Up, Up, Up, To Big Bear!!

A whole whopping 50 minutes from our driveway to the lake up in Big Bear, we decided to do something different for our Labor Day weekend. So obviously, we took a trip up to Big Bear for a day. My dad packed one of his humongous picnics, Maia looked up Family Friendly hikes that the kids and Mom (=D) could manage to go on.




The wheather is absolutely perfect up there- the highest was about 78 degrees up there. In comparison to our 95-105 degrees in deserty Moreno Valley we had died and gone to heaven. I thought that this would be a perfect time to take my camera and take some kewl pictures. So I took some pretty pictures of plants and flowers using the SUPERMACRO-LED function on my camera. I thought they turned out very nice, but you all can be the real judge of that. It was Maia, Brent, Tahnee, Hannah, Kirstine, Seth, Larissa, Mom, Dad, and I that went. Spencer had a boys' day, so he wasnt able to make it up there with us. Well, I can't think of anything else to say, so I'll just let you all enjoy the pictures.




At the Ranger Station place thing, Seth was greeted by a bear LOL.



Aw, how cute are the three of us?



OMG, Gracie is in the mountains!! Still yet to see snow... ever...


The Happiest Trees on Earth are in Big Bear Mountain.


This is a close up of a plant called Rubber Rabbit Brush. It's branches were used as a rubber substitute during World War 2. Rabbits hate this stuff, and like I said, it has rubber in the branches, so, hence the name for a cool history of the plant.


Just a cool looking tree.


Wanted a picture of a bee for no reason.


Same bee.


Pretty little flower right next to a little stream.


Just another cute flower.


I guess I had a thing for kewl plants while up there LOL.


Yep, more flowers.


This was the only flower in bloom on its bush.


AAAH! Kids!!


A rather pokey plant.


A dead tree had fallen, and basically some of the branches just shattered. So, new life was forming out of all these broken pieces. I thought this was a beautiful picture- It can kinda' represent life. Something like, out of hard and difficult troubles, new life can form with the nourishment of knowledge of the past or something like that. I find it a very poetic plant I suppose...



This tree grows so slow, it takes 100 years just to grow 6 inches in diameter. Even Larissa grows faster than that!!



PineCone close up.


Big tree, little girl.


When you scratch the bark of this tree, it smells like vanilla. So that makes it a Scratch N' Sniff Tree! Yes, it does look like Seth is kissing it. Haha!


Rissa got tired of walking for a little bit.