In summers past, Kelvin has flown down with the boys (usually in August) to hang out with the crew/cousins and take a side-trip to somewhere driving distance in SoCal, including San Diego. I often was working/on call, but not this year! We were planning to go to Temecula, but the AirBNB cancelled on Kenn and the alternative vacation spot for this summer became Big Bear Lake, which is northeast of LA in the San Bernadino Mountains/Forest, as there were limited other rentals that could accommodate our large family this holiday week. The last time we visited Big Bear was in the winter (December 2015), when Iver and Kingston had just turned one.
We booked three condos (for twelve of us!) at the WorldMark by Wyndam, and the kids were looking forward to swimming and pickleballing. However, when we arrived to check in, there was quite a bit of drama whereas (despite confirming a couple of days prior that our rentals would be near one another and despite having paid and having confirmation numbers), they couldn't "find" any of our family's reservations! Kelvin and Kenn got on the phone with their credit card companies, but despite this being a reimbursable (for us) travel "cancellation," the resort was out of rooms anyway and couldn't help us!
The kids and bystanding adults had very little stress, as Kenn and Kelvin handled everything, but we just chilled in the lodges waiting room, playing foosball and talking while wondering what was taking so long. We ultimately (thankfully it was a Monday!) found and booked a nearby AirBnB home that could accommodate all twelve of us, and were (about 2 hours later) on our way. After fleeing a Canadian wildfire a couple of summers ago, these type of inconveniences don't really ruffle me as we're safe and not in climate danger, and I'm glad the kids were able to learn from the experience-- that travelling (and life!) comes with many unexpected twists and turns and the need to pivot, adapt, and make the best of the situation!
Klian with Pokemon Squirtle
The siblings making the Plan B.
There apparently have been many issues with WorldMark overbooking and screwing over guests like our family with super shady business practices and the Vu siblings will be adding some very negative reviews...
Here is Katherine's opinion of the place!
We briefly stopped for some supplemental groceries (this family prefers to cook at home instead of eating out and brought a ton of food from home in the three cars!)) and soon settled into the rental on Jaybird Ln, which had a cabin-in-the-woods feel.
After unpacking and dinner, we went on a family walk.
Holloway Marina at dusk
The kids loved the rental, which included bunk beds and some mini arcade games. Iver, not a reagular video game-playing kid, kept practicing and beat the top score at "Dig Dug"!
Big Bear Lake includes a cute downtown.
The Village
Boulder Bay was a lakeshore beach area with a fishing pier, ducks, and sand. It prohibited swimming but we saw (brave! The water was cold!) swimmers anyway.
Rock-climbing kids
I suggested a family hike on Tuesday, but only Katherine was up for joining us to hike Castle Rock, a popular trail in Big Bear on the south shore. The first half of the (1.2 mile up) trail was well marked with cairns, but then it was more choose-your-own-adventure, and we got slightly lost on the way down (but still made it). It's difficult hiking (and running, which I did twice, huffing and puffing) at over 7,000 feet of elevation, but we did it and were rewarded.
The lakeshore views were really nice and it was perfect morning hiking weather.
Cool auntie & nephews
While we were busy hiking uphill, the other Vus walked a pleasant Woodland Trail.
On Wednesday, we walked the flat Alpine Pedal Path alongside the north shore of Big Bear Lake.
Some got tired....
... and headed back early.
The remaining troopers.
While we couldn't use the resort pickleball courts (actually, the boys checked whether they was gated before we left WorldMark and they actually weren't!), we did find some public pickleball courts and played most days twice (very early morning like 6:30 a.m., and again in evening when it was cooler). Iver and Kelvin even found some high-level singles players to challenge (and beat).
Iver gave uncle Kenn some tips.
On Wednesday afternoon, Kelvin and I took the kids to some south shore attractions. Big Bear Watersports was an inflatable-type obstacle course on the lake, and the kids had a blast climbing, sliding (only Iver), and playing tag with other kids on the equipment. Even Niall, who doesn't like cold water, participated and had a great time! It wasn't a resort pool, but they loved the water play on a hot, 88-degree day.
Sliding down from "Mt. Hood"
We then went to an Escape Room, which was a locked-in-a-cabin-in-the-woods theme. I love the challenge of solving these puzzles, and our kids are very good at these! It was Klian's first time, and he was engaged and enchanted. Kingston was getting a bit nervous we wouldn't "escape" in time (we were given 1 hour and 13 seconds), but, with a few hints when we got stuck near the end, we made it with about 10 minutes to spare!
Different people were in charge of meals (thanks to Theresa for the shared google doc), and we enjoyed spaghetti bolognese (me), a taco/nacho bar with carnitas (Lisa and Kenn), and a ramen bar (Theresa), along with special desserts and snacks aplenty.
Caviar from Kat
Theresa's chocolate crunch cake
Mango Sticky Rice (Iver's favorite)
We played Family Taboo one night, which was competitive and quite fun, although the kids were up quite late.
The nappers in this family took advantage of low-key afternoons. We enjoyed watching some FIFA soccer and Wimbledon.
Before we left, we took family photos.
Klian never needs an excuse to make a funny face.
Aunties and nephews
And the Vu Family 2026 vacation is a wrap! Until next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment