Engaged!
May 29th is a day Gillian and I won't forget and I wanted to make it a great day so we wouldn't forget it. Gillian had no idea that I was planning this so it was certainly a surprise.
It was a jam packed day as I had it all planned out. Well I sort of had it planned out but it was still a mystery on how the day would unfold.
It started at 5:30 in the morning when Gillian and I decided to head to Big Bear Lake, California which is only a 2 and a half hour drive. Instead of shooting right up there we decided to take a little adventure and drive through Angeles National Forest. We were certainly impressed with the area as we drove up to 8000 feet and had some amazing views of the mountains and valleys. We even say saw a baby big horn sheep hop across the road in front of us. This trek across Angeles National Forest took about 2 hours and we only saw 3-4 cars! I was thinking that this place would be great for a long bike ride.
From the Angeles National Forest, we crossed Interstate 15 to head towards Big Bear Lake. However we made plenty of stops along the way checking out a few other lakes driving the scenic way. We drove past Silverwood Lake State Rec Area, drove through the small town of Crestline and got out to stretch the legs at the Lake right in Crestline. From there we made our way to Lake Arrowhead where we decided to eat some lunch and walk around the area. While we were walking a young guy came up to us asking us if we could be a flagger for a guy waterskiing. I thought, "Sure! A free little boat ride." Gillian and I both agreed as it was only going to be a short 30 min boat ride. It took me back to a memory of when I was 13 years old of water skiing on the St. Lawrence River in my dads wooden boat that he made.
After the boat ride/ water skiing adventure Gillian and I asked the young man where to eat brunch and a good place to hike in Big Bear. We took his recommendation of eating brunch at the Belgium Waffle Works which was satisfying!
Afterwards we watched little children feed corn to the ducks and fish in the Lake.
Moving on from Lake Arrowhead we drove over to Big Bear Lake. Our first stop was at a bike shop where we gathered a bunch of information on the best places to road & mountain bike. After the bike shop stop we drove around the lake and stopped at the Big Bear Discovery Center to use the rest rooms and check out the building. We found many interesting things.
We even got our picture taken with the Big Bear statue out front. We both talked about the time we saw this wild bear playing in an isolated lake outside of Mammoth Lakes, CA last summer.
Then we decided to hike Castle Rock trail which is what was recommend by the waterskiing guide. The hike was about a mile to the top so it was short but it had a lot of elevation gain within that mile. At the top I said to Gillian that we should take a picture together as it was an amazing view from the top of Castle Rock looking down on Big Bear Lake. I propped my phone and put it on video. As soon as she got up there I said that I loved exploring new places, taking adventures and going on hikes with her. She responded that she loved doing that stuff with herself too! haha Then I quickly distracted her saying, "What's that in the bush?! Is it a bear?!" As she turned around to look for the bear, I got on my knee with a ring box and asked Gillian to marry me. Of course she said "YES!" as it was a very special moment. Of course I then told her that there was no bear :)
After the hike down we checked into the hotel, and got ready to check out downtown. We walked around checking out some of the stores and then ended up eating at a great diner called "Teddy Bears" When we walked in I saw a big poster of Ryan Hall with him saying a nice message to the owners of the restaurant. The food certainly did not disappoint! After dinner we explored a little more around town and cruised around some of the neighborhoods.
The next morning we went Big Bear Lake. I went for a run while Gillian mountain biked next to me.
I decided to venture off up the mountain to make it a long run.
After the morning workout we had an early lunch before we drove back to Pacific Palisades. It was an awesome but short 30 hour trip but I spent it with the one that I love and the one who I want to spend the rest of my life with! :)
It was a jam packed day as I had it all planned out. Well I sort of had it planned out but it was still a mystery on how the day would unfold.
It started at 5:30 in the morning when Gillian and I decided to head to Big Bear Lake, California which is only a 2 and a half hour drive. Instead of shooting right up there we decided to take a little adventure and drive through Angeles National Forest. We were certainly impressed with the area as we drove up to 8000 feet and had some amazing views of the mountains and valleys. We even say saw a baby big horn sheep hop across the road in front of us. This trek across Angeles National Forest took about 2 hours and we only saw 3-4 cars! I was thinking that this place would be great for a long bike ride.
 |
| The view off the road into the Angeles National Forest |
 |
| Crestline Lake |
From the Angeles National Forest, we crossed Interstate 15 to head towards Big Bear Lake. However we made plenty of stops along the way checking out a few other lakes driving the scenic way. We drove past Silverwood Lake State Rec Area, drove through the small town of Crestline and got out to stretch the legs at the Lake right in Crestline. From there we made our way to Lake Arrowhead where we decided to eat some lunch and walk around the area. While we were walking a young guy came up to us asking us if we could be a flagger for a guy waterskiing. I thought, "Sure! A free little boat ride." Gillian and I both agreed as it was only going to be a short 30 min boat ride. It took me back to a memory of when I was 13 years old of water skiing on the St. Lawrence River in my dads wooden boat that he made.
 |
| Water skiing on Lake Arrowhead |
After the boat ride/ water skiing adventure Gillian and I asked the young man where to eat brunch and a good place to hike in Big Bear. We took his recommendation of eating brunch at the Belgium Waffle Works which was satisfying!
 |
| The food and scenery did not disappoint |
Afterwards we watched little children feed corn to the ducks and fish in the Lake.
Moving on from Lake Arrowhead we drove over to Big Bear Lake. Our first stop was at a bike shop where we gathered a bunch of information on the best places to road & mountain bike. After the bike shop stop we drove around the lake and stopped at the Big Bear Discovery Center to use the rest rooms and check out the building. We found many interesting things.
We even got our picture taken with the Big Bear statue out front. We both talked about the time we saw this wild bear playing in an isolated lake outside of Mammoth Lakes, CA last summer.
 |
| Boulder Bay at Big Bear Lake. A great place to relax on the beach & swim. |
After the hike down we checked into the hotel, and got ready to check out downtown. We walked around checking out some of the stores and then ended up eating at a great diner called "Teddy Bears" When we walked in I saw a big poster of Ryan Hall with him saying a nice message to the owners of the restaurant. The food certainly did not disappoint! After dinner we explored a little more around town and cruised around some of the neighborhoods.
The next morning we went Big Bear Lake. I went for a run while Gillian mountain biked next to me.
I decided to venture off up the mountain to make it a long run.
 |
| Great view from the Pacific Crest Trail |
After the morning workout we had an early lunch before we drove back to Pacific Palisades. It was an awesome but short 30 hour trip but I spent it with the one that I love and the one who I want to spend the rest of my life with! :)