SAN DIEGO -- Cabrillo National Monument is a sight that for most who come to see it leaves them breathless

"I don't know what words to use the colors; it's just so beautiful," said one visitor.

Another visitor said, "Every direction you look there's something to see."

For Ken Franke, his connection is symbolic because he lived in a lighthouse.

"Right after World War II, my mother used to sell candy at the old lighthouse up here on top of the hill. For a nickel a piece you could buy a Hershey bar or a Baby Ruth. As a child growing up here at Ballast Point Lighthouse, the area of the national park was my playground," said Franke.

However, Franke's old playground is in jeopardy.

According to the National Park Service, Cabrillo National Monument is getting one-fourth of the funding it needs to run the park.

Although the lighthouse has recently been restored, other plans to refurbish and install historic furnishings in other areas around the park are on hold, which is disappointing news for Franke.

"That spit of land called Ballast Point and as history goes Cabrillo landed there and actually was the first European to set foot in what is now California," said Franke.

The old Point Loma lighthouse once called ships into San Diego harbor, historians said.

Franke is hoping another call in the way of funding could be made to preserve what is left.

Popular annual events like the Cabrillo Festival and the Whale Watch Weekend may also be affected by the funding issue.