"Marriage has no guarantees. If that's what you're looking for,
go live with a car battery."
~Erma Bombeck
"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
~Albert Einstein
Will you be my Valentine?
That was a rhetorical question.
You have no choice -- we're married.
"For you see, each day I love you more,
today more than yesterday, and less than tomorrow."
~Rosemonde Gerard
Bonnie and I have always done something to recognize Valentine's Day and each other, but usually nothing more than a Valentine Card and a lunch or dinner. Doing something a little more special was on my Updated Bucket List for Year 77. We enjoy time at our cabin in Big Bear, and our favorite restaurant there in the village is the Sweet Basil Bistro.
We decided to spend a couple of nights at our cabin, so we drove to Big Bear the day before Valentine's Day and came home the day after. For those not acquainted with Big Bear, below are a couple of images I swiped from the internet showing the Village, the Lake and Snow Summit Ski Resort. The shot of our cabin is illustrative of the amount of snow we've had this year.
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What could be better on Valentine's Eve than to be in the mountains, have a great veggie pizza, and watch the Winter Olympics on TV.
After having a glass of wine at the cabin on Valentine's Day evening, and exchanging Valentine cards, we drove into the Village on a cold but clear evening to Sweet Basil Bistro for our 6:00 pm dinner reservations. The Village was not crowded on this Valentine's evening, but the Bistro had a good crowd. The owner, Sally and her staff, are such good and friendly hosts that it is always a treat to have dinner there, and the food is always delicious.
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After a wonderful dinner, and my Gelato/Drambuie desert, we had been told to check out the art in the restrooms before leaving. The bear in the men's room was nothing special, but the presentation of a glass of Cabernet in the ladies room was interesting.
We always enjoy coming to Big Bear, and spending Valentine's Day together, with a special dinner at the Sweet Basil Bistro, was really enjoyable. We may make a trip to Big Bear for Valentine's Day a tradition.
A Little History of Sweet Basil Bistro: The Sweet Basil Bistro is an intimate restaurant featuring fresh, country Italian cuisine in a quaint and cozy atmosphere, located in the Village in Big Bear. Family owned and operated by Chef Sally Hill, Sweet Basil Bistro serves varied and delectable Lunch, Dinner and Sunday Brunch menus. A local favorite, the menu includes fresh and healthy salads, zesty House Made Pasta Sauces and Hot Pressed Panini Sandwiches. Specials for dinner include Lobster Lasagna, Ricotta and Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breast along with House Made Italian Meatloaf, Grilled Salmon and Steaks (Grilled Salmon is always my favorite). Sunday Brunch features specialty items such as Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict on Toast Ciabatta Bread topped with sauteed Arugula, Poached Eggs and a Creamy Parmesan Sauce. A full Bar is available along with a Boutique Wine Selection. Chef Sally is shown below.
A Little History of Big Bear Lake: Big Bear Lake is in the San Bernardino Mountains about a one and 1/2 hour drive from our home in Monrovia. Big Bear Lake is the name of the largest town as well as the lake. There are smaller towns in the Valley and one is named Big Bear City. Most of the history shown below relates to the Big Bear Valley. To the millions of tourists who visit my favorite mountain community every year, Big Bear Lake offers snowboarding, skiing, sledding, hiking, nature walks, mountain biking, boating, fishing, kayaking, sailing, water-skiing, wakeboarding, parasailing, golfing, shopping and entertainment for the whole family. The permanent population of Big Bear is under 10,000 people, but crowds can reach 100,000 depending on seasonal events and holidays, such as the 4th of July. Elevation ranges from 6,900 feet at the valley floor to 8,200 feet at the top of Snow Summit Ski Resort, and 8,400 feet as Highway 38 crosses Onyx Summit.
Once populated by only the Serrano Indians and the grizzly bears, from which the area received its name, the population of the Big Bear Valley grew rapidly during the Southern California Gold Rush from 1861 to 1912. The story goes that in 1860, a bear hunter named William Holcomb discovered gold in the backcountry after tracking a bear’s blood trail to a creek filled with flakes of gold. He tried to keep it a secret, but soon enough word spread, and Southern California’s largest gold rush was on! From 1860 to about 1875 the area was swarming with prospectors. All that remains of the gold rush days today are some relics and structures that my friends and I have seen as we've ridden our off-road motorcycles on the fire roads on the north side of Big Bear Valley. Grizzly bears have not been found in the region since 1908, but today there are black bears in the area and they are sometimes seen in residential areas.
In 1884, the marshy and nearly flat Bear Valley was dammed, which held back some 25,000 acre feet of water for irrigation purposes in the Redlands area. However, the citrus growers eventually found that the 1884 dam produced insufficient water. In 1912 a multiple arch dam was constructed downstream of the old dam and increased the lake capacity to 73,000 acre feet. The original dam still remains, usually under about 20 feet of water. A highway bridge was built over the arches of the new dam in 1923, and a new bypass bridge was built next to the old bridge in 2009. Tourism began with the onset of the automobile and the eventual establishment of highways accessing the seemingly remote area. This made it possible for the villages to grow and for Big Bear Lake to become the first mountain recreation area in Southern California.
Many people traveled to enjoy recreation on the lake, but another major draw was the Pan Hot Springs Hotel, the first major resort in Big Bear built in 1921. This resort was followed with others (the Big Bear Lake Tavern, Stillwells Lodge & Ballroom, Peter Pan Woodland Club, Oak Knoll Lodge, and many others) that strived to be the best by creating a country club atmosphere complete with the amenities required to lure the Hollywood celebrities of the time. The valley became a popular place for shooting movies on location. The Pan Hot Springs Hotel, like many of the other resorts and hotels in Big Bear, was extensively damaged by fire in 1933.
The first ski jump in Big Bear was erected in 1929 and quickly claimed a world ski jump record. The move to a winter resort town was solidified in 1952 when Tommy Tyndall opened a resort in Big Bear Lake now known as Snow Summit.
An interesting presentation of the history of Big Bear Valley, complete with photos, can be found by pasting this link into your browser: http://www.bigbearlake.net/about-big-bear/history/
A Brief History of Our Big Bear Cabin: We purchased the cabin in partnership with Merlin & Susan. Although the Sellers allowed us to spend Christmas at the cabin in 1976, the purchase transaction didn't close until January 1977. Our kids were young and we had many wonderful years with all of us spending weekends and holidays together in the mountains. Merlin & Susan moved to Utah in 1995 and we purchased their half of the cabin. Although we don't spend much time at the cabin with the full family these days, Bonnie & I still enjoy the mountains, and I particularly enjoy skiing in the winter. Jenny gave me a plaque I love that says, "If You're Lucky Enough To Be In The Mountains, You're Lucky Enough." Below is an assortment of photos of family and friends taken at the cabin and surrounding area over the years.
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