We took a drive to the lake. Church bells were ringing and the lake the so peaceful. Gorgeous!
Jarod in the winter wonderland.
This is the lodge my family rented. They stayed up here in GVL for a week leading up to xmas.
Racoon prints. We found them making circles around the house!
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Standing beside the completed chimney: Sam Olson, Grandpa (John Kober), Uncle Buzzy.
Working on the roof.
The forest of Green Valley Lake was clear cut in the 1920s to make wooden crates to transport oranges. The trees were sparse.
We cleared out the basement and organized things so it would be a bit easier to get around down there.
Lots of stuff to organize!.JPG)
No more bare dirt floor. It was hard to dig this area out, though, as we had to crouch down and dig. We wore filtered masks to protect our lungs from all the particulates we stirred up..JPG)
Close call. Burnt embers found in the piles of leave just outside the cabin.
The Red Cross and FEMA were set up in town to help those returning. They had first aid, cleaning kits, bins of food and lunch ready. Stores and restaurants had no supplies, so the Red Cross lunch was the only food available for many people.
Jarod enjoying some Red Cross mac & cheese, served with a plain hamburger bum. Mmmm. Really, it was pretty good and we couldn't complain. It was so nice to be home and to see the residents return. 
The burnt hillsides near our house. 
This picture was taken from Arrowbear, where we could see the smoke plume from a few miles away.
We stayed at Jarod's Grandma Lotte's house in Canoga Park while we waited for word on the fire. We ended up staying there for almost 2 weeks! On the second day we were evacuated, we heard that fire crews had to clear out of Green Valley Lake, as the fire was burning over the main road, which was their only way out. The fire burned without check overnight and we feared the worst.
The white path in Badwater is all salt.
This coyote chased us as we left Scotty's Castle. (Scotty's Castle is similar to Hearst Castle in architecture and history, but it's a lot smaller.) People feed the coyotes, so they're unafraid of humans. He came right up to the car. Another example of what we humans do to wild animals: turn them into beggars. It made me sad.
Rhyolite, Nevada. A ghost town with some of the most well-preserved buildings we had ever seen.
Outside Rhyolite there is a series of art installations that, in our opinion, negate the power of the old ghost town by providing a surreal glimpse of modern art. But the Miner and Penguin piece made us chuckle.
Wilbur's grave. There were no signs indication who Wilbur was, though!
One of the original homesteads. The meadows outside Big Bear were once populated be thousands of miners hoping to strike it rich. 
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