SPRINGTIME IN BIG BEAR

Don't you love spontaneous trips?  Please tell me I'm not the only disorganized one who throws a last minute vacation together???

In a curious déjà vu moment, I asked my son if he would like to go to Big Bear for a day of snow boarding during Easter Break.  I had this same conversation with him last year and his response was identical:  bored, non committal.   “Just us?” he'd asked, making me feel like chopped liver.  Then at the very last minute, he decided it might be fun and we scrambled a trip together. 

This year?  Same conversation, same result.  I found myself rushing around at 2 in the afternoon, frantically searching for a cabin to rent, and "packing" (opening the car door and throwing in a pile of clothes and some food in a frenzied rush). 

Kyle is hoping to get his driver’s license soon, so he wanted to drive part of the way, which I let him do from Redlands to Yukaipa.  He’s a good driver, careful and calm. Sitting in the passenger seat, I really had no need for the white knuckles and  tightly coiled fists clutching the door handle.  (How silly.  What was I going to do, bail out?  Hmmm...) 

 

Internet photo. Not really us.

Of course, I was a tad alarmed by the unplanned off roading incident which landed us in a planter in the Yukaipa Rite Aid parking lot. We silently changed places after that.  

Internet photo. Again, not really us. Kind of looked like this though.

We made it to Big Bear before dark (yay) in one piece (yay again) and checked into our usual cabin, Smoky Bear's Den.  I love this place because it is light and airy and cheerful, with sweeping views of Bear Mountain off the balcony.  We spend most of our time upstairs where the kitchen, living room, fireplace, and aforementioned balcony are.  Our parrot feels right at home here.  She uses the stair railing as her perch, and seems quite blissful most of the time.   

"Namaste"

Our dogs love it too, sunning themselves in the large, fenced yard.

We settled in, built a fire in the fireplace,  and ate homemade pizza for dinner.  Very relaxing.  

Awwww, nice warm fire

Chester is VERY relaxed

Why does Chelsea have devil eyes???

The next day we headed into town for ski equipment and then to Snow Summit.  We usually rent our equipment at the slope, but decided it would be cheaper to take care of this in town.  Plus, we had a coupon! (Spoiler alert: this decision could have disastrous consequences.)  

On the slope, the sun was shining so it was not too cold. We usually start on the bunny hill, then work our way up.  I’m always nervous on the longer chair lift ride.  What if the hill's too steep for me?  What if I do a face plant getting off the lift???  What if I fall off the lift on the way up? 

Yikes! What if? What if???

  

Kyle is definitely not worried

Putting on a brave face

My heart is always in my mouth the first couple trips up, then, when everything goes alright, I stop worrying so much and enjoy the view.  

Can you see the lake?

I actually felt like I was a bit improved from last year.  At least I didn’t have to take my skis off and do the walk of shame down the hill.  No, I skied all the way down, making my creaky snowplow turns with relative un-ease. Haha.   Kyle really looked like a pro.  He is a self taught snow boarder and flew down the hills much faster than me.  (which isn’t saying much, but he really is good.)  

Later, Dude

 After a couple runs, he got tired of waiting for me and jumped back on the lift  before I made my way down, forcing me to wait for him at the cocktail bar.  Oh darn.  The torture I put myself through for my kids.  It’s a really fun bar where you can enjoy the sunshine, watch all the skiers and listen to great music.  (a lot of Led Zeppelin!  Made me think I was a teenager again.)  

Sunshine and a nearby bar can greatly enhance your skiing experience

We skied until the slope closed at 4 PM, then left feeling exhilarated and happy.  We returned our ski equipment and started discussing what we’d do the rest of the afternoon, until the ski equipment person interrupted us, saying there was a problem.  Kyle had returned the wrong board. 

WHAAAAAAT??????

Somehow he had swapped their rental board with one belonging to Snow Summit.  Panic rose in me as I rasped hoarsely, “What do we do?”

My sadistic mind immediately conjured up this imaginary conversation:
Ski shop person, speaking in a harsh German accent, "You must pay for ze missing board, Fraulein."
Me, sobbing uncontrollably: "But I have no money!"
German Nazi Guy: "Zen you must go to jail! I'm calling ze Polizei!"
Tragic, dramatic music begins to play as the Polizei arrive to handcuff and drag me screaming and crying from the shop.  Switch to a closeup shot of Kyle. He is yawning.

OK, enough of that. Here's what really happened:
We were instructed to return the board to Snow Summit and see if we could find the one belonging to them, so we piled back in the car and screeched out of the parking lot, racing back to the mountain.  I glanced nervously in the rear view mirror to see if the police were on my tail ... oh, never mind, sorry.  Luckily Snow Summit had our rental board and everything turned out OK.  WHEW!
There always has to be a bit of drama, right?

We returned to our cabin and started preparing a gourmet dinner.  Kyle grilled burgers for us and I have to say, no restaurant can compare.  Mine was just the way I like it, nice and rare and juicy. 

While grilling, a little canine assistance is always necessary

Master Chef Kyle

After dinner, we chillaxed in our cozy cabin, watching some old Get Smart episodes we’d brought with us and I was happy to know that the same show that made me laugh as a kid was still funny to my teenager. 

Sure is purty here. Bye Big Bear. See you next time.