Big Bear

The holiday seasons are the best times of the year to spend with your families. This year, during the Christmas time holiday season was even more special for my family. It felt even more like Christmas, as my family and I spent the weekend before Christmas in Big Bear during which time, most of the peaks were covered with snow. What beautiful views! No matter how many times I visit this area during the winter, I Still find it hard to believe that such a cold and wintery place can be seen here in Southern California.

We spent 3 days and 2 nights with my girlfriend's family in a nice and cozy cabin close to Bear Mountain Ski Resort and Moonridge Zoo. Moonridge Zoo is a small zoo in the Big Bear area that has a lot of animals unique to the mountain range, and other animals more commonly seen as well. We got to enjoy the Grizzlies, Bald Eagles, Owls, Wolves, Porcupines, Mountain Lions, Wood Bison, and even a Snow Leopard. If you're ever in Big Bear, you must check this zoo out! It’s small, but has many beautiful animals. http://moonridgezoo.org/

This trip was my son, Anakin's, first time experiencing the snow. He was a little apprehensive at first, especially after seeing other children speeding down the neighboring hills of snow. He was so nervous, he didn't even want to get on the sled. After a few times of showing him that it was fun and safe, he finally tried it. He went so fast I thought he'd be scared. To my surprise, he got off his sled and said, "Again! I want to do it again!" with a big smile on his face. He absolutely loved sledding and playing in the snow and despite having gotten wet from several of his many “sled crashes”, every time he got back up eager to try it again.

With every vacation I take, a large portion of my itinerary is dedicated to my photography. I had planned to go snow shoeing before dawn or before sun down up one of the peaks that overlooked the area; unfortunately, squeezing this plan in with 10 other people, all wanting to do something different proved to be very difficult. Instead we decided to focus on taking family portraits. I ended up printing a large print of the whole family for my girlfriend's parents. Now when I go to visit their family at their home, I'll always be reminded of this wonderful weekend we all had together; and Anakin’s first experience in the snow.