Last weekend was my 23rd wedding anniversary. The hubs and I have both been working a lot (which is good!!) and it has been pretty busy up here in Big Bear, so a few days before the actual day, we were discussing what we wanted 
to do to celebrate. We looked at each other and said “find some quiet”. It had to be something quick and cheap this year, so we decided on a quick camping trip in our little trailer. We found a babysitter for the kids…er…dogs :), loaded up the bikes and escaped for 2 days. It. Was. Wonderful.
The camping part is always a bit of work and we did have some ‘neighbors’ that really liked ‘speed metal’. (If you don’t know what that is, you’re lucky. 😉 This is coming from someone who likes all kinds of music – including metal.) They also really liked the F-word. A lot. 😦 The camp host had a chat with them the first night and it did get much better. There was also road noise and quite a few people in the campground. (I highly suggest you book a lovely, quiet, cabin from RS Vacations and avoid the above distractions.) “But I thought you said it was wonderful?” I did. And now I will tell you why.
We woke up early our first morning there and everyone else in the campground was still asleep (probably because they spent the night banging their heads and yelling the F-word….). It was beautiful and peaceful. We then got ourselves ready and took an absolutely fabulous mountain bike ride. We found a little trail that ended up at an overlook to a lovely valley. We had a snack, took some photos and just sat. With the exception of the birds, it was silent. Sitting in beauty and silence is so therapeutic to me. It calms my soul. After a little while, we rode back down (the fun part!) and grabbed a shower at the campground facilities. (Yet another reason that I highly recommend an RS Vacations cabin!!)
We spent the afternoon playing games, had a nice dinner (bugs do NOT bring me peace. And I give you another reason… 🙂 ), and roasted marshmallows over the campfire. We left the next morning and headed home. The dogs were glad to see us, and we were glad to see our shower.
The part that I will remember is not the bugs, the noisy ‘neighbors’ or the um, questionable showers. It is the peace and joy of being in the quiet of the forest with the man that I love. It is sitting and admiring beauty in a world that is not always so beautiful. Big Bear is a gorgeous place, especially if you go off the beaten path. That is where the true beauty lies and where you can get a true escape from everyday stress. Many of our cabins here at RS Vacations (including Lassen Bear Lodge) are right next to the National Forest – so you can easily have your own nature retreat. Enjoy!
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