Big Bear

     It's been a few days since my last post, but for once I can say that the interval is due not to laziness or a mental drought but because I was too busy in the evenings to devote adequate time to writing worthwhile posts.  I've got a bunch of things to put up, and they'll probably get posted in a rather disjointed way.  I guess I'll start with the flashiest.

     In mid-January I flew to Los Angeles to visit family, and a few of us went skiing for us in Big Bear (elevation 8,000 ft.), which lies in the San Bernadino National Forest a few hours North-east of LA.  I'd only once skied outside the North-eastern states, and I was looking forward to the famous Western snow.  In the event I found the snow unremarkable, but the landscape was quite extraordinary, and I managed to take a few half-decent shots.

 The mountain stands above a large lake (also called Big Bear), which was largely frozen thanks to the cold snap that weekend.

 I've always loved bare conifers.

 I took this photo looking East up Bear Valley.  I was struck by how beautifully it stretched off toward the horizon, and it was a delight to drive along it on the way home.

The image here didn't resolve as clearly as I'd hoped, but in the middle of the valley was a rocky height on which were perched a number of homes.  I was very much reminded of Edoras when looking at it.

A nice glade.  I tried to ski in a bit further, but the ground didn't take to my downhill skis too well.

Looking Southwest from Big Bear.  This was at the top of the mountain, and the crest in the distance was even larger and more jagged.  I wish I'd had the time to climb up there.

     One of the most remarkable parts of the trip was the descent from San Bernadino into the Mojave Desert.  Regretfully, I was not in the frame of mind to take photographs, and so I have no record of that part of the trip, for which I kick myself now.