Big Bear Lake

Last weekend, Pat and I went up to Big Bear Lake to scout the area for his cross country camp. It is only 103 miles from Long Beach but a world away. The sky was clear blue, the air was crisp and the trees swayed in the breeze.

We had planned to camp, without the planning part. All the local campgrounds were full so we got a room at the Black Forest Lodge. This just shows how soft we have become--back in the good ol' days we would have simply walked down a trail into the National Forest and camped 200 yards down trail. Instead: cable TV!

The lodge grounds were pretty, and I laughed when I discovered a local Girl Scout Troop had the suite beneath us.

It happened to be the evening of the Olympic marathon which was particularly significant because Ryan Hall, a US runner, hails from Big Bear. There were signs like this one at the bus stop all over town wishing him well.

We went to Sandy's Sports Bar to watch the marathon. I have a special fondness for local bars where the barkeeps can share shots with their regulars--it takes me back to those days in Cooke City. Anyway--it was probably the first and last time I will see a tipsy bar crowd do shots to honor a marathoner!

The next day, we got up and did a trail run. It hurt like heck--the first 2.5 miles were uphill to a beautiful overview of the lake but it also felt great. Running on a trail is definitely a lot more satisfying than pavement pounding here in the big city.