Big Bear Blog

Typically Labor Day weekend signals the end of summer in a mountain town. The signs and symptoms: The crowds are thinner, the temperatures edge towards cool, locals are found on the trails and at Vons on a Saturday and the serious business of finding firewood becomes a priority.

While all the activities of summer still continue this time of year – secretly we’re all counting the days until ski season: Whether it is the cool silence of falling snow or the comforting valley-wide hum of snow-making. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that we’ll be ready.

I’m still hitting the trails – getting in as much mountain biking as possible – and launching my kayak during the warmer hours of the day. But I admit I am paying close attention to the weather and the symptoms of an early winter: The end to autumn’s broad strokes of color, temperatures falling below freezing and the undeniable smell of winter in the air. Like anything worth waiting for – part of the fun is the count down and debating it for hours-on-end at the local coffee house!

Waiting for my turns!
Glade Girl

There’s no question it’s Memorial Day Weekend in Big Bear. The town is buzzing with outdoor enthusiasts, boutique shop browsers, water sports junkies, trout anglers, classic car aficionados and people watchers. This time I fall in the category of people watching.

I am amazed at the amount of activity that is happening here in Big Bear this weekend. It’s great to see vehicles passing through town with mountain bikes or kayaks atop of the roofs. The lake is loaded with just about every watercraft imaginable. I even saw a couple peddling together on a homemade contraption that looked like it was part bike and part balloon. It was very interesting looking, but the main thing is they were afloat and full of laughs as they somehow got the gizmo in to move from point A to point B.

I drove past a classic auto show today, and I must admit there were quite a few beauties on display. I checked out a restaurant that’s right on the beach and was amazed to see all the different activities going on from beach volleyball to fetch with a golden retriever and black lab.

I’ve seen people riding into town on mountain bikes and others in backpacks after a full day of hiking. There are people at sports shops checking out the rental equipment such as canoes, kayaks, inner tubes and of course mountain bikes.

The entire shoreline on the north shore is lined up with anglers. In fact I asked one guy how he did today, and he said he caught his limit in less than two hours. Wow! There is some great fishing action right now on the lake. In fact, I heard rumor that a lake record was broken this weekend.

It’s all about the weather in Big Bear. The sun is shining and mountain breeze is cool. I’m going to kick my summer off with a hike up to Castle Rock or Champion Lodgepole Pine trail.

Blessed are those who enjoy summer,

Daniel Pea   

I’ve heard people bragging about how they can go surfing in the morning and skiing in the afternoon, or vice versa.  Well I must say I’ve never tried to surf, but I do know how to rent a boat and play on the lake. Big Bear Marina is open for the season, and other marinas will soon follow suit. If you own a boat then you’ll be glad to know the public boat launch ramps open to the public Wednesday, April 1.

Take a cruise on the lake or go fishing in the morning and take a few runs on the slopes in the afternoon. That way you can say you’ve conquered the spring conditions in Big Bear. The best part is the lake and slopes, which are the key components to a spring fling are just a hop, skip and jump away from each other.

Lake ‘n’ Slopes,

Daniel Pea

I’ll admit it. The morning I was scheduled to parasail for the first time, my first thought was, “What am I thinking? I’m afraid of heights!” But once I was on the boat watching a fellow flyer grinning, I knew there was no turning back. The sigh of that colorful parachute against our big blue sky was exactly what made me sign up in the first place. And it turned out to be the best thing I’ve done all summer!

To get to the Big Bear Parasail building, you drive to the end of Pine Knot Marina, where you’ll find the owner, Wally Weber, getting lifejackets ready for whoever’s made their reservations. I got on board with a couple from L.A. and their two teenage nieces from San Diego and we were all helped into harnesses. By the time I watched the woman take a ride, I was totally comfortable with the process and rarin’ to go!

I stepped onto the platform at the bow, hooked up to the chute, sat down, then……zipppppp! They smoothly hauled me up to 75-100 feet. It’s actually a 600-foot rope, but I decided to just hang out there my first time. It was high enough to see every watercraft on the lake and San Gorgonio over the ski resorts - and low enough to see what a pro Wally is at the helm.

I had to do about four “corrections” - that’s when you lean a little to one side to keep the parachute straight - but other than that, I just dangled my feet and enjoyed the breeze and the views. It was a glorious 15 minutes.

(You know you want to go: Get your questions answered at bigbearparasail.net. You gotta try it!)

 Vanessa

I am convinced after attending the inaugural Cal Multi Sports event on July 27 that Big Bear continues to excel to higher levels of athletic prowess and intensity. As a spectator I witnessed genuine competition, courageousness, sportsmanship, encouragement, passion and good vibes all around.

There were about 55 participants who took the extreme racing challenge. Each athlete ran for six miles on trails, rode a mountain bike for another 15 miles and paddled into wicked winds for four more miles to finish the race. One thing for certain is it didn’t seem to matter what place the competitors came in, because each one crossed the finish line with a smile. See photo gallery of event.

I saw sweat pour from headbands, I heard the crunch of blisters pop inside shoes and watched blood ooze from scrapes. The athletes battled high altitude, dehydration and fatigue, but each one who entered the race finished with pride and dignity.

One thing I discovered about this intense athletic contest is it takes sheer grit, desire and determination to finish the battle of these adventure style races.  This is the year of the Olympics and it looks as if Big Bear has Olympics fever!   

I was surprised to find many of the participants were from other states or other countries, too. In fact the big winner in the men’s competition was Eric “Sully” Sullivan from Crested Butte, Colo. This guy was an absolute bull. He came charging and never let up. He was followed by one of Big Bear’s very own intensified Teddy D. who had a good race, but just couldn’t catch the raging bull. I give Ted credit for working it hard on the last leg of the kayak portion where he gained about six minutes on Sully. Third place went to the Marcello Magnanini from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Magnanini.

Interestingly enough Magnanini’s girlfriend, Manu Villaseca from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil took the top prize in the women’s event. Heather D. from Big Bear took second and Tiffany Meyers of Redondo Beach was third. See complete results.
Daniel Pea

You’d never know July 13 & 14 was the inaugural Big Bear Paddle Fest, because things seemed to go so smoothly and the turnout was great. It was put on by the North Shore Trading Company in partnership with Captain John’s Marina - both in the lakeside community of Fawnskin.
 
After checking out the stuff on display at the Trading Co. by Keen and Big Bear’s own Equada Outfitters, we headed over to the marina for some splashin’ action. Dozens of people were getting ready to take the kayak clinic put on by Cathleen Calkins and Scott Cordner, and that looked fun, but my boyfriend Jeff and I opted for the canoe class.
Our “trainer” was from the Big Bear Discovery Center, which leads canoe and kayak excursions every week. Since Jeff was the “stern man” (yes, we joked about that later), he was in charge of most of the learning, and within a half hour, he was putting the J-stroke and the Canadian stroke into action. My job in front was to set the rhythm, and to follow his navigation (well, I followed most of the time).
 
We had a ball and were glad we gave canoes a try - it was the first time for both of us. It’s a nice alternative to a kayak and is actually a good team-building exercise for a couple! At the end, we raced a couple of French men back to shore, but alas, we let the U.S. down.
 
We couldn’t make the *official* races the next day, so we missed the fun and prizes: the top finishers won goodies worth $5,000! But we earned our share of booty. Saturday night, the Trading Co hosted a slide show of Scott & Cathleen’s kayaking trip to Siberia’s Lake Baikal, and at the raffle, Jeff won a pair of Smith sunglasses and I won a $50 gift certificate to the Trading Company. How cool is that? Now what to choose among the clothes, shoes and gourmet gift baskets…….?
 
Mark your calendars for next year’s Paddlefest!
Vanessa

KTLA Channel 5 did a superb job covering Big Bear Lake yesterday! Mark Kriski, at the helm, gave KTLA viewers some great inside scoops about lake activities, summer events and other key attractions.

This time around Kriski was able to soar high above the lake from a parasail, he did some jet skiing and even hooked a fish from a bucket. Viewers learned about the Big Bear Museum, The Antique Car Fun Run, and “Move a Million Miles for Ryan Hall” campaign.

It was a great scene with the Big Bear Pirate Ship blasting off cannons and Miss Liberty blowing her horn. There were a dozen or so jet skiers having a good time in the background. Of course the Big Bear mascot got into the action and was seen riding on the back of a jet ski.

It was a great time indeed, but don’t let Mark Kriski have all the fun. Make plans now to enjoy summer in Big Bear Lake. It’s a breath of fresh air.

Take it easy,

Daniel Pea

Were you one of the 1,000 boats cruising Big Bear Lake on July 4? If so, you helped set a new record! Of course, it thinned out by sundown, but there were still enough boats on the water to make it a magical night. Take one of the highest rated fireworks shows in So Cal, and add a few hundred extra lights from watercraft, and you’ve got an evening to remember forever - except you only have to remember it for a year, because this is an annual tradition.

As for my gang, two boats dropped anchor, then we tied up another three to them for a floating party about 50 yards from where the Big Bear Lake Rotary Club was launching the pyrotechnics to synchronized music by KBHR. Fabulous!!
 
Slept on a boat by Bear Valley Dam then had an onboard picnic by Garstin Island the next day. Visitors were doing it right: setting up umbrellas on boats and canopies along the shore for the long day ahead - it could have been a poster for Relaxation. After watching every toy imaginable criss-cross the lake for awhile, we hopped ashore for an afternoon bike ride then ended the day by docking at B’s Beach Bar, where a terrific band plays on the lakeside deck.
 
The friend sitting behind me on the deck said with a huge smile, “Too bad we don’t have a better life, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” I said, “Listening to music in the sun, poor us!”
 
And what was even better was, this was only Saturday night! Talk about enjoying a long weekend with plenty of good company. We all felt a little proud that our little town was where everyone wanted to celebrate Independence Day.
 
Vanessa

Spent the first day of summer on the boat, of course! Slipped into Big Bear Lake from the East Boat Launch at about 5:30 Friday night and motored over to Fawnskin to meet friends at the Moose Lodge, where they were serving up $7 cook-your-own-steaks to a bunch of happy eaters. After that, a mellow sunset cruise - and if you’ve never floated and watched the stars come out over the water, you’re missing out. Our friends tethered up to our boat in Grout Bay for awhile - rockin’ and talkin’ - and we made plans to meet the next morning for even more fun.
 
The next morning, we were off land again by 8:30, this time with a more active agenda. We had two Criss Crafts ready to tow eight wake boarders. Heck, who needs coffee with this kind of wakeup call? We launched from our friend’s house on Papoose Bay, and conditions were great: some ripples but no whitecaps. Some of us wore wetsuits, and some just bathing suits; there’s room for all styles.
 
On my boyfriend’s boat, the guys used custom-made Henry Boards set up for switching, and the women traded off on a Hyperlite, a smaller board with lace-up O’Neals. It was great!! Our boat not only had a tower, the rope has a special wide grip handle to make easier to get your tricks on - just pass it behind your back as you spin and any people you pass on other boats will cheer you on, I promise!
 
Come play!
 
Vanessa
 
p.s. Papoose Bay is home to Holloway’s Marina and its Pirate Ship. If ”pirates” ever fire sound cannons at you, be a good sport and pretend your vessel has been hit - it’s part of the show!