Big Bear Blog

One thing I tend to take for granted living in Big Bear is the night skies. I sometimes forget Big Bear is secluded from urban skylines and bright lights. At 7,000 feet it is high above the gloomy glow of metropolitan zones. Big Bear has no electrical distortions and no artificial blindfolds, which makes it an ideal location to gaze at the stars.

I just got back from a night walk, and I was astonished to discover how silky smooth the sky looked tonight. It had a black polished texture peppered with millions of bright speckles. Tonight was a new moon and it looked as if the “twinklers” were dancing the jitterbug. I was mesmerized that all of the stars combined gave off such radiant illumination without any support from the moon.

That’s right Big Bear’s night skies have certain magical powers and energy that ignites the human spirit. Up here it is clear, and the night skies deliver celestial bodies in high definition.

Shoot for the Stars,

Daniel Pea

My friends Josh and Julie came up from Running Springs to get out of the house and hit the trails in Big Bear. Josh is a tri-athlete and wanted to go for a mountain training run, while Julie wanted to try out the 1E01 single track on her mountain bike. 

I just love showing off the local trails, so we met at the trail head and up and away we went. It was fun watching the dynamics of runner/rider sharing the trail and at least on the way up sharing a similar pace. As we snaked our way along the rocky path I noticed the rhythmic pounding of Josh’s feet and the constant crunching sound of our knobby tires mixing in with huffing and puffing from us all.

It’s a good grunt of a climb that crests at the intersection of the 2N08 and when you pop out on to the dirt road you find yourself surrounded by a lush green forest garden.

As long as I’ve been hiking and riding here I still love taking my friends to trails that make them stop and smile, and that’s exactly what Josh and Julie did when they reached the intersection. After snapping a few pictures, we headed back down for some post-adventure lunch and small talk. They both agreed that it doesn’t matter if you run or ride, just as long as there is phenomenal terrain and scenic views. Let’s face it, its fun to share the trails.

spreading the love, rev

You never forget your first time and this weekend we get to share a first time experience with thousands of others. The inaugural Big Bear Marathon is finally here this Saturday September 6th and we are excited to have athletes from all over the country coming up for our event. We should have perfect weather conditions for our participants as they make their way around Big Bear Lake on the 26.2 mile course.

Our Bike Tour is not timed so riders can pedal easy and enjoy a beautiful morning cruise as they watch the sun rise over the lake. Runners will be challenged and entertained by our mountain top marathon route because of its diversity and complexity.

Racers and riders will start at 6,750’ in the Village. From there they will instantly climb up Red Ant Hill before heading off to the serpentine stretch of highway that leads you to Big Bear Dam.

After crossing the dam participants will be on the quiet north shore side of the lake where they will be treated to spectacular views of the Big Bear Lake, the Snow Summit and Bear Mountain ski resorts and Mt. San Gorgonio. When participants reach the east end of the lake they will be lead into the Moonridge area of Big Bear Lake. This requires more climbing. Runners will pass by the Bear Mountain Golf Course and Moonridge Zoo before descending back down into town and the exciting finish in the Village.

It’s going to be some party and we hope that you won’t miss it. Come say hi; share a first with all of us on the mountain. You never forget your first time.

spreading the love, rev