Gaslamp Quarter Marriott Resort
Location: Adjacent to Petco Park
Marriotts newest resort in San Diego is this stylish San Diego Gaslamp Quarter property. Ideally located with 306 elegantly appointed guestrooms & suites featuring luxurious bedding, state-of-the-art technology, flat-screen televisions, & High-Speed Wireless Internet access throughout the hotel.

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San Diego Vacation Home Rentals
Many beachfront area rentals available, but vacancies disappear fast for this area.

GPS Gear - MainTour Pro-Shop Special
Popular for Runners, Boaters, Hikers, Bikers and Adventurers
Recent technology updates have made readily affordable for outdoor adventures a nifty item - the GPS Watch. It uses 3D Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology to triangulate your position and elevation to within 20 ft accuracy. Prices and great quality GPS watches now run less than $100 from quality manufactures such as Garmin and Navman.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, famous Spanish explorer, is widely credited with leading the first European expedition to reach modern day California.

After Spain had conquered Mexico, they still hoped to find fabled rich golden cities of the northwest. The viceroy of Mexico chose Cabrillo to lead a new expedition and if possible, establish relations with the natives.

In June 1542, Cabrillo set sail from the Mexican port of Navidad with three ships and 250 men includes soldiers, sailors, merchants, slaves and a priest. First they explored the coast of Baja California.

On September 28, 1542, they made their first landfall in California at the port of San Diego. There was a conflict with some natives here that left some of the men wounded, but somehow they parted on friendly terms.

The expedition continued to the islands of Santa Catalina and San Clemente and then to Santa Monica Bay. After weathering out some stormy weather they continued north to Monterey Bay. They named the coastal mountains in the area the Sierra Nevada or snowy mountains because of their snow cover. Weather patterns have certainly changed, because these mountains get no snow on them now.

In December the expedition turned south to ride out the winter weather in the Santa Monica Bay area. During this time there was more fighting with natives. At one point in the battle, Cabrillo broke his leg while jumping out of a boat and landing badly in the surf. The injury later became badly infected and he died on January 3, 1543 - possibly on the channel island of San Miguel, but this has not been confirmed.

The first mate, Bartolome Ferrer, took command of the expedition which continued north to Oregon before returning to Navidad in April 1543. The Spanish were disappointed that there were no major discoveries of riches. It would be close to 45 years before they would send another expedition towards California.



Prominent Historical Landmarks

Cabrillo National Monument - Point Loma
Located on the tip of Point Loma - this major landmark offers the best scenic views of the San Diego skyline and a host of other great features. It is also a great vista to watch the big ships sail in or out of San Diego Bay. There are also several scenic hiking trails down to tidepools along the coast and a terrific vantage point for whale watching.

San Miguel Island
Has a monument to commemorate Cabrillos burial.