2018 - Trip Report - San Bernardino Mountains

San Bernardino Mountains

September 15, 2018 Leaders: Danny & Norma Siler

On Saturday, Sept 15 we led a trip to the San Bernardino Mountains. It was a beautiful day. We had eight vehicles. The group was Pete and Janet Austin with Beth Mika, Axel Heller, Gary Hilder and Don Zarzah, Nelson Miller, Bob Peltzman and Bonni, B.J. and Monica Keeling with son Jarred and Tracy Wood.

Our meet-up location was in Running Springs. Then we drove the highway to Fawnskin to pick up a couple more vehicles, then drove to 2N09 -Polique Canyon Road which began our dirt road exploration.

We spent the day traveling in the area north of Big Bear Lake. We had ten or twelve points of interest to stop and visit. These included walking on the Pacific Crest Trail for a panoramic view of Holcomb Valley, an occasional abandoned gold mine, a couple of lonely graves, an occasional foundation ruins of buildings for the former towns of Belleville and Doble, the Hitchcock Ranch with quite a number of horses grazing in the meadow, the 1930s Van Dusen cabin, which is still standing, a small dam built to create a pond possibly for cattle or horses. We drove through a fairly large burn area from a 2017 fire,stopped at the remains of the head-frame of the Lucky Baldwin Mine, and visited a small cemetery of about 20 graves with newly painted crosses.

Everyone had a very good time and after thank yous and goodbyes near Baldwin Lake, we went our separate ways about 4:00 p.m. ~ Danny