2015 Big Bear Jeep Jamboree - Day 3

On the last day of the Jamboree, most of the snow had melted and the sun was shining. We were ready to tackle John Bull and fingers crossed, our Jeep would manage it with minimal damage. Here's Dan showing off our flag and sporting the red bandana for the red group.

Lined up and ready to go.

John Bull is no joke. To get on the trail, we had to get through the Gate Keeper. One guy in our group said that he thought the Gate Keeper was actually a road block, because it just doesn't look like an open trail. We went slowly and we needed to be winched at the top, but we made it.

Getting through the John Bull Gate Keeper, wasn't necessarily the toughest part. The trail was basically one non-stop obstacle that we slowly crawled our way through. We had gorgeous mountain views as our reward for making the climb.

I'm constantly blown away by the ability of Jeeps to just drive over anything. It's crazy. John Bull put us to the test and we made it through with time to spare. We used the extra hours to go through the Rock Garden, an area that we did on the last Jeep Jamboree with the intermediate group.

The Rock Garden may be much technically easier than John Bull, but it's no less spectacular. The landscape of crunched up rocks makes it feel like we are exploring the moon. It's so unusual and beautiful.

On the way back to the Elks Lodge, we saw our friend Brian's vintage Jeep parked outside of his business, the Le Dolce Vita Tasting Room. Very cool, right?

Dinner for the second night was prime rib and we had cake for dessert.

After dessert, we had the awards ceremony, which the team leaders recognize stand-out individuals in each group. I always like this part, as it's fun to hear the stories from the other teams, especially of new jeep owners that took their vehicle off-road for the first time or old-timers who have been to every jamboree. The community aspect of this event is one of the biggest reasons that we enjoy it. It's just a great group of people.

I won a killer prize in the raffle, something that we really wanted...tubular doors from Rancho and Spiderweb shades. Dan has been very excited to finally take our roof off for summer and we would have bought both the doors and the shades. Thank you to Rancho and Spiderwebshade for the cool prizes and for getting them in the mail so quickly. We love them!

Our second time at the Big Bear Jeep Jamboree was a huge success. We did have some damage, including a puncture and oil leak. The week following the Jamboree, we dropped our Jeep off at Rebel Off-Road for repairs and a bit of a face-life. After much teasing, we upgraded our tires from 33's to 37's. We probably would have had less damage, if we had the 37's before the Jamboree, but it wouldn't have been as good of a story. We like our hard earned battle scars!

2015 Big Bear Jeep Jamboree- Days 1 & 2

The first weekend in May, Dan and I attended our second Big Bear Jeep Jamboree. Learning from last year, we planned to arrive early for the Thursday night check-in. Home base for the event is at the Elks Lodge, located right on the edge of the village. Our vacation home is still under construction, so we booked three nights at the Northwoods Resort, which is just across the street from the Elks Lodge. It's also across the street from our favorite local business, the Le Dolce Vita Tasting room. Our plan for the weekend- Jeep, Wine, Bed. Repeat.

We parked our Jeep Wrangler in the inspection queue and had an hour to kill. The weather was starting to turn cold and we heard rumors of rain and possible snow. Luckily, the Elks opened their doors, so that we could get out of the cold. We had coffee and caught up with friends from the previous Jeep Jamboree.

We were near the front of the line for inspections and as soon as they got started, we breezed through. Last year, we had a brand-new, stock Jeep and went in the intermediate group.. It was a challenge enough with no modifications, but we wanted more. Immediately after the last Jamboree, we took it to Rebel Off-Road and got modified. We wanted to tackle the toughest trails, so we joined the red group.

Advice for anyone who is thinking of doing a Jamboree; some of the groups fill up fast. This year, there were a lot of people trying to get into the beginning groups and some of them had to be pushed into intermediate. The guides are great and they will not allow you to be in a group if your vehicle can't handle it, but to truly get what you want, arrive early to registration. When we finished, the line for the vehicle inspection extended out of the parking lot and wrapped around the block.

We woke up early the next morning to this view from our hotel room window.

Snow in May!!!!

Dan was an excellent husband and he let me stay warm inside the room, while he tackled scraping ice off of the Jeep. The Los Angeles girl in me, actually thought that the event might be canceled. Oh no, the snow only makes it more fun. Snow = Mud.

It was too chilly to have the morning driver's meeting outside, so they held it in the lodge. This is the same room where the evening dinners are held.

Our Friday trail was Mottino Wash and Rattlesnake Canyon, which is only accessible by driving through a privately owned ranch. Luckily the owner is very cool about letting Jeeps access the trail.

We aired down in Big Bear, where the weather was just beginning to ease up.

The landscape and weather changed as we drove away from Big Bear and into the desert.

We saw a cow family!

At first, Mottino Wash didn't seem like a big deal, but very quickly the trail narrowed and the rocks turned into boulders. We had the Jeep with the smallest tires, only 33 inches, but thanks to great guides, Dan's skillful driving and winches, we still managed to make it over all of the obstacles.

We finished Mottino Wash and made it back to the Elks Lodge in plenty of time for the BBQ Rib dinner. The Yellow group, who was doing the same trails as us, but on alternate days, was late returning from John Bull. The snow created problems for them. After our Jeep survived Mottino Wash, we were ready to attempt John Bull, the toughest trail in Big Bear and our destination for the second day of the Jamboree.

Big Bear Dining

We tried several new-to-us restaurants on our winter trips to Big Bear Lake. The food and service, was so good, that I wanted to share it with y'all ( We didn't have biscuits, the y'all just felt right).

If you've been following my blog, then you know that one of our favorite places is the Le Dolce Vita Tasting Room. It's simply the most fun place in town. There is always a great crowd, live music and the owners are very chatty. The only problem is we could easily spend our entire trip parked at the bar and never do anything else. We visited on the weekends just before Valentine's and St. Patrick's Day, so note the decor. The cheese plate was the best I've ever eaten, so much variety.

We were excited to go back to the Grizzly Manor Cafe for breakfast, but the line was out the door. We drove through the city and stopped at the Grind & Grill Cafe. It's not as unique as Grizzly Manor, but the Grind & Grill is strong competition when it comes to the best pancakes and waffles on the lake. Plus, they use local coffee mugs, which I love.

One of biggest dining surprises was the Evergreen, a fine dining restaurant that is nestled up on a hillside and offers the best views of the lake. I should clarify the fine dining. Big Bear has restaurants that serve amazing meals, but even the nicest places have a woodsy/casual vibe. Don't let this deter you or make you think that the food is somehow less with regard to quality. Our meal at the Evergreen rivals some fabulous meals that I've eaten in big city/ celebrity chef restaurants.

What's more, is the hospitality was stellar. We arrived early, not realizing that the restaurant wouldn't be open for another half an hour. The owner of the Evergreen saw us out front and opened early for us. She escorted us to the best table in the house and got us started with champagne and appetizers, as we waited for her staff to arrive.

Dan and I had their Beef Wellington for two, which was scrumptious. The meat was so tender and had zero gristle. The thing to order is the scallop appetizer. Wow. I've never eaten better scallops. Evergreen goes out of their way with presentation and decorative plating.

The best thing at Evergreen was a moment where I relived my childhood. This is the same ship painting that my mom had hanging in our living room for my entire childhood. Isn't it dreadful?!?!

Sometimes a big, greasy breakfast is not what you want. In Moonridge, just off the main road that runs through Big Bear, we found the Moonridge Coffee Company. This independent coffee shop was super cozy and the antithesis to Starbucks. We had made-to-order breakfast sandwiches and lattes while perusing the local newspaper.

Big Bear has a Himalayan Restaurant, lacking imagination, it's actually called the Himalayan Restaurant. I ordered the chicken sekuwa, which is a chicken that is baked in a clay oven and served with onions and assorted vegetables. It's hard to describe exactly how it's seasoned, as the spices are completely foreign to me. I've ordered this dish at Tara's Himalayan Cuisine in Los Angeles and the taste is very similar. Whatever it's seasoned with, it's delicious. I try to sop up all of the spices with some naan, just to savor it. Excuse the single, not so great photo. We were too busy chowing-down to take pictures!

Finally, if you love your pizza drowning in toppings, then Neo's Pizza House is the place for you. Neo's isn't technically in Big Bear, but it's close. It's located in the town of Running Springs, just a short drive from Big Bear Lake. I've never seen so many toppings on a pizza. Never. The price was so low that we left an extra big tip because we felt like we were robbing them. This is good stuff!

I'm convinced that Big Bear is a town for foodies. Take a weekend trip and bring your appetite!