Big Bear Blog

Beer, wine, coffee, tea – no matter your poison or your pleasure, there are plenty of options in our mountain town! The kind of options that make any post-adventure celebration that much sweeter!

Good beer. Liquid gold. Brewed in Big Bear? Yup, brewed right here at the Big Bear Mountain Brewery & Restaurant. Housed in the pale yellow building at the top of Red Ant Hill on the Boulevard, they serve great beer – Old Miners Gold, Mt. Pub Ale, Lil Beaver IPA and Grizzly Bear Doppel Bock, among others – plus good pub fare and sometimes live entertainment. Their slogan: Arrowhead’s got the water, Big Bear’s got the beer. Lucky for us! www.mountainbrewery.com

Another option for tasty buds – The Himalayan Restaurant in the Village. With beers named Yeti, The Nun and Go for Monk, celebrating just sounds like more fun! Plus they have good food and the best Tandoori Chicken in the Valley. Okay, the ONLY Tandoori Chicken in the Valley. www.himalayanbigbear.com

Coffee – whether you need it or not – is a good thing. And Grizzly Mountain Gourmet in the Village is a perfect place to enjoy a cup of joe. Part market, part hangout, it’s not a bad place to wind down! It’s also on the return route to Snow Summit after some amazing lift-served mountain-biking. And they have more than just fancy coffee drinks. They have lots of other fancy things too: cheeses, meats, breads, salads and more. They even sell hard to find bottled beers and exceptional wines. We give them extra points for that! www.grizzlymountaingourmet.com

Wine. Where? Plenty of places but it really comes down to where to enjoy that glass of sparkly. How about Nottinghams? Lake views? Check. Wine list? Check. Happy hour? Check. Fun atmosphere? Check. Plus a full bar for your non-grape-loving friends looking for libations. www.nottinghams.info

Just a few of my favorites but would love to hear about yours: Where do you commemorate your adventures?

Earning my turns,
Glade Girl

We had some serious storms this winter that covered our mountain with more snow than we’re used to, but once they got a handle on the roads we got back to the business of playing. Even before people had their own walkways dug out of the snow they were out snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding and sledding with the kids. There’s still plenty of snow on the ground but warm spring temps are here and we are surely in for a beautiful season. Daylight saving time just went into effect and already the bike rides are in full swing and we’ve even had a few really good frisbee sessions. When winter hits hard, it makes our mountain more colorful in the spring and it stays pretty and green all the way through summer. We are having a super spring up here but don’t take my word for it, come on up and see for yourself. spreading the love, rev

Last Saturday B-Ray and I went out for a little day trip on snowshoes on the other end of the valley towards Sugarloaf Mountain. From my front porch we could see a small peak just below the actual top of Sugarloaf and we wanted to find out how long it would take to get there.

After packing a few safety essentials and a few beers for hydration, off we went into the forest slowly plodding towards our goal. It was a perfect day for a snowshoe outing, sunny and warm with no breeze to speak of. B-Ray and I prefer to hike off trail when there’s good snow. In no time we freestyled up a steep ridge that would lead us right to the spot we could see from my front yard. In less than two hours we stood at the crest and looked down on Highway 38 and could see my house.

It really feels like an extension of my “yard” when we can go off into the forest without packing everything into the car and driving somewhere. From the crest we took a roundabout way to head home and found ourselves on the edge of a really steep drop off.

B-Ray loves to charge hard on the way home, so we jumped off into the powder side stepping our way down the steep face until we got to the big meadow at the bottom. As we approached the clearing we heard voices through the trees. At the bottom we saw a six pack of snowshoers heading up the trail. They stood there with mouths open sporting that look of “where the hell did they come from?” They told us they were from San Diego, and had gone to the Discovery Center to get some advice. The fine folks at the Discovery Center sent them out this way. It was really cool to see people enjoying a getaway to the mountains where I call home.

Most people don’t want strangers playing in their backyard, but when your yard is as big as the San Bernardino Mountains visitors are welcome! So come on up and bring your gear, you’re welcome to play in my “yard.” It’s big enough for all of us.

spreading the love, and the mountain style hospitality,
rev