Bear Valley Adventure Company Happenings
The countdown to open groomed cross country ski and snowshoe trails have begun, and the historic "atmospheric river" weather event in October was beneficial on many fronts. The copious amounts of rain were the most helpful for our drought. Other side effects, such as saturating the soil before depositing a foot of wet snow, were precisely what was needed for subsequent storms to build a healthy snowpack. This historic weather event served as a reminder that winter can arrive at a moment's notice. Honestly, if 6-8 feet of snow had fallen as predicted in the initial forecasts, we would have struggled to stay on top of the storm, literally. Now that the storm has passed, we are focusing on final winter preparations and feel confident that we can meet our November 25th opening date, and possibly earlier, weather depending.
Regardless of snow depth, we are looking forward to hosting Wine Tasting in the Meadow on Saturday, November 27th. This popular gathering samples wines and unique dishes from Reba's Toll House Cafe. The event starts at the store at noon before heading out to the meadow on skis, snowshoes, or hiking boots. Guests will be treated to unique flavors in a scenic setting with good company. Space is limited, so advanced reservations are recommended. Bon appetite!
Two of our snowcats are returning from summer servicing in Reno, NV. A lot of resources (aka money) went towards tuning up the snowcats and tillers this summer, including the installation of nordic track setters on our newest tiller purchased last summer. This investment gives BVAC three fully operational snowcats for the 2021/22 winter season. Now, let it snow!
In other news, BVAC has once again been nominated by USA Today as a Top 20 Cross Country Ski Resort in North America. The editors have a contest to narrow the selection down to the Top 10. All Bear Valley enthusiasts are encouraged to vote for BVAC through this link (https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-cross-country-ski-resort/). Last year BVAC received #2 in this contest and subsequently had guests that visited Bear Valley for the first time after seeing the results of this contest. So vote for BVAC, vote often, and thanks for your support!
Reba's Toll House continues to serve breakfast and lunch daily. Sweet and savory pies are a welcomed addition to the menu and follow the initial vision for the café. If you didn't know, Reba was the daughter of Harvey Blood, who ran the toll station in the meadow for travelers going over Ebbetts Pass. Reba gained a warm reputation sharing pies with travelers, and she serves as the inspiration for Reba's Toll House Cafe. This tidbit of Bear Valley history, and many more, are well documented in Eric Jung's book, "Bulls, Bears, and Highway Fares: A history of Bear Valley, Alpine County, California," also available at the BVAC store.
