Project Gas Tank - Trip 1 - Big Bear

So today is my first PGT road trip.  I've actually chosen a place that is only about quarter of a tank away, so this trip will only cost me half a tank.  I'm headed up to Big Bear.  I've heard it's a great place for a quick few hours of skiing.  And no it doesn't have Mammoth's snow but it's also not five hours away.  Also there are a bunch of little stores, restaurants and gift places to browse.                      

The road up to Big Bear the 18 is a nice easy drive and luckily there wasn't any new snow as I discovered half way up that you're supposed to carry chains...opps!

When you first arrive at the edge of Big Bear it seems a little run down.  Like other mountain towns I'm sure snow makes it look prettier.  It also has not escaped the recession with a lot of buildings seeming vacant or closed but that could also be that it's off season.

I do a loop around the village and settle on Teddy Bear's Restaurant on Pine Knot Ave.  It's a little diner type place and yelp mentioned that the food was great.

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One of the reasons I have sighted I like to travel on my own is that when you sit at the counter in a diner on your own people strike up conversations with you.  Ray, a local of thirty five years notices I'm talking to my phone like a crazy person, as I complain that the much raved about fish and chips is only on available Fridays and today is Wednesday.                                                                                      .
Ray asks if I'm a food critic which is a joke if you know me and food.  Anyway when I tell him I'm blogging trips that you can do on a tank of gas this gets him talking.  Ray is an investor/entrepreneur.  He gives me a little advice on what is best at Teddy Bear's, which I choose to ignore because its still to earlier for a full lunch.                                                                    .
He tells me about how Big Bear has changed, the little pockets such as Poet's Corner and the businesses that have come and gone.  It turns out the Big Bear is doing OK.  For the same reason I'm doing this project, people are coming to Big Bear.  It's a gas tank away for a lot of people and so this is a new destination for many who can no longer take their usual vacations abroad.  Big Bear's tourism has actually done better in the past few years due to this.  I asked him if there were any places visitors might not stumble upon that were good in town and he mentioned a there is a great little place to eat beneath the bowling alley...who knew, as well as a number of little stores further into Big Bear closer to the airport.
After ignoring Ray's recommendations I chose the egg dip, eggs over easy with fries, I chose over medium because I can't stomach the runny white yuck that is over easy.
  

We chat the entire time I'm stuffing fries in my face and he's eating his burger.  Ray gives me the low down on his two kids who whether from a parental point of view of for real, are pretty smart, doing well at the local high school.  

              

I asked the waiter about renting skis at Summit Mountain an he suggests its the way to go.  Clearly he has his own skis as I passed $12, $15 and $17.50 rentals on my way up there only to find that a half day rental at the resort is $25!  It not that that is expensive but compared to $12 it is.  However the one thing that did redeem him was that it is a lot easier to rent them at the resort which right by the ski lifts saving you from lugging all your gear around.
One word of warning, Tebby Bear's is a cash only place.  There is an ATM in the entrance area to the restaurant so you can grab money last minute but they don't accept any other forms of payment.                                                                                                 .
Wandering around the village to walk off my greasy brunch I found a number of great little places to browse.  Surprisingly a lot of the stores in Big Bear Village are open even though it's off season and relatively quite.  It was misleading when I first drove through because on the main strip it seemed places were closed.  There is one place a "Christmas Mart" that is open year round and only sells Christmas things, ornaments and whole tiny villages that sprawl the entire length of the store.  

I spent a little money in a gallery that unfortunately won't allow video or photography but the staff were very friendly, a family run business owned by the daughter of one of the women working there.  It made me laugh to hear they were both originally from Los Feliz in LA and that they hadn't been there in...."oh....I don't know...TEN YEARS!" 
The coffee place next door has great drinks, wifi and amazing pasties. The girl at the counter didn't really seem to know how to acknowledge more than one person at a time.  I stood in line hyperventilating as the woman in front of me bought bag after bag, after cookie after scone.  It was touch and go whether there would be anything left.  I've honestly never seen someone clear out a cake cabinet as quickly before.

Having lost track of time drinking, writing and people watching, I headed up to Summit Mountain a little late.  By this time it was well into the afternoon and I tossed up whether it was worth skiing for an hour or not. Right as I was standing looking at the prices and trying to justify $75 for an hour of skiing I saw this sign...

...and my decision is made.  It's my birthday is in a few weeks so I'll come up for the day. Free is free after all and with gear and the $49 half day ski pass I wasn't about to waste $75.
That being said I did find a number of little antique stores and found myself loading an antique juicer to go along with a bird house I bought in the gallery into my car!

The woman running the Mill Creek Antique store, which is on your way our of Big Bear (or on the way in depending on which direction you're headed,) was incongruous in the setting of rooms filled with antique pieces and bits of rusting metal.  Originally from Oklahoma she moved to Big Bear because her mother-in-law lived here.  There was a ton of country type crap if you're into that, which I partially am.  I could have easily loaded up my car but I reframed...except for the juicer.


Driving back down the mountain gives you a better view of the National Forest.  It's amazing this is all in our back yard.

Beware of the hidden cops on the 330 and 18 as they sit slightly back from the road. I was glad I wasn't the loon overtaking another car on a one lane stretch because a split second later he had a cop up his ass.

I made it home having use just under half a tank of gas so the drive cost me about $25.  If money is super tight go up when it snows, there are lots of places off the road to sled for free and you can always pack a picnic.

PGT 1 was a success.  A great little day trip for very little money and its amazing how just spending a few hours in a different environment can revitalize you.