Weekend Getaway

This weekend my husband and I had a little ski weekend planned.

We grew up in Salt Lake City and have both been skiing since we were kids but we haven't been in a few years so we were really excited. My husband is a very good skier and I've always been alright but since it had been so long since I'd been so I was a little nervous that I was going to be very rusty.

When we left LA the thermostat in my car read 77 degrees! So it was with a loooong backwards look towards LA that we headed out.

Although we left early we still hit some LA traffic :(

Big Bear Lake is only a couple of hours from our home but due to a road closure we had to take a little detour. It ended up being just fine though because it was a pretty detour so we stopped for a sunset photo.

We arrived at Big Bear and checked into our cozy cabin and lit a fire.

Then headed out to hit the town. Which lasted about ten minutes! We were surprised to see that all of the shops had already shut down and the main touristy area looked like a ghost town! So we scrapped the "check out the town" plan and decided to get some food.

We settled on a local brewery with your typical pub fare. I modified my menu choice to be vegetarian-friendly by substituting chicken for a veggie patty. The rest of the sandwich was made up of some of my favorite things- pickles, mustard, onion, and sauerkraut. With a side of sweet potato fries.

My husband ordered the brewery sampler so I taste-tested each of the brews.

After dinner we headed back to our cabin to relax in front of the fire and get some rest for tomorrow's ski day.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed to Starbucks for breakfast. I had a Skinny Vanilla Latte and the "Perfect" Oatmeal.

My oatmeal was less than perfect. It was goopy and luke-warm. So when my husband stopped at McDonald's I weighed my options and ditched my oatmeal and had a McMuffin with egg and cheese. Which I immediately regretted.

It was the most beautiful day! And I was so happy to see that skiing was just like riding a bike and it came back to me really quickly.

We were having a wonderful time and enjoying the fabulous scenery. Before too long my legs were aching for a break and I had worked up an appetite.

Since my last two meals had me feeling a little greasy, I was relieved to that the Snow Summit lodge had exactly what I was craving- fruits and veggies.

The terrain at Snow Summit was more mild and the resort less crowded than we were used to back in Utah so we were able to cover pretty much the entire mountain.

Happy and sufficiently worn-out we headed back to our cabin but got sidetracked by the local Sugar Pine Bakeshop where we decided to sample the local cuisine. ;) So we split a smore's bar and a cookies n cream brownie. And they were delish.

Back at the cabin we decided to preemptively relax our soon-to-be sore muscles in the hot tub.

For dinner we went to a local Mexican restaurant- my favorite!

I had Enchiladas Suiza and the sauce was really flavorful. The portion size was huge so I took about half home and am looking forward to it for lunch tomorrow!

It was a relaxed atmosphere and the perfect way to cap off a great day!

Sunday morning I had another Vanilla Skinny Latte but skipped the oatmeal. Instead I opted for my own Kashi Cinnamon Harvest that I had brought along from home.

Since we hadn't had a chance to check out the city center after dark, we decided to check it out during the light of day. "The Village" as it's called, was full of cute local shops, galleries, and boutiques. We explored the area and tried out some of the local fashions.

Then we spent some time enjoying the lake scenery once more before getting on the road.

Driving back down the mountain was very scenic as well and at one point we could see all the way to the ocean! It was amazing!

We stopped for lunch in Lake Arrowhead so that we could scout out potential camping destinations for this summer. Lake Arrowhead also had a cute little shopping area. We stopped at The Tea Exchange and I had a spinach, sun-dried tomato and feta crepe.

After getting a feel for the Lake Arrowhead, we got back on the road and made it home in speedy time with no traffic. :)

We had such a wonderful time exploring a new city and spending time outdoors. Now we are just hanging out at home and getting ready for the coming work week. Overall, it was so nice to get away and enjoy a change of scenery. I feel refreshed!

Today's Question: It is so much fun to spend time in a new area- what getaway vacations have you taken recently and what did you enjoy exploring the most?