We've known about the Bodie Ghost town for quite some time but have never really took the chance to run up there and check it out. By there, i mean east of Bridgeport California.. up north of Mono Lake and such. Eastern Sierras. Beautiful country.
On our way up to Bodie we wanted to camp somewhere quick and easy. Normally we don't stay in developed campgrounds because we like to get off the beaten path and camp back country where we are the only ones. Well on the way up i didn't really mind, i just needed a good place to crash and make dinner. We chose Tuff Campground just north Bishop across from Toms Place at about 8,000 feet. It was a nice place just far enough off the highway to where you couldn't hear the vehicle traffic and high enough to get out of heat.
The cloud cover was beautiful as we arrived near sunset.
Posing for a photo while we enjoy a nice drink after the days drive, relaxation at its best.
Of course after setting up camp i fired up the grill and got dinner rolling. On the menu, pork tendorloin. Dixie patiently waiting for her piece..
After cleaning up dinner and packing the grill into the bear box we enjoyed a nice cozy campfire..
Dixie thought it was cozy too...
The moon was full and the clouds just enhanced it even further. The sky was epic.
The next morning after breakfast and coffee, we checked out the flowing stream 500 yards from camp. I slept like a baby due to the sound of the water flow all night. I wanted to see what was making such a great noise.
It was flowing quite well from all the snow run off in the higher elevations.
After checking out the stream we headed on our way up the 395 towards Bodie.
We stopped into Mammoth because we wanted to see the Devil's Postpile.
Unfortunately they didn't allow us to drive up to the trailhead and they wanted us to take a shuttle. Furthermore they wanted us to muzzle dixie for the ride up. Then after all that it was a 1/2 mile hike to get in. We were pressed for time, so we passed. There's always next time.
Plenty of snow still at 9500 feet. People said the slopes would be open till August.
After grabbing some fuel and some Mammoth Brew, we headed back up 395.
A shot of Mono Lake. The thought crossed my mind about camping here the first night, but the mesquitos this time of year can be brutal up near any water source.
A few hours later we made the turn off for Bodie. The road is half paved and half dirt. The last portion is where it turns into a dirt road. It was funny we passed hybrids and all sorts of cars. For the most part its just a little washboard. Nothing a two wheel drive car can't handle.
After driving through the dirt road we arrived at a State Park entrance to Bodie. You could see the ghost town in the back drop and man was it big! Bodie is the largest and best preserved ghost town in the West.
W.S. Bodie discovered gold here way back in 1859. The sad part is he died that same year in a snow storm and never saw the town grow under his name. Bodie had many great years and many terrible years. Many came for the gold and weren't prepared for the extreme winter conditions. When the winter rolled around, just like Bodie they died also. At one point the town had over 10,000 residents with a jail, church, bank, fire station, stores.. anything you'd ever expect in a town. By 1882, folks started going elsewhere because the boom of the gold had sort of fizzled out.
Now the town is in a state of "arrested decay" and is ran by the California Dept of Parks and Recreation since 1962. Over 170 buildings remain and you can walk around looking at anything you'd like, as long as you don't touch. Mostly all the buildings are closed, but you can peak into the windows and view items inside that were there when people lived in the town. It's crazy.
Here's some shots we took, i think they speak for themselves..
They say, if you take something from the town you'll get bad luck for the rest of your life. I don't know if it's true, but i didn't want to test that legion.
The only church left standing is the local methodist church. It was in amazing shape and left exactly how it was. It was incredible. It was built in 1882. The last service was held in 1932.
There used to be a Ten Commandments painted oilcloth which once hung behind the pulprit "Thou Shalt not steal" has since been stolen. Ironic?
There's a story about how some young girls stole coins from this church to buy ice cream. They had had bad luck for years after that day and since then have sent a payment back to the town. I have no clue if its true or if they still have bad luck today.
Dixie and i taking a break at the D.V. Cain residence. It was built in 1873.
There was stuff everywhere. You had to be careful.
Even once beautiful automobiles that could have been the talk of the town...
Crankshaft anyone?
Couple shots of the old tavern..
The Swazey hotel. Also housed a clothing store and a casino as well at various times.
Dixie taking a well deserved break from the sun.
The old Firehouse on Main Street.
Fire wagons still inside...
The Wheaton and Hollis Hotel.
The town gas station.
Shopping area with a carpenter shop, barber shop and clothing stores. A 1800's Rodeo drive.
Wow, a bay window way back then?
The old stamp mill. You can't walk up there, but they'll give you tours. Unfortunately not with dogs though.
We could show photos for days of this great ghost town, but you really need to see it in person to appreciate it.
Dixie was getting tired, so after a few hours of touring the land, we made sandwiches at the truck for lunch and then headed off to camp for the night.
I wanted to camp remote and somewhere above the ghost town area away from tourists of any kind.
After a bit of a drive up a climb up to 9250 feet we found a great spot in the BLM land outside the park. It had a terrific view and the weather was just perfect. It didn't even look like California.
The views of the Sierra range was spectacular.
There' was even a tad bit of snow still up near camp.
Not a soul in site.. the way we like it!
Dixie could care less, she was beat.
It was time for that local brew we picked up earlier in the day...
After a bit it was time to start in on preparing dinner. Our regulator sheared off on the way up the hill so after 3 years of use i turned my gas grill into a charcoal grill on the spot. I took some old dead sage brush laying around near camp along with some oak i had and burned that down to coals.
After they burned down, i tossed on a tri-tip filet and the results were nothing short of amazing.
We had rice, tri-tip, sourdough bread and grilled onions. It was one of the best meals i've ever had in the field. The smoke from the sagebrush just really gave the meat and onions a terrific flavor.
After cleaning up the dishes we gathered around a small campfire and enjoyed the view. By this time is was clear skies.
The sunset was great...
And at the same time the full moon was back up again brighter than ever. We needed no light each night on this trip. Funny note, seems like we always go out on full moons, we started to notice. Strange.
In the morning i woke up bright and early (usually a little earlier than i want too) and went for a hike down to a green belt area. It was breath taking. There was a fire ring that looked like it was used years ago, but with the grass the way it was i wanted to Tread Lightly and not drive over all of it to get into the area. It was just too pristine.
After the grass area exploring i headed up to the top of a ridge near camp. You could see Mono Lake and Bodie Ghost Town from up there.
Here's a shot of camp and just how remote it was. We were in the middle of no where. Just the way we like it.
After packing up we dropped back down into Bodie and out to the 395.
The views were spectacular.
We made our way down to Lee Vining for one last stop. It was the old upside down house.
It's a local landmark and tourist attraction. It was the creation of - Nellie Bly O’Bryan (1893–1984), visionary, entrepreneur and long time resident of the Mono Basin. Originally, it was located up off the 395 north of the Tioga Lodge, it was inspired by two children’s stories—“Upside Down Land” and “The Upsidedownians.” Upon her death in 1984 The Upside-Down House fell into disrepair until....October 9, 2000 when it was rescued and moved to this site.
It's funny even the marker is upside down.
We didn't get any photos of the inside because it wasn't open yet (we were too early), but if you google it you'll see that even everything inside is upside down.. the bed, the stove, etc.
After checking out the upside down house we hit up Scatts bakery in Bishop (always a stop if we're heading through) and then back to reality (home).
So i bet your asking to yourself, why Bust? As in "Bodie or Bust" Well before heading i was packing up and I broke my fridge slide on the trailer. No biggie, i just put it inside the truck where we have a slide also. All was good. Then we almost ran out fuel, Long story and stupid move on my part (yes we had spare fuel). And to top it all off our gas grill propane regulator sheared off in transit to camp. So, needless to say.. we busted.
Thanks to all who read our reports. Till next time, happy trails all.