Lake Arrowhead Real Estate

Greetings -

My folks have always loved the mountains and Lake Tahoe was our favorite vacation destination. Dad would pack us into our (probably a decade before air conditioning was an option) '56 Buick with my little sister and I sharing the back seat with Missy, our mixed German Shepherd. The trip would be a full 11 hours from home in Sierra Madre just east of Pasadena.

We did this for years and finally one Sunday morning Dad announced we were moving to Lake Tahoe full-time; as soon as we sold some apartments in Pasadena. It just happened to be a buyer's market and the units didn't sell.

Considering other options, and remembering Lake Arrowhead - a little community not too far down the road (before the 210) where his family had vacationed years before. And yes, that was the place where you could catch giant trout for dinner and you could stand on this door-like device while getting pulled around the lake by a beautiful wooden boat. He said he could "smell" the lake half way down 2 mile road approaching the Old Village that was surrounded by a thick forest of pines and cedars.

They would stay at this small weekend cabin on Shenandoah (still there today and owned by the same family) that had 4 boat docks. How they acquired 4 docks I don't know but that was 73 years ago; 38 years before the ALA. It only took 2 visits to Lake Arrowhead in the mid '70s before we owned our own weekend family home just a couple of blocks away from that small cabin with the fleet of boats.  

Dad soon bought a wooden boat, a '63 Century from Harry at the marina and for the next 31 years, this work-horse would pull family and friends around Lake Arrowhead on water skis which had been introduced sometime in the '50's. Over the years we've caught hundreds of giant trout and watched all the firework shows from that boat - sank it twice, re-finished it a bunch of times - the annual maintenance was a labor of love for my engineer father who simply needed to do that kind of thing - but we all knew the value of the newer fiberglass boats.

It's a snowy Sunday morning and most likely I'm procrastinating plowing the driveway by taking you down memory lane. But I'll say this looking back over the years - that family Lake Arrowhead vacation home was by far the most valued investment my dad had ever made in terms of quality of life and family memories.

Speaking of memory lane; the roads are clear and it's a beautiful time of year in our local mountains offering a complete change in environment probably within 90 minutes from your home. Plan a visit this week and discover one of Southern California's treasures. Bring snow chains and drive carefully.

Detailed Local Forecast

• Today: Snow likely. High 39F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulating 3 to 5 inches.
• Tonight: Cloudy with rain and snow showers this evening. Partial clearing overnight. Low 29F. Winds light and variable. Chance of precip 40%.
• Tomorrow: Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 46F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
• Tomorrow night: Partly cloudy. Sprinkles or flurries possible. Low near 30F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
• Tuesday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the upper 40s and lows in the mid 20s.
• Wednesday: Sunshine. Highs in the upper 40s and lows in the upper 20s.
• Thursday: Abundant sunshine. Highs in the low 50s and lows in the low 30s.

David Vail  &  Cindy Stahl - Vail

"Simply Your Best Choice in Lake Arrowhead Real Estate"

#1 Top  Company Producer  Award  -  2008  &  2009

CAPRE - Lake Arrowhead

(909) 337 - 4040  Direct

(909) 800 - 4343  Cell

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