You know that feeling when you accomplish something you have been dreaming of?
Running a marathon, losing weight, getting that new job, it could be any of those. Today was a little goal for me, I found Bluff Lake Reserve, this really cool nature reserve about a hour from my house.
I had been reading about Bluff Lake Reserve since last summer and I was dying to go find this meadowy oasis and excited to go run some where new.
Everything I had read made it sound like Bluff Lake Reserve was really hard to find and no one I knew from the mountains had ever been there so I was expecting it to be down a horrible dirt road that was un drivable and it would take me hours to run there.
Well it did take me hours to run there, but more because I’m slow.
The road was not bad at all and I actually discovered I could have parked miles closer and run way less but I had an epic 8.5 mile morning run and found a really nice new running trail through the forest so I do not regret anything that happened this morning.
It’s a Monday morning.
It’s five a.m. and I worked until eleven last night. I drove home in twenty one minutes, pretty fast for my daily commute. I was in a hurry. I needed to sleep ASAP so I could get up at dawn to run and train for my up coming half marathon.
My race is in six days. I’ve had set back after set back this month. First I sprained my back lifting heavy vegetables, than I got a very light case of the flu.
I have not been training the way I would like and having the flu, when I do run my body has been so sore even after doing very little mileage, plus when I run I’m coughing crap up ala a hardcore smoker or Stevie Nicks. I’m a mess. The last few days I’ve been eking out a few little runs, thinking I can not possible run thirteen miles by Sunday morning at eight a.m.
Than this morning, after I chugged a bunch of coffee and a sports drink, I ran 8.5 miles near Big Bear Lake… And I wasn’t even tired! I am so happy with my body at this moment.
As I ran up 2n on this chilly ( I love it) fall morning I saw little trails everywhere and I wanted so bad to explore each and every one.
The weather was so weird driving to big bear. It went from 50 degrees to 45 degrees to 61 degrees to 50 degrees and back to 40 by the time I began running. I love nothing more than running in shorts on a forty degree morning in the cool shade of my mountain forest.
I might have to go to work this evening for eight hours and push shopping carts in the miserable 10 3 degree desert heat, but as of right past sunrise Monday morning I was galloping through a silent chilly forest no one about but me the ground squirrels, coopers hawks and chipmunks Not only did I run 8.5 miles but I did it in one of the truly most beautiful places I have found on these mountains.
Bluff Lake Reserve is located at over 7,600 feet down a dusty dirt road. It’s about six miles down this duty road out side Big Bear Lake. The Reserve is only open Saturdays and Sundays June to November but when I finally found it I did a little exploring anyways. I just stayed away from the people who worked there and was lucky no one yelled at me.
I was so happy to finally find it, there was no way I was going back with out having a look around!
The property was taken over by the Wildlands Conservancy Group in 2,000 and they have since spent time preserving this twenty five acre gem in the forest.
I saw this cool little cabin. Could not however find any story about it online so I’m assuming the sign says
“Don’t smoke here, snakes will eat you!”
When I first reached the reserve I saw this meadow and was completely bummed.
I thought that meadow was the lake and I was to late in the season and the lake was dry.
Than I read the fancy sign about Bluff Lake and discovered that the lake was down a path and over to my left a little bit.
The lake was such a perfect sight on a Fall morning. There were a few lucky ducks playing in the still waters. |
Bluff Lake is such a peaceful and serene place surrounded by Lodge Pole Pine, Jeffrey Pines and Birch Trees.
The solitude is over welming. I can hear nothing but the birds and bugs in the tall grasses that surround me.
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