The image we have of California is that of a sunny beach with people walking in tank tops and swimsuits. On March of 2012, that vision completely change for me.
It was the end of the season in Big Bear snow resort. If we were to go skiing, this was our last chance. 2 newbies who never skied or snowboarded went on a journey.
One important thing we did not do was check the weather report. We arrived in the warm city of Big Bear with not a single spot of snow around. It was disappointing.
But as we got closer we saw the resort, entirely covered with artificial snow. A sign said artificial snow is still snow.
When we got out of the car, it started snowing. The real deal. I registered for the beginners class, and we went to meet our instructor. 30 minutes into learning about the wedge and how to properly walk on snow with our sky gear, we could no longer see the instructor that was standing 10 feet a head of us. The storm blew hard and well.
We were told it is not safe for beginners to continue and were offered a free pass to come back the next day. Well, that was it for the trip.
Who knew it would be so hard to put chains on a car. Being a problem solver I volunteered. One thing I learned is that Ice and metal and Fire and metal have one thing in common. Both will burn your hands. I struggled really hard to put the chains on every single wheel while my girlfriend was yelling the instructions from the booklet.
It was no longer safe to go down the mountain. We had to find a motel for the rest of the evening. At the reception they gave us a booklet that contained all the restaurant in the area. Only a pizza place was open. We ordered.
The pizza was delicious, but cold. The water that came with it was completely frozen, I had to turn on the hot water in the sink to let it thaw.
In the morning, the cars were completely covered. We had to borrow a shovel to dig it out of the snow. On this day, I also learned something. The couple next to us finished digging their car out first. The windshield was covered in thick ice. If your never tried this at home before, try to take an ice cube and pour hot water on it. You will hear a loud crack as it melts.
They thought the best way to melt the ice was to pour hot water on it. And they did. The ice cracked. So did the windshield. When the ice was completely melted you could see cracks covering the whole window. Sometimes you have to fail hard in order to learn.
I don't know how they dealt with it but it sure inspired me not to pour water on the glass.
On the way back, I had a thought:
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