By Stephanie Rubio

Staff Writer

  I had only seen snow on TV and in cartoons up until our first family trip to Big Bear Lake during the winter. My parents had never seen snow before either, so none of us knew what to expect. After a week of preparation for our trip, we were finally on the road to Big Bear.

  I was so anxious. But as the drive dragged on and on for hours, my excitement started to fade. When we began to drive up the mountain, we had to pull over.

  At first, I had no idea what was going on, but I later learned that my parents had no idea that the car wheels needed chains to get up the mountain. This was followed by a two-hour pitstop to buy the chains and get them installed. Finally, we were ready to go and began to climb the mountain as the cars were bumper to bumper since we were not the only ones trying to see the snow.  

  The terrible traffic continued until we turned a corner at the entrance of the lake. My hands pressed against the cold glass of our Toyota Corolla windows as snow fell from the sky. At that moment the excitement took over as I opened the car door and jumped out onto the road.

  “Stephanie, stop!” I heard my mom scream in the background.

  I ran to the side of the road where a pile of snow had been created, surrounded by beautiful trees dripping in white snow. It was beyond beautiful, blowing away my expectations.

  My parents pulled over to the side of the road and got out of the car. I had already begun to build my own snowman. I named him Snow since it would be easy to remember. My happiness did not last for long as I felt water start to trickle into my boots. My family had never been to the snow and we definitely weren’t dressed for it.

  I had to be rushed back into the car as my mom put the heater on blast as I watched the snow fall from the sky from the passenger seat.