SweetLeaf Adventures

2008 Big Bear Car Show

It's that time of year! This weekend is the Annual Big Bear Antique Car Show and Fun Run, featuring streets packed with wall-to-wall hot rods and classic rides. If you're a classic car lover then this is your siren call to come up and feast your eyes on some of the most epic cars in the car show circut. 

 

Forget the gas prices and leave your hybrid at home. It's time to cut loose with vintage American steel, burgers, fries, hot dogs and let your freak flag fly. The event begins Friday Aug 8th with all the cars coming up en force. But the actual day of the show is Saturday Aug 9th, with the award ceremony on Sunday Aug 10th. If you are looking for late registration, show up early Saturday and go straight to the Elks Lodge parking lot. There's a table set up there where you can be put on a list. At least thats how it was done last year. 

For more information call: 909-866-3938

The Power of Storms

One of the great things about Big Bear are the summertime monsoons that roll through here and cool this place down. Today I woke to the mammoth wall of dark clouds sailing though the sky like gun metal battleships on their way to a war. With the flash of lightening and crack of thunder it wasn't long before it began raining.

 

To me it was wonderful to have that excuse to lie in, drink my coffee and watch the remaining hour of Le Tour de France. Despite having much to do around the house the shroud of cool darkness is wonderful, if only for a short while. 

 

Big Bear is one of those truly magical places. It's no wonder the Serrano Indians made this place their home for over 2500 years. 

Attention travelers, adventurers, or people just passin through!

Who needs the Motel 6 when you have the Sweetleaf... This cozy studio is for rent and it's awesome!

 

PRICES:

WEEKLY = $140

NIGHTLY = $40

 

RESERVATIONS ARE ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS ONLY!

 

This cozy unit is a detached 352 sq ft mother in-law unit with a 3/4 bathroom and mountain views located in the quiet, "Whispering Forest Estates."

 

QUICK REFERENCE

• private access
• redwood deck
• bar-b-que
• refrigerator
• microwave
• cable
• WIFI
• 3/4 bath
• two twin beds

 

It's only 3 miles to Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, 2 mile to the boat launch, steps to the national forest and it boasts gorgeous mountain views! I have a page with some photos taken around the property: Property Photos

Call me at 909-584-9997 to arrange an appointment.

Bertha Peak – One of Seven

This Saturday was the first in a series of seven hikes that were organized by Ted and Heather from Power My Health/Big Bear Outdoor Adventures.

 

Compared to last years hike along the PCT this boasted a much larger group of roughly 40 people. Because I'm more of a lone wolf when it comes to hiking and biking, I have to say initially it was such an odd feeling to hike with a large cartel. But as I motored along I found myself having interesting conversational vignettes during my ascent. Ultimately, I had the chance to meet new people and re-meet people I've had little opportunity to talk to in the past. 

 

Beyond the conversation I was astonished by the pace most of the group kept. Because most of us live in Big Bear, we were all acclimatized to the altitude and ready to kick ass – which, invariably, we all did. Seven miles of ass kicking, I might add.

 

I am looking forward to the next hike and getting to know the people as these hikes unfold. Alternately, If anyone wants to meet up for mountain bike rides on the weekends – send me an email and let's make it happen. Untll we all meet again...

 

Over and out!

 

Photo Courtesty of Heather at Power My Health 

In Bloom

The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining and we are emerging from the snowmelt invigorated and recharged. This weekend is the first of seven big hikes this year. Come join us for the Seven Summits of Big Bear! I know you may be wondering what else we do in Big Bear and we do stuff like this.

 

There's still plenty of snow on the mountain to play in too. Considering they'll probably close both Snow Summit and Bear Mtn within a couple weeks, it's wise to get your skiing or boarding in while you can.

 

A couple weeks ago while reading either Popular Science or Popular Mechanics, I stumbled upon an article about self experimentation. There was a guy named Seth Roberts who underwent lots of different self experimentation and one of them was about diet. The result of the self experimentation is the Shangri-La diet. It deals with how the human diet has evolved over thousands of years – from the hunter gather ingrained into our DNA to the fast food culture of today. Not being a big fan of crazy diets, I decided to open myself to this information. I highly recommend keeping an open mind and checking out the info for yourself. There are lots of MP3 interviews on the Seth Roberts website you can listen to just in case you don't have time to reasearch. I've been waiting for my book to arrive so I can read up on the the specifics of this regimen even though I've been following the basics of the diet at the beginning this week. Taking in calories without flavor and resetting your appetite back to zero is a fascinating concept to me. Basically, you fool your body into feeling full without having to consume lots of calories. I'm curious to see if this, combined with excersise, will accelerate the development of lean tissue and fat loss. I'll let you know how it goes... 

A World Away...

This week has been a roller coaster for people who live in Big Bear. With weather reports, touting two to three feet of snow, we received about 4-6 inches instead. This is why I never listen to the reports. One day they'll report 1-2 inches and we'll get a foot of powder, another day they'll report a foot of powder and we'll get an inch. But this is how we roll in the upper elevations. 

 

During the months of December - February I have taken my place off the rental market for a couple reasons that need no explanation. But we are back beginning March 3rd. With more demand to rent my place than ever, I have no other choice but to concede. One of my main traffic sources have been from Big Bear Lake Vacation Rentals and I thank you. Starting Feb 1st I will be taking reservations again. To those whom I've had to turn away, I apologize. To those who want to book, check back on Saturday February 1st and we'll make it happen. 

 

I wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2008!

 

Over and out!  

No Way José

Well last night brought us lots of dramatic weather but no snow. There was a snow/rain mix this morning but nothing worth reporting. Even Snow Summit and Bear Mountain shut down today because of the high winds and rain. What a anti-climactic ending to such a massive build up by the weather services. This is why I try and never listen to them. TRY being the operative word. 

 

There's supposed to be snow tonight but I won't count on it. I'll believe it when my deck is stacked with snow and I have to use my snowboard to get down the stairs. But I'll keep you posted regardless.

 

Over and Out!  

Weekend Snow Forecast

Last weekend brought us some marginal snow conditions that weren't really worth mentioning even though I tried to update the site but was thwarted due to my poor wireless signal. 

 

So what's the deal with this weekend? Well, tonight we're supposed to get anywhere from 1-3 inches of snow. This always varies but it looks promising with it's 80% chance. I mean look at that photo and tell me we don't have SOMETHING in store. 

 

Tomorrow is going to bring us another projected 1-3 inches, bringing the total projected snowfall between 2-6 inches. This is super exciting as it's our first big snow of the season and the slopes already have a nice base laid down, which only means more runs will open this weekend. 

 

If you're looking to reserve The Sweetleaf, I'm sorry to say that we are no longer taking reservations at this time. The website will still be updated and completely functional. We are just undergoing a major change at this time. 

 

That's it for now... I'll be reporting on the scene as it happens this weekend. 

 

Over and out! 

Let there be Snow!

It's noon and it's currently raining up here in the Bear. Nothing serious just yet but I'm hearing that we are expecting snow. I pulled up the infared satellite map of the Southwestern states to give you an idea of what is coming.

 

 

Notice that cold swath of precipitation heading toward the San Bernardinos? I'm hoping by sunset after the temps drop, we'll be recieving the first snow of the season.

 

Check back often because I'm on the scene reporting the action.

 

Over and Out!! 

 

Snow Summit and Bear Mountain are Now Open!

That's right! Both mountains are open and ready for business! Here's the situation...

 

SNOW SUMMIT 

• Snow Summit- Chair 1, Miracle Mile is open top-to-bottom!
• Snow Summit- Chair 1, Summit run is now open!
• Snow Summit- Chair 8, Bear Bottom beginners area.
• Snow Summit- MC#3-on stand-by, Bear Bottom beginners area.
• Snow Summit- Snow Summit night sessions begin tomorrow Saturday, December 1st. 

BEAR MOUNTAIN

• Bear Mountain- Chair 7, Inspiration run is open for beginners.
• Bear Mountain- Chair 5, Central Park is open with numerous terrain features available for all levels.
• Bear Mountain Park- 30 features and counting!
• Bear Mountain- Chair 9 High Speed Quad, The Park Run is now open! 
• BBMR- Special early season lift ticket prices!

 

CONDTIONS

Surface- Surface- Mostly machine groomed medium pack with a soft subsurface.
Conditions- Good, with nearly full width runs- please use caution near the run edges.
Depth- 12"- 24" base
Natural Snow- No
Snowmaking- No
Grooming- 100% of open runs 

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