Big Bear, CA | Travelogue

The night was dark and cold.

The lack of city lights gave way for the light of the moon and stars. I stepped out to the porch to see the view: The mountains, the vast lake beneath, the sky and trees and other houses at the distance, all shades of midnight blue.

There was a shimmering stretch of light on the lake from the reflection of the moon, and there were the stars, the Big Dipper. You notice the cool air blowing; faint sounds of the night were in the surroundings. Then you sense something surround you, like the cold in your skin or the sounds in your ear. Stillness. A gentle pressure making you aware of the fullness of your body. And with it, a feeling of a kind of quiet, joyful exuberance.

I could’ve stayed there all night. But it had been a long day. I went to sleep happy to put the day behind.

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We just got back from our family weekend trip to Big Bear, CA for some first-time skiing! It was a much needed time for relaxation, and adventure. The drive up the mountain wasn’t bad, though I didn’t get to listen to my playlist because of the lack of cell service. Still, it was a nice drive. We ate at Denny’s when we arrived. Stepping outside after we ate, the cool breeze and evergreens caught my senses.

We went to Snow Summit Ski Resort after brunch. Walking towards the resort, I could already see the crowd amassing at the base of the mountain, waiting for their turn to ski or snowboard. Just getting our tickets and equipment took us about an hour; the day was already getting warmer. By the time we actually got to the beginners area to ski, I was already getting tired.

Skiing turned out to be harder than I imagined. I must have fallen more than twenty times, but it was awesome. I even crashed into the net as I was riding down the slope, unable to brake, but who cares! It felt awesome, despite the increasing feeling of fear and panic as I gathered speed, not knowing how to stop effectively and safely. I had fun more than I got tired. We were there for four hours! OK that’s not really much, but add in the extra hour we spent getting ready! Still not much. Anyway, The rest of the night was spent eating good Thai food, and walking around The Village while me and my sister enjoyed a nice hot cup of coffee.

It was around 9:30pm when we got to the lodge, and it turned out that the room we booked online did not actually get reserved. So instead of supposedly staying at a 2-bedroom unit with no view, they ended up giving us a room on the third floor, which was a spacious 1 bedroom with a sofa bed and an awesome view of the lake! And they also said they were going to reduce the rate. So sometimes problems aren’t really problems but opportunities for better circumstances.

The next morning was spent quietly enjoying the view from the porch and reading Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. We ate brunch at Grizzly Manor Cafe (the pancakes were awesome) and spent most of the day walking around and taking pictures. And waiting. I think waiting really is a big part of traveling and exploring places.

My mom gets easily stressed when we’re late for something. And me and my sister are always late. Especially when we’d have to wait for a longer time because of our being late. For example, longer wait times to get a table for brunch because we got there later than was planned.

And stress is contagious (sorry mom). So I try to calm her down the best I can. I guess it is kind of our fault anyway. But what is the point of having a vacation if you stress and pressure yourself in strictly following a schedule?

Doing less in a day but being fully present and at peace with those moments – even the moments when you’re just waiting around for the next stop or next activity in your day – is better than pressuring yourself to do a lot and being “productive” at the cost of cutting yourself short of the experiences and joy you can find in the little things.

At least that’s what I think. And why would you rush to get to the next activity, and the next? Are you not, then, just rushing to get to the end of the journey? Even if the day requires a lot of waiting – sometimes, the waiting itself is the thing.

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