I can’t think of a better place to celebrate July 4th than Big Bear Lake. Bill planned ahead and made reservations for us at Big Bear Mountain Resort. Around 5:30 p.m., we took a chair lift up and up to enjoy sandwiches, drinks, and entertainment while we waited for fireworks!
The festivities began around 7 pm, featuring a Fleetwood Mac tribute band. They were pretty good, especially the two women channeling Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks. They played until the fireworks began at 9:30! Take a look at our photos of the longest sunset I think I have ever seen. The photos speak for themselves. In the last photo on the right, you can see all the boats assembling to watch the fireworks from below. I can’t believe I didn’t take any photos of the fireworks themselves, but it was so cool to see them from above #abovetheboom.
Green Jack International Film Festival
The lake was a little busy on this holiday weekend, so we searched for something else to do. We came across this Green Jack International Film Festival and decided to get tickets. This wasn’t the big event like the one we stumbled on in Napa several years ago. It wasn’t even as big a deal as the Rehoboth Beach Film Festival that we used to attend every year. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon, however, and I enjoyed several of the films.
I enjoyed the first film, a documentary called Homeschooled, featuring a group of high schoolers as they prepare for prom and navigate the world of homeschooling at the same time, and I also liked the Short, Promise, about a mother/daughter relationship as they face end of life questions. Both Bill and I had trouble following the feature, Brittany lost her Phone; it was just a little too far-fetched.
Big Bear Village
We also spent an afternoon in Big Bear Village and found a few restaurants we can recommend. First, we had a late lunch at Peppercorn Grille. Bill is always happy when he has a good pizza, and I always love a Caesar Salad with a nice Alaskan Salmon Filet. The service was great also. The next day, we had lunch at Big Bear Lake Brewing Company, a sister restaurant of Peppercorn Grille. Bill had a burger, and I had a Tuna Burger; both were very good.
All in all, we enjoyed our short visit to Big Bear Lake, thanks to my friend David Bader, back in Key Largo. Not only is he a great artist, but he is also an avid RVer.
Next stop Cathedral City, California.