… is Mammoth’s cute trunked mascot. We caught him a few times on the mountain but didn’t get to catch a pic.

Back up a little, we planned our snow trip cushioned with a stop in L.A. Daddy got some seats in his co.’s suite at the Staples Center for a Lakers game so we decided why not (though def not big b-ball fans).

We left SD after lunch so had enough time to stop at the La Habra Children’s Museum (yep, in the ASTC program).

Look beyond. :)

All in all, it wasn’t huge but had some nice local/regional touches and good use of their space.

Historical caboose outside the museum. The museum actually used to be a train station and depot.

Sweet Veggie, we meet again! And oh, what a delight. We stumbled upon this place (during their grand opening) last year when Mommy was headed to TW and the boys had to drop her off @ LAX before going to Big Bear. AYCE Taiwanese vegetarian goodness, mmmm-mmmm. This boy had ??? many bowls of shaved ice, haha.

With our bellies full, it was off to Staples Center.

Saw this line on the walk there and asked security what it was for. We were assuming some kind of concert or celebrity. Um, no. It was the queue for ice skating???

They gave out Lakers fedoras.

He enjoyed the experience and it turned out to be a close and exciting game.

The other side of the crazy ice skating line. We peeked in the rink and it was seriously like shoulder to shoulder skating.

A quick Chinese bakery run afterwards and then we drove to our overnight in Victorville before going up the mountain the next day.

We stopped at Fossil Falls for a short hike to stretch out our legs. Can’t really tell from the pic but it was super cold and windy.

All volcanic rock in unique formations…

Another one of those in the middle of nowhere jerky places.

We then took a drive around the Alabama Hills, the gateway to Mt. Whitney (tall mountain in the background) — Daddy’s dream hike that will likely soon come true. :) This area is also known to be the backdrop for quite a few shows and movies.

E was excited for Nightmare Rock — painted by local artists. It was getting dark and even colder so we decided to make a beeline for our condo and then spend some more time exploring here on the way back.

Geared up and ready to go.

We spotted him on the mountain with his snowboard group and tailed them for a bit.

Ladies and gents, we are all on a lift together as a family. :))

Mommy and son riding. Mama’s dreamed of this day since you were born, hehe.

A mighty fine mountain…

Our high altitude date. :)

But gah, it was snowing on the day we were leaving. No powder this trip but still some great runs.

Daddy likes seeing the SUV in all these new and adventurous places.

Found Convict Lake while coming down the mountain.

In search of snow for his snowballer. (Remember when we picked this up in Utah?)

Back at Alabama Hills for a hike to see the arches.

A nook of warmth.

A couple hours later, grabbed some comfort Chinese food in LA w/ some to-go hot desserts and rolled into home sweet home in the late eve.

Annnnnnd, yo, it’s another new year!