Nov2018-Running Springs edition

Rim Nordic Ski Area Celebrates Its
27th Anniversary
Rim Nordic Ski Area, Inc.,
located five miles west of Running
Springs on Hwy 18, just across the
street from Snow Valley Mt. Resort,
begins its 27th season of cross-country
skiing and snow-shoeing activities.
Owners Bev and Kerry Brown,
avid downhill skiers as well, began
the resort with the hopes of introducing
the southern California
population to another sport not inherently
known in this area. This is
the only cross-country ski area with
machined-groomed trails in southern
California. Bev and Kerry are
members of the Cross-Country Ski
Areas Association, a North American
organization that promotes the
sport.
Because snowmaking is not
available at Rim Nordic, waiting
for mother nature has been difficult
some years. Brainstorming year to
year was just part of the operating
plan. In 1994, Kerry was racing
his mountain bike often in Big Bear.
He decided the trails at Rim Nordic
were just right for mountain biking
and so was born Rim Nordic Racing.
They have hosted cross country,
Super D, Enduro and downhill
mountain bike events as well as
other viable options, including summer
trail runs, winter biathlons, TV
commercials, soap operas scenes,
and The History Channel stories.
Rim Nordic hosted California State
Senior Winter Games for over 10
years. It hosted the Western States
Fire & Police Games mountain biking
events twice. A TV commercial
for the U.S. Coast Guards using its
mountain bike trails was a fun endeavor.
Now home to the annual
Pine Cone Festival in October, a lot
continues to happen at the site.
Rim Nordic Ski Area sits at
an elevation of 6,775 ft., providing
skiers with 10 miles of groomed,
track-set trails. The grooming is
considered world class since Kerry
has been grooming with his Kassbohrer
Piston Bullys just like the
larger ski areas for these past 25
years. He grooms for classic xc skiing
as well as skating. Snow-shoeing
is unlimited as one can snowshoe
beside the skiers or venture
out into the untracked forest wilderness.
The rental shop, snack bar and
retail shop
are located
at the base of
the ski trails.
The parking
lot is right
off Hwy 18,
plowed when
necessary for
skier parking.
Ski lessons
are available
for all levels
of skiers on
weekends.
Learn-to-Ski
packages are
especially
popular, which includes lesson,
equipment and trail pass—a great
way to begin your cross-country
experience. No lessons required
for snow-shoeing.... just like hiking.
Rentals available for skiing
and snow-shoeing. Bev and Kerry
say cross-country skiing gets a “bad
rap” for being considered hard to do.
Yes, it can be a great workout, and
also the best aerobic fitness activity
in the world. But they comment that
it is easy to learn and you can go at
your own pace, and crowds—what
crowds?
Used or new equipment as
well as gifts, clothing, hats, etc.
are available for purchase at the
ski area. The retail shop is open
only during ski season or during
the summer season at the mountain
bike park…. check for hours and
days…. but you can call or email,
and Bev would be glad to meet you
there by appointment. The Facebook
site (Rim Nordic Ski Area,
Inc) is growing fast and Kerry is
now posting his videos from the
summer mountain bike season on
YouTube as well at rimnordic.com.
Against All Odds
by Sandi Huckaby
One could argue that Monarch
butterflies are the most intriguing
creatures in this hemisphere.
Their epic migration - lasting multiple
generations, beginning in Mexico
and California, then making its
way up to Ontario, Canada — is a
phenomenon like no other. How
do they know? If they are the third
generation in the middle of this migration,
how do they know to keep
heading northeast instead of coming
home and heading southwest?
And each time they mate they have
to find milkweed to lay their eggs
on so that their caterpillar offspring
will have milkweed to eat. But
what if there is no milkweed? It is
no wonder that their numbers are
dwindling thanks to the use of deadly
pesticides all along their route.
So when we discovered that
the nursery in Rim Forest was selling
milkweed plants, I bought one
for our community garden in Green
Valley Lake, and my friend Jean
bought two to plant in her flower
garden. We were hoping that if the
Monarchs are smart enough to find
their way to Canada and back, maybe,
just maybe, they could find their
way up 7000 feet to the San Bernardino
Mountains and our three
little milkweed plants.
About a month went by and
Jean called me very excited that indeed
there was a Monarch butterfly
checking out her plant. For several
days that week it kept coming back.
Then sure enough, about a month
later, there was a caterpillar munching
on the leaves of her milkweed.
She brought it inside, plant and all,
because she was afraid birds would
eat it. Like any good foster mom,
she kept checking on it to make
sure it had enough to eat, calling
the Monarch hotline and scouring
the internet for more information.
Just like clockwork, the caterpillar
formed its cocoon and again we
all marveled at how amazing this
whole process was and –”can you
believe it!—it’s all happening right
here in little old Green Valley Lake!
Wow!” All we had to do now was
wait two weeks and then she would
emerge from her cocoon a fully
formed butterfly. The anticipation
was killing us.
Two weeks went by and nothing
happened. Then three weeks.
Nothing. We all were sure something
had gone wrong and she was
never going to come out. A cold,
high altitude town, after all, was not
suitable Monarch habitat. But Jean
didn’t want to throw the cocoon
away because its lovely jade green
color with its tine gold band was so
pretty to look at.
Then on the 28th day, a full two
weeks longer than normal, there
she was---she had emerged after all
when all hope was lost; her beautiful
black, white, and orange wings
were so magnificent. But something
was wrong. Jean tried to feed
her sugar water, but she wasn’t taking
it. Yet another frantic phone call
to the hotline and the advice was to
spray her with a little water as if it
were raining. That helped, but she
still wasn’t flying. One wing tip
had folded over which meant her
wings were not symmetrical. So
the advice on the other end of the
hotline was to clip her other wing
so they would match. By this time
there were four foster moms hovering
around the table. The bravest
held the two wings in place and performed
“the operation” with baited
breath.
By this time so much had been
invested in this precious creature
that we couldn’t imagine sending
it out into the cold, windy, cruel
world. It’s mid-October. What will
she find to eat this late in the year?
What if she freezes? That is when
BJ and Lyle volunteered to drive
her down to Palm Desert where it’s
warm and there are lots of flowers
blooming. So we made our goodbyes
and off they went. Once there,
BJ took her out of the box, set her
gingerly on a flower, and watched
her fly away. Success. Bittersweet,
but a success nonetheless.
Get Ready for Winter
As the leaves change color
and the days become cooler and
shorter, we all know winter is on
its way. Now is a great time to get
ready for winter by checking on
emergency supplies in your vehicle
while also making sure your home
is prepared for the season as well.
With forecasters calling for an El
Nino weather pattern, the San Bernardino
Mountains could see significant
snowfall if the forecast holds
true. It’s also time to get ready for
the ski and snowboard winter season.
The local ski areas normally
open by Thanksgiving. Our local
area saw its first snowfall on October
13. While the populated areas
of the San Bernardino National Forest
saw moderate to heavy rainfall
at times, the higher peaks received
a dusting of snow.
Whether you’re an avid skier
or snowboarder or a newbie, one
of the best ways to prepare for the
snow season is to visit one of the lo-
Jamie & Lisa Houck
909-384-2612 (c)
BRE: 01296732 & 02005271
A dusting of snow
on the San Bernardino
Peak area
taken October 14
from the top of
Snow Valley Mountain
Resort. Photo
by Kevin Somes
by Kevin Somes, Vice President & General Manager, Snow Valley Mtn. Resort
cal ski shows. The SnowJam show
in Del Mar is being held November
9-11 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Ski Dazzle is scheduled for November
16-18 at the Los Angeles
Convention Center. Both of these
ski shows offer many exhibitors including
ski areas, winter products
plus adventure activities such as
rock-climbing walls. Additionally,
the shows are also a great place to
save on hardgoods such as ski and
snowboard equipment plus clothing
as well as essentials such as gloves
and socks.
Snow Valley is getting ready
for winter and plans to open for its
81st season in November. Be sure
to watch for pre-season specials on
lift tickets and be sure to check out
the all new Anytime Snow Pass offers
access to not just Snow Valley,
but several other ski resorts around
the country.
Think Snow!
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