As I stood shivering in the frigid February air, I knew I had captured something magical with my camera. The wide shot that he had taken showed the western skies over Big Bear Lake, a stunning vista that had drawn visitors to the area for centuries.
Although there was no snow to be seen, the chill in the air was palpable as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The sky was a riot of red and orange, exploding in a breathtaking display of color. As your eyes followed the sky down into the lake's reflection, you were taken back with a perfect mirror of the beauty that was Big Bear Lake.
I couldn't help but think about the history of the place as I looked out at the view. I knew that the valley had been home to the Yuhaaviatam for centuries and that the Serrano had been moved from their ancestral lands with the arrival of Spanish explorers and the California Mission System.
But despite the changes that had taken place in the area over the years, the beauty of Big Bear remained constant. The first dam, constructed in 1884, had been intended to collect water for the irrigation of crops in the city of Redlands. But the dam had created the largest manufactured lake in the world and had been considered the Eighth Wonder of the World for a time.
The existing dam, completed in 1911, had multiplied the lake's size into what it is today. And as I packed up my gear and headed back down the mountain, I knew I would be back again soon to capture even more of the magic this place held. Because at that moment, as he looked out at the stunning vista before him, he knew there was nowhere else he would rather be.