EPISODE 74: 10 SAN BERNADINO MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES TO VISIT TO MAXIMIZE YOUR SKI TRIP

In this week's episode of Living in the Sprawl: Southern California's Most Adventurous Podcast, host Jon Steinberg shares his list of 10 San Bernadino mountain communities to check out on your next ski trip. His list includes: Fawnskin, Arrowbear, Sky Forest, Green Valley Lake, Running Springs, Big Bear City, Crestline, Oak Glen, Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake.

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Transcript

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Hello listeners and fellow explorers. This is living in the sprawls lovely and talented producer slash wife, Lisa Steinberg. I wanted to thank all of you for your continuous support of the show. As a new podcast on the scene, John and I self-support the logistics and research that go into the show. The number one way to support the show is to rate, review and share this podcast with everyone, you know, Many of you have been doing this and it has helped immensely. I also invite you to check out our website and the show notes for other ways to support the show. We are currently working with companies. We currently use ourselves. To get discount codes for our listeners and support the show in the process. These companies include. Every table, just CBD store, gold belly cats, botanicals, and so much more. By using the links on our website, you are letting them know we sent you an intern, supporting the show. You can also support us on Patrion and pod fan. Please check out the website@livinginthesprawlpodcast.com. For updates on companies we are working with our testimonies links codes and new living in the sprawl merchandise Again thank you to all of you our lovely listeners for tuning in every week and allowing us to do what we love Without further ado you're humble correspondent John steinberg Hello, and welcome to another installment of living in the sprawl. So the California's most adventurous podcast I am as always your humble host and correspondent. My name is John Steinberg joined in tandem by my lovely and infinitely talented producer slash my wife. Her name is Lisa Steinberg. We are the team here at sprawl enterprises. Ready to bring you yet? Another exciting foray. Into the vast expansive terrain that we have lovingly dubbed the sprawl. On the program today. A sojourn into the mountains. You see one of the great. Possibilities. That people from Southern California love to go on and on about is the ability to get up. Pick up a surf board and head out into the water in the morning. And then retreat. Up to the mountains. In the afternoon. But what else is going In those mountains. Well, today we're going to answer that. We're gonna be looking at. The San Bernardino mountains, specifically 10 different. Communities. That exists there. I grew up going to lake Arrowhead quite a bit, coming from orange county. There was always this sort of. Sneaking feeling that arose in the pit of my stomach when. We began to incline. In our Volvo station wagon up the mountain. But by the time. We'd reach our destination. With the windows rolled down. The air was different. There was a snap. Uh, kind of. Quickness. In the air. That didn't necessarily match anything that I was to routinely contend with. Down. On the ground as it were. There's something special about the mountains, whether your. Mike Tyson or Oscar de LA Hoya looking to gain a competitive edge. Or your Michelle Kwan. Seeking. Uh, shrine to the snow. In Southern California. Or whether your Matt stone and Trey Parker who have educated the world about exactly what it's like to grow up in a quiet little mountain town. Visible from all over. Our terrain. The San Bernardino mountains. R a gorgeous. But he myth. But today we're going to tackle them. So. Let's begin. With our list for the 10. Can't miss communities to check out on your next visit to the San Bernardino mountains. I never 10. We're going to start with a little town called fond skin. Nestled. The nearby. Both big bear lake and big bear city. This beautiful community. Is one of your quintessential. And here it comes Uh, quiet mountain towns. But the beauty on hand. From the birds that squawk overhead. To the critters. That scurry by. When you arrive. In font skin. You will definitely. Without question know that you are far removed from the hustle and bustle of big city life. And if you want something. A little less. Tourist trap E. Fond skin might be a nice alternative. To that, of the. More crowded destination of. Big bear lake. You're not coming here for the art museums. The classic car collections. Or the vintage sports memorabilia. You're here to be at one with nature. And if you've set foot in fond skin. You most definitely are on the right track. And number nine Aero bear. Combining. To larger nearby settlements, Aero bear. Exists to offer. A bit of both worlds here. You have the opportunity. For breathtaking hikes. All kinds of camping. If it exists and you can do it outdoors, Aero bear. Great place to start. Again, not the, and this is all relatively speaking. Thriving. It perpetually busy, big bear. Or the less. Congested, but still popular, like Arrowhead. This has a little bit of what those places do. Without. The screaming, hordes. Turning. 20 minute, wait times into our long looking at the clock sessions. On your drive from lake Arrowhead to. The big bear. Portion of the mountain, you will pass through Aero bear. And we recommend that you stop check it out. And investigate for yourself. Why so many swear by this tiny community in the San Bernardino mountains. And there were eight sky forest. Some of the best food. To be found anywhere on the mountain. Is to be uncovered right here in sky forest. And I'm talking about Lou Eddy's pizza. Uh, joint so popular that. You kind of have to plan your day around. Mealtime. We're talking. Our plus weights. If you go at peak hours. Wonderful pizza. The place has been featured on the television program. Food paradise. Additionally sky forest is home to previously hurt on the sprawl. Say it to his village. We love SANAS village, a real throwback in a land. Replete with amusement parks, sky forest. Same as village really stands out. Because this kind of thing simply does not exist. Anywhere else. It may be small, but it packs. A major punch. Sky forest. On our list of the 10 communities to check out in the same bernardino mountains Number seven green valley lake. Population 300. You could probably throw one of those old school Nerf footballs from one end. Of the community to the other, if, uh, you were really packing quite a cannon on ya. Small for sure. Quaint, definitely charming. It has charm in spades. On a recent trip. We actually got to check out. A rummage sale. Old school. Appliances. Articles of clothing. It was kind of like. Maybe the stereotypical image one has of a small town in the Midwest. In a place like Missouri. Except it happens to be located in the San Bernardino mountains. The lake. For which the community has been named. Offers locals. The chance. To kayak, swim. Fish. Or if you're not so. Inclined then simply behold. The inherent beauty on display. In this unique. Singular town. The one that's called green valley lick. And number six, running Springs. This is also in between lake Arrowhead and big bear. It has a little bit more going on in the way of commerce than a couple of the other places that we've named checked thus far. Running Springs has kind of all the typical accoutrements that you might anticipate when talking about. The small mountain town. The beauty of the full foliage. Animals in the sky and on the ground. Cabins that resemble Swiss chalet. Running Springs has found favor. With tourists. Looking to spend the night. Before a big day out on the slopes. And. Running Springs is actually home to the first ski resort on. The mountain, which is snow valley. It's where I actually learned to snowboard and I can personally vouch for its credibility. So bust out the skis, rent a snowboard. Give it a try on the bunny slopes. At snow valley. Located within running Springs. Number five big bear city. Different from big bear lake. Don't let the word city throw you off here. That is not actually a city, although. Of the 44,000 people who call the San Bernardino mountains home, roughly 12,000 of them do reside. Within the territory of big bear city. And it's also here that you'll find the big bear discovery center, a great place to take. The younger members. Of your family to help them learn about all the wonders to be uncovered. While staying within the San Bernardino. Mountains. This is as commercial as it gets for the mountains here. Not to suggest frequenting them. But if you have a hankering for a big Mac, You'd be in luck. As there are fast food restaurants and businesses with name brand. Well, or just that our brand names in big bear city. And everything on the mountain is relative. So big bear city still offers visitors a great chance. To spend some playtime. In big bear lake. Cause it's only like a mile and a half away. But big bear city for the more. Commercially minded. Mountain traveler. That we have in all of us. Cause sometimes Hey, that water in the lake was beautiful and we had a spectacular time on the mountains, but you know what? I would just love. A big Mac. Head to big bear city for And number four, Crestline. This is the first. Real community with a capital C, which you'll pass. If you come up to the mountains from San Bernardino. And one of the first things that you'll see is this seemingly impossible restaurant that forever had been known as the cliffhanger, but is now regarded as Hortencia's at the cliffhanger. It's one of those restaurants. That should not exist. But since it does enjoy some spectacular pancakes. Looking directly down. Over. The ledge of the mountain. There's a bit of nightlife going on. In Crestline, the stockade. Is a super popular a bar that often hosts live music, sometimes karaoke. And Chris lines, main street is dotted with. Antique shops and. Unique places to spend a book. Growing up Crestline did not have the best reputation. But that has evolved with the passage of time. They now routinely hold community gatherings. Any events. Celebrating. Some of the local businesses. Their culinary offerings and the wines that need to be paired with them. Probably the first place. You'd be inclined to stop as you enter the San Bernardino mountains. It's Crestline. Number three oh Glen. This feels like it is the unofficial apple capital of Southern California. It doesn't technically hold that mantle. But if you visit, you'll see why it certainly deserves to. People have been apple picking in Oak Glen. For the last hundred years. Restaurants exist within the community. Where you can order some prepared meals that incorporate. The local delicacy. Or if you'd like to go apple picking, this is literally the best place in Southern California that we have found in order to do that. It's a wonderful Saturday afternoon. If you go right before. The serious snow starts to pour. But before. Triple digit heat, bring you to your knees. Oh, Glen has a couple of places when considering lodging. But if we're talking a simple day trip, Or afternoon excursion. We recommend taking the kids. And doing some apple picking of your own. In oakland Number two lake Arrowhead. From. Like arrowheads. Lakefront village. To the small enclave of blue Jay. The town. Epitomise is. A Southern California mountain community. Homie without feeling cheap. Beautiful. Without feeling as though you would have to win the lottery. In order to vacation there. Lake Arrowhead offers. Rural living. With some creature comforts that are difficult to kind of get away from. And we'll make it so that you don't have to venture. Outside the mountains, just to pick up your groceries. Blue Jay cinema has been around for decades. The aforementioned village. Brings to mind. A small town. Outside of the major cities in a place like Belgium. A real European flair exists within certain portions of like Arrowhead with the village. Being the best example. Additionally. There's a world-class. Observatory. At the local high school rim of the world go fighting Scots. A mountain history museum so that you can learn. How this once barren. Mountain became. A Haven for. Thousands and thousands of year round residents. Italian food, Chinese food, American. You're liable to get. The most variety to be had anywhere within the San Bernardino mountains. In like Arrowhead. And as for the lake itself. If you take a canoe out there, do some kayaking. I assure you, you will not be mad at life. And that means we have arrived at our top spot. So we have to talk about big bear lake, not big bear city. We already made that distinction, but big bear lake. This is the one that you've probably heard about. The most popular. Of any destination to be found within the same Bernardino mountains home to, to world-class. Resorts. Bear mountain and snow summit. A top of the line. Xu. A wonderful collection of breakfast restaurants. And places to grab a bite to eat. Fittingly there's. Uh, restaurant. That specializes in Nepalese food. So if you're interested in a bowl of yak, Chile, You'll know where to go. On a bonus Patrion episode of the program. We boasted about the wonderful pancakes that we were so fortunate as to have from Teddy bear restaurant, but there's also. Well entrenched. Spots like. Grizzly mountain cafe. And dank donuts. Also for those of you. That don't think. 8,000 feet above sea level is high enough. Well, You can check out the big bear solar observatory. And look out. Into the great recesses. Of space. Searching. For a gaze at the planet, Saturn. There aren't enough words in the English language that I could espouse with respect to big bear lakes, beauty. When you take into account. The winter sports. This was the first place that the X games. Winter edition. Was ever hosted. As well as the activity is that you can get up to on the lake. Big bear lake has. Something for every member of your family, that zoo that I mentioned. You can actually see bears with your own eyes. Even a grizzly bear is located at that zoo. Something I never thought I'd see in person. But thankfully I did. And so can you. And that's going to do it for another installment of the show. We'd like to thank everyone for their continued support of the podcast. Leave us a kind. Review five star rating hop on. Apple iTunes or wherever you are listening to us. And leave a nice. Word. So that we can spread the living in the sprawl gospel. All across the world. Follow us on Instagram. The handle is living in the sprawl podcast. Drop us a line. Our email address is living in the sprawl podcast@gmail.com. I'd like to direct you to our tremendous website where you can get your hands on the best living in the sprawl merchandise. You can get a copy of our living in the sprawl guy, if you want it. And it's living in the sprawl related, the website is the place to go. So on behalf. Of the team here at sprawl enterprises. I am your humble. Hosts a correspondent. My name is John Stiver. I'm Joined by my lovely end, immensely talented producer slash my wife her name is lisa steinberg thanking you again for listening to another episode of living in the sprawl so the California's most adventurous podcast we'll talk to you guys very soon