Going to Bodie was a spur of the moment decision.
Early that morning I was standing on the beach at the South Tufa of Mono Lake. For some reason I had the map of the lake in my pocket and I was looking at it to see where I wanted to go next and I noticed that Bodie was on the map. A place I had always wanted to visit should I ever reach this neck of the woods, or this part of the desert, but had completely forgotten about this trip because I had been so mesmerized by the lake.
After the sun had completely risen and I had gone back into Lee Vining to have my tea, I headed up the road to the ghost town turned state park.
One of the reasons for not going to Bodie was the road off of 395 that went 13-miles into the desert. But I had a rental car and I didn’t care. There were tales about the road to Bodie – that it was rutted at best, a dusty washboard, and it took forever to get to the town. But 10-miles of the road to town is now paved and the last 3-miles of washboard is do-able, if you’ve got the spunk and a sturdy vehicle.
Bodie is a fascinating place. An abandoned mining town, left as it was – collecting dust. The California State Park system now oversees and manages the place. They’ve created life size dioramas and just let them be. It’s a fascinating place.
