'THE RIM OF THE WORLD'

The Communities of the Rim Of The World are Blue Jay, Cedar Glen, Crestline, Lake Gregory, Lake Arrowhead, Running Springs, Twin Peaks, Artic Circle, Green Valley and Big Bear all located in the San Bernardino National Forest, ranging in elevation from 3900 feet in Lake Gregory to 7200 feet in Big Bear.

Over 1.2 million people make their homes on the Rim and refer to the rest of us as lowlanders, but they all depend on us for there economic survival. About a third of those who live in the Mountains work in the LA basin and the IE and make the daily trip up and down either Highway 18, Highway 30 or Highway 330. When the weather is bad and snow has closed the roads and they have to get down the Mountain they can go out the back ways as they call them through the Lucerne Valley which is Highway 18 or from Lake Arrowhead they will head down past Papoose lake to Hesperia which both go to the 15 freeway. If its closed, its a day off from work to enjoy the snow.

And the clear skies and cooler temps in the summer and the snow in the winter is what draws over 10 million visitors annually to the mountains. All of the major ski lifts are located in Big Bear Area. The rest of the area offers hiking, fishing and boating, especially at Lake Silverwood on the backside of the Mountain.

Lake Gregory offers some boating and fishing, while Lake Arrowhead is the Disneyland of the Mountains, but not quite as big. The Village offers great restaurants, night time dancing and summer time concerts and of course Ice skating year round. Fishing, water skiing, swimming, and just crusing the lake are what makes people happy here. Three years ago all of the lakes were down by 35 feet because of drought conditions. But 2004's 125 inch rainfall and 15 feet of snow on the higher peaks allowed both Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear to rise more than 40 feet in two months.

Average snowfall in the mountains during storms is about 5 to 20 inches depending on elevation. When I lived in Running Springs in 1964, we had what is still considered the third greatest snowfall event in history. On April 9 through the 15, Easter Sunday we recorded 74 inches of snowfall. The Artic Circle received over 96 inches of snowfall. Big Bear received nearly 12 feet of snow at the 8500 elevation. On July 4th, we were Barbequing in 4 feet of snow.

So if you just want to get away from the world for the weekend or the summer, the local mountains in the IE, called the Rim of the World offer thousands of homes for rent all during the year. Anything from a one bedroom cabin to a 3 story log cabin can be rented. In Blue Jay there are hundreds of condos for rent during the summer months. In the winter time, there are waiting lists for homes that are some times filled for years.

So have a great time in the IE mountains, obey the fire laws, pick up your trash and clean up your mess before your leave. they do remember.

gdh.