LAUREN LIVES

Today I just wanted to share a couple of photos from our day trip to Big Bear earlier this month! I’ve shared plenty about Big Bear before (that’s where we spent our 1 Year Anniversary), but this was the first time we went for just the day! Since it’s only a two hour drive from LA, it’s the perfect day-long destination if you want to enjoy some mountain hiking and lakeside chillin’ 😉

Our friend, Lauren, came to us on the Thursday before Labor Day and asked if we would like to spend Sunday in Big Bear with them! We immediately said “yes!” and that was that!

Another great thing about doing Big Bear in a day is that costs stay low. All you need is a cooler packed with food and beer and a tank full of gas and you’re good to go! We packed up the car with our coolers, our beach chairs, and our pups, and hit the road at 8am. We arrived a little before 10am and headed back to LA around 6pm. It was extra sweet having the Monday afterwards off…I love bonus weekend days!

 

 

^^Marty and I feel similarly about good sandwiches 😉 ^^

While there, we decided to hike the Pineknot Trail to Grand View Point, which is a 6.6 out-and-back trail. It has plenty of shade and is dog-friendly! When we got there, we weren’t prepared for how busy it was, but luckily we met a nice group that was coming down who told us to skirt off towards the Cabin Trail instead, because there was barely anyone on that part and we would be able to let the pups run free. We were so thankful for her kind advice! We barely passed anyone on our hike, and Marty and Banjo had a blast just running around together! The hike itself was moderate, but full of beautiful views the whole way up. We ended up turning around a little short of the summit because Marty usually taps out around 4 miles … as you can see 😉

 

^^ I told Al that this was the best form of Backpack training! ha! ^^

 

 

Afterwards, we hung out by the lake with our beers and books. We all took naps in the sun, and Banjo did lots of swimming! It was a really really great way to spend the afternoon.

 

^We put Marty in charge of keeping an eye on the beer…he took his job very seriously^

 

 

It’s days like this one that remind me even more why I love LA…although LA doesn’t have the mountains and trees that I love so much, they’re never far away or hard to find. I always say that if I have the beach or the mountains, I’m happy. And some days, well, I can have both 😉

 

thanks for stopping in!