuesday that it is futile to try and fight the rush hour traffic here in San Diego.
For that reason we waited until 9:30AM to stike out this morning and had a more tolerable drive on Interstate 5. We drove basically the same distance we did on Tuesday at 8:30AM, but it took only half the time to get there.
According to the famed Tripadvisor website, the San Diego Zoo is the #1 zoo experience in the United States. They are also praised for meeting animal welfare guidelines, amazingly some of the other top zoos did not.
We entered the front gate at exactly 10:00AM, a full hour after they opened, so we walked straight in without waiting in line, having purchased our tickets online the night before at a $3 discount.
First thing on our agenda was to hop on the Bus Tour (included free with your admission) for a 30-40 minute tour around the entire park. We elected to ride on the upper open-air deck to get a better view.
After getting our overview of the 100+ acre park we grabbed a couple of $18 personal-sized pizzas for an early lunch at one of the many places to eat.
Then it was time to hop on the Skyfari Gondola Ride (also included free with your admission) at the front of the park and ride it all the way to the back of the park to start our on-foot exploration of the park.
SAN DIEGO ZOO
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From the top deck of the bus we got to "look down" into the hippo habitat.
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Their pink color comes from a natural sunscreen they secrete through their pours.
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The "Okapi" is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa.
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While it may look like a cross between a horse and a zebra, it is more closely related to the giraffe.
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These are "Speke's Gazelle". Gazelle species are capable of sustained running at 50MPH.
You'll be seeing more of the "African Elephant" later in this slideshow.
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The "California Condor" remains one of the world's rarest bird species. Thanks to captive breeding the population has risen from just 22 birds in the late 1980s to over 550 birds today, both in captivity and the wild.
I'm not sure what this little guy is, but felt he should be included in this slideshow.
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It's 11:30AM now, we're off the bus, have already ate lunch and it's time to start walking. First up at the front entrance to the park are the colorful "American Flamingos".
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Their bright orange color comes from beta-carotene in their diet of mostly shrimp.
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Now it's time to ride the Skyfari Gondola to the back of the park.
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It's a relatively short ride, but saves a lot of steps if walking the same route.
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From here you can see the Bashor Bridge which straddles a large ravine through the park.
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These are "Chacoan Peccary" found in Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina.
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Here is a video of the male Gerenuk feeding on lower branches of the tree. If needed, they can stand of their hind legs to reach higher branches.
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These are "Visayan Warty Pigs" from the Visayan Islands of the central Philippines.
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The "Bontebok" is an antelope found in South Africa.
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Another view of the stong sleek legs of the Speke's Gazelle.
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These female "Lesser Kudu" are members of the antelope family.
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Here you can see one of the male Lesser Kudus.
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One of the more popular habitats in the park, plus we were looking forward to this one.
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I'm not sure if there is more than one "Polar Bear" in Southern California, but one is enough.
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Adult male Polar Bears can weigh from 660 to 1,760 lbs.
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I like the way the bear is watching "us" and ignoring the Bus Ride passengers behind him.
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I'm not sure what that was floating in the water, but he scooped it up and ate it.
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Oh good, it looks like he's getting ready to take a Polar Plunge.
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There he goes!
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We're certainly glad we were "in the right place at the right time" to catch this 1st rate show.
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There was also an "Arctic Aviary" in the Polar Plunge habitat.
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Look at those vibrant colors on this male "Falcated Duck" from East Siberia and Mongolia.
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The "Emperor Goose" is currently on the "Near Threatened Species" list.
Here's the big male chomping away on the delicious bamboo.
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When I said goodbye I got a look like he was saying, "No, don't go"!
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We next rode the elevator up to the Bashor Bridge which overlooks the Panda Ridge.
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Far down below we could still see YUN CHUAN eating his bamboo lunch.
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Looks like we got up here just in time to see him finishing lunch.
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This is a "Baird's Tapir" from Mexico, Central America and northwestern South America.
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This "Capybara" from South America is the world's largest living rodent.
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The capybara is hunted for its meat and hide, but also for grease from its thick fatty skin.
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Now it's time for the largest animal in the zoo, the "African Elephants".
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The male one-humped "Dromedary Camel" can weigh up to 1500 lbs. and stand 8' tall.
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The camel has the ability to tolerate losing more than 30% of its total water content, which allows it to thrive in its desert habitat where others can't.
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Something overhead obviously had these Meerkat's attention and concern.
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Not sure what this creature is, but they need to wipe their face after eating lunch.
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These young baboons seem to enjoy roughhousing it with each other.
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We were lucky to spot one of the "Big Cats" awake this early in the afternoon.
FRIDAY - We saved our visit to Costco today for around lunchtime.
We always do this because two people can have a satisfying lunch at the Costco Food Court for under $4.00, that's less than we paid for a gallon of gasoline ($4.15) here today.
I always get the Foot Long Hotdog and 20 oz. Fountain Drink (with free refills) for $1.50 (same price since 1985) and Tricia's meal today included a slice of Cheese Pizza for just $1.99, which totals up to $3.80 (including taxes).
BTW - You'll find these prices are good at any Costco Food Court nationwide.
Lunch may have been cheap, but we spent nearly $300 inside Costco on food alone. It wasn't a surprise however, we have been emptying our pantry and refrigerator for the last 6-weeks with the intention of refilling once we reached here.
The gasoline prices weren't a surprise either, but it's the first time since last July I've been able to put $100+ worth of gas into ROVER's tank. The difference is, today I had still more than 1/4 of a tank when I pulled up to the pump!
Looking for our Visited States Map and Data? How about our State by State Bucket Lists or Visited Campgrounds List? If so, click on the sign below to be taken to our other website.
We'll be leaving our campsite today at 5500' and descending down to Interstate 8 at 4100'.
At each turn along the 13-mile roadway we have wide long-range views of the forest.
There's the Interstate, we should be on our way further west in just a few more minutes.
A few hours later we have arrived at our campsite just outside of San Diego, CA.
The Sweetwater Summit County Park has reasonable prices at $40 a night for full hookups.
Those aren't the Blue Angels again, this time it's just a flock of white pelicans overhead.
If it weren't for the creation of Sweetwater Summit County Park,
Dave and I drove 20+ miles from opposite directions, fighting San Diego rush hour traffic and still managed to both arrive at the gate at 9:02AM when they open the park.
We immediately headed down to the shoreline where the tide pools are.
This is the NEW Point Loma lighthouse, erected in March of 1891.
The NEW lighthouse currently houses military officers and as such is OFF LIMITS.
Southern California coastline is nothing like the sandy beaches of South Florida.
Down there is where we are going to be searching out the inhabitants of the tidepools.
It takes a lot of water and hard surf to carve out the rock like that.
We spotted our first of many colorful Sea Anemones.
There were many barnacle like shells attached to the exposed rocks at low tide.
Can you spot the "Woolly Tidepool Sculpin" in this photo?
I'll zoom in a little bit, maybe that will help locate him.
How about this "crabby" little guy.
Another colorful Sea Anemone.
It was soon time to relax and sit on the rocks to watch the waves roll in.
That's the OLD Point Loma lighthouse which sits 400' above the sea, often covered by the fog.
We were treated to a fairly rare Orca Whale sighting while relaxing on the rocks.
A few minutes later there was a Sea Lion just off shore.
It was finally time to head back up the hill to the Visitor Center and the OLD lighthouse.
From up at the Visitor Center we had a great view of the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
The OLD Point Loma lighthouse was brought into service on November 15, 1855.
From the top deck of the bus we got to "look down" into the hippo habitat.
Their pink color comes from a natural sunscreen they secrete through their pours.
While it may look like a cross between a horse and a zebra,
These are "Speke's Gazelle". Gazelle species are capable of sustained running at 50MPH.
We all known who this "Queen of the Jungle" is!
The "California Condor" remains one of the world's rarest bird species.
I'm not sure what this little guy is, but felt he should be included in this slideshow.
It's 11:30AM now, we're off the bus, have already ate lunch and it's time to start walking.
Their bright orange color comes from beta-carotene in their diet of mostly shrimp.
Now it's time to ride the Skyfari Gondola to the back of the park.
From here you can see the Bashor Bridge which straddles a large ravine through the park.
These are "Visayan Warty Pigs" from the Visayan Islands of the central Philippines.
Another view of the stong sleek legs of the Speke's Gazelle.
Here you can see one of the male Lesser Kudus.
One of the more popular habitats in the park, plus we were looking forward to this one.
I'm not sure if there is more than one "Polar Bear" in Southern California, but one is enough.
Adult male Polar Bears can weigh from 660 to 1,760 lbs.
I like the way the bear is watching "us" and ignoring the Bus Ride passengers behind him.
I'm not sure what that was floating in the water, but he scooped it up and ate it.
Oh good, it looks like he's getting ready to take a Polar Plunge.
There he goes!
Look at those vibrant colors on this male "Falcated Duck" from East Siberia and Mongolia.
Here at the zoo the "Grévy's Zebra" and the "Common Eland" peacefully share a habitat.
This is a "Red-Tailed Monkey" from the forests of Central Africa.
Here we find ourselves outside of arguably the most popular exhibit of the entire zoo.
Here's the big male chomping away on the delicious bamboo.
When I said goodbye I got a look like he was saying, "No, don't go"!
We next rode the elevator up to the Bashor Bridge which overlooks the Panda Ridge.
Far down below we could still see YUN CHUAN eating his bamboo lunch.
This is a "Baird's Tapir" from Mexico, Central America and northwestern South America.
The capybara is hunted for its meat and hide, but also for grease from its thick fatty skin.
The male one-humped "Dromedary Camel" can weigh up to 1500 lbs. and stand 8' tall.
The camel has the ability to tolerate losing more than 30% of its total water content,
Not sure what this creature is, but they need to wipe their face after eating lunch.
