Around Big Bear Lake

California > United States


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Often the best part of an adventure is all the stuff that happens in the middle, rather than the destination itself.

The Third Lake

After spending time at Lake Arrowhead and Green Valley Lake, arrival at Big Bear Lake was rather anticlimactic. It was thoroughly enjoyable simply to relax and read and take in the peaceful forest around the camp site. Occasionally the squirrels would gravitate towards the leftover kibble in the dog's dishes but vanished when the coyotes scurried through. Most of Pine Knot campground was empty until a family from Temecula parked next door.

The eastern shore of Green Valley Lake, with some colorful boats in the foreground.

Beached Boats

The rest of this trip I drove around the lake and up the rough and rocky Polique Canyon Road for a scenic elevated view of the lake as seen at the top of the page. That segment brought back memories of various bumpy trips up and down Schnebly Hill Road. It is debatable whether the wear and tear on my van was worth that single photo.

The Rim of the World

Rim of the World

The most common way to and from Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear is the Rim of the World highway. On the way home I ruminated on how much more pleasant driving this route would be on a motorcycle. It's an amazing feat of curvy civil engineering, often more bridge than roadbed sliced into the mountainside. In most non-sporty vehicles it favors the passenger over the driver, but on a motorcycle it must be a dream. So I'm jotting down a note here for myself — next time bring the bike...

Big Bear Lake