California, Here I Come: Part 2

Beautiful Hottentot Fig Ice Plants surrounding a bench with a view.

After I left La Jolla Cove, the next stop of my San Diego vacation, was to Mt. Soledad. This location was recommended by a coworker that lives in San Clemente, California. He said that the views are spectacular.

According to their website, Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial started as a “humble redwood cross in 1913 … The current cross was authorized by the city of San Diego to honor those who served faithfully during the Korean conflict.”

I went for the view but found I really enjoyed photographing the cross. One of my favorite photography tricks is to create sun flares, and this was the perfect place to make it happen. But, I must say, the 360-degree view of the area was spectacular. With the memorial being open until 10 p.m., I think it would be a great place to photograph the city lights, along with some traffic light trails. Unfortunately, I didn’t get back, but I’d love to hear if you go and how it works out for you.

Front and back views of the Mt. Soledad cross.

The next morning, I set out to find the lighthouses on Point Loma, and I stumbled upon Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. According to their website, they are sold out. Pity, too, because the views are spectacular! Seems like I’m using that word a lot—maybe I should get myself a thesaurus.

What a view!

But what I enjoyed so much in this city was being able to see water and downtown San Diego from different vantage points, and at this cemetery, you could see both. Looking one direction is the bay and on the other side of the cemetery is the ocean. I believe I've already said this, but, "The view is spectacular!"

B&W to emphasize the gloomy fog I told you about in a previous post.

I also really like unusual-shaped trees, or trees that are in interesting clusters or even standing by themselves. That was what initially caught my eye as I was driving by and quickly made myself turn the car around. And I only spent a few minutes there with most of my shots being taken from the road since I was anxious to move on so I would have plenty of time to photograph the lighthouses.

Next time: Point Loma

Have you photographed from Mt. Soledad at night?