a real winter wonderland

the winter-like weather in southern california last week was lovely, and a welcome change from our typical mild temperatures.  all those chilly temperatures plus the much-needed rain that we got resulted in lots of fresh powdery snow up in our local mountains, and we spent one sunday in the truck exploring some off-roading trails.

at one point, we got stuck in a line of other trucks and jeeps waiting for some dude who'd overestimated his car's capabilities and got stuck in some muddy snow.

it gave the bean a chance to reach outside and grab some of that soft powder to play with.

someone finally came down the trail the other way and helped that guy move off of the road just enough for the rest of us to squeeze past him and go on our merry way.

and then last friday the hub decided it would be a great time to head up to mt. baldy with the dogs and watch their reactions to the snow that was still falling as we drove up.  not to mention, a weekday is much better for heading up there because we knew that the weekend would bring way more visitors in search of the perfect sledding and snowman building conditions.

it was pretty funny to watch teddy and cocoa step gingerly on the cold ground.  they were so confused.

i propped my phone up on the car for a quick group shot.

and then i got this before i took pity on the dogs and brought them back inside the truck where it was warm and dry.

the hub and the bean stayed outside and threw snowballs at each other and shoveled some snow on top of the truck to take home as a souvenir of our outing.

and all that pretty snow somehow kicked off a fun craving for iced oatmeal cookies.  instead of heading to the grocery store to pick up a package from the cookie aisle, i googled and found an easy recipe using ingredients i already had, and so i mixed up a batch.

sadly for us, the temperatures are back up in the 60s and 70s, with no more rain showing up in the 10-day forecast.  sigh.  it sure was fun while it lasted.

palm springs to...big bear?

it'd been awhile since we'd gone on one of our day-long road trips, and with the bean's winter break coming to an end we all hopped in the truck for a fun drive.  with the rain we'd gotten a few days before, there was a ton of snow on the local mountains.  tempting, but we knew that meant that everyone and their mother would be heading up there for some snow play.  instead, the hub decided to take us on a different route - one that started with a drive out towards palm springs.

and then we veered off onto a dirt trail that led us here - pioneertown, built by a group of actors in the 40s who wanted a permanent set for filming western movies.  we stopped at pappy & harriet's to order a takeout lunch, and on that gorgeous day we were definitely not the only ones.  the wait for food was about an hour, which was okay because there was plenty to see within walking distance.

in non-covid times, they put on a stunt show here.

we passed the entrance to the local motel as we headed towards town.

and while there were a good number of people out and about, it wasn't hard to keep our distance and still be able to see everything.  all of the buildings seemed to be functional, with real businesses operating inside.

the hub made a new friend here.

it was interesting to walk down the street and look at all the buildings.  and people actually do live here, too.  

at the far end of town, we came across this sign.

and then beyond it, a plaque that gave a brief history of the town in front of what's billed as "the most photographed post office in the u.s."

as we ambled back through town towards pappy & harriet's, we passed the local newspaper office.

and even a bowling alley.

we finally picked up our lunch and got back in the truck to continue the day's adventure.  the original plan was to taken an off-road trail that would drop us off in big bear, so we could play in the snow.  but we'd gotten a later start than we'd planned, and by the time we were done with lunch the sun was already going down.

as we bounced along on the bumpy, rocky road we rounded a corner and came across these guys:

it was a fun road, and while the hub had a blast driving it the rest of us just held on for the ride.

eventually we were rewarded with a snowy view of the setting sun.

and then we finally made it to big bear.  we got lucky and found a parking spot in town right by the coffee shop we love to visit and then found some dinner before heading back home.

we never did get to play in the snow, but it made for one really fun day.  and one that we'd like to do over one of these days.  i don't know if there's any snow right now, but there's some pretty nice, cool and possibly wet weather coming our way.  i'm crossing my fingers.