This weekend, I ventured up to Mammoth Mountain with my friends where I learned how to snowboard for the first time. To say the least, we had a blast, and we even went on to explore a few unique and beautiful places on the way home!
I really wanted to go somewhere tropical for the weekend, but my boyfriend insisted on Mammoth, despite the fact that I was trying my hardest to avoid being cold! Even though I didn’t get to go on my tropical getaway, I still enjoyed myself even more than I thought I would. It was my first time going up to Mammoth and it was absolutely beautiful. The expansive mountain range covered in pure white snow sprinkled with lush green trees was the perfect backdrop to an amazing weekend.
I was both nervous and excited about snowboarding for the first time. I’ve only been skiing before, and let’s just say it’s not my strongest sport. I’ve wanted to learn how to snowboard for quite some time, and I’m so happy that I was finally able to do it. I’ve done all the other “board” sports before: skateboarding, wakeboarding, sandboarding and surfing, so naturally I had to try snowboarding! I loved it immediately, and picked it up faster than I expected. The weather conditions on the mountain were perfect, and I couldn’t have asked for a better day to learn!
We wanted to check out the area a bit more before heading back home, so we spoke to a few locals and ended up checking out Hot Creek, which was located a few mile away from Mammoth Mountain. This natural geological site is tucked away down a winding gravel road behind the Mammoth Airport. The scalding hot pools were created millions of years ago from a volcanic explosion, where cracks in the natural fault lines below the surface of the Earth allowed heat from magma to filtrate through to the bubbling water above. The views at Hot Creek were absolutely beautiful, and the colorful rocks, light blue water and steam rising throughout the area created a truly spectacular sight.
Just a few miles down the road is Convict Lake, which was the second spot that we decided to stop at on a whim. The lake was completely frozen over in ice, and the snowy mountains behind it set the stage for a picture perfect arena. The name of the lake comes from an event in 1871, where several convicts escaped from prison in Carson City and were found at the edge of the lake by the deputy sheriff. Another eerie fact about this lake is that, in 1990, several teenagers from a nearby juvenile delinquent camp drowned after falling through the ice, along with their rescuers.
The last place we stopped at before finally heading home was Manzanar, which was a war relocation center (a form of concentration camp) where the US Government confined over 110,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. Following the attack at Pearl Harbor, large bouts of racism for the Japanese culture spread across the country, and the US Government gave authority to relocate and detain hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans in camps across the United States. After being removed from their homes and communities, these internees were forced in to primitive and inhumane conditions. Today, the old campground contains many remnants of its past and serves as a place for remembrance, where many ceremonies are held annually in respect of the events that took place there. Walking through the museum and the old campgrounds touched my heart and made me even more grateful for the things that I’m blessed with and for the era that we live in today.
If you haven’t checked out Mammoth Lakes or explored the surrounding area yet, I highly suggest making the trip. I promise you won’t be let down!
xx.
