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Having already done our annual backpacking trip, we decided to plan a mostly day-hiking trip to the eastern Sierra. Unfortunately, the week before our trip the Oak fire started and threatened to ruin our plans. It wasn't close to our trip, but smoke could have been a big problem. Right away air quality at Lake Tahoe to the north was bad. Thankfully, firefighters managed to make good progress on the blaze and air quality became less of an issue. The day before our trip it looked fine, so we decided to go ahead.
We left the Bay Area around 11am. I'd wanted to leave earlier, but that didn't happen. We made one brief stop for gas, and then a stop in Oakdale to pick up sandwiches. I wanted to visit Bodie, which is mostly on the way, and I knew they closed at 6pm. We were making decent time until we ran into roadwork along Sonora Pass Road. We encountered delays of 20-30 minutes here, but still managed to get to Bodie around 4:30pm. That still gave us plenty of time to walk around and explore. Besides, I figured late afternoon light would be better for photographs. If you want better light
conditions, there are photography workshops which provide after-hours access.
Bodie is an abandoned mining town (a.k.a. ghost town) that used to have about 8,000 residents. Its heyday was in the late 1800's, and was abandoned in the early 1940's. Only 5 percent of the structures remain. It was interesting to walk around and see the history. A booklet is available for purchase at the front gate, and that provides lots of info.
Church
Bodie buildings
Blade outside a building
Standard Mill looming on the hill
A few structures remaining to the west
Sewing machine
For washing clothes?
What's left of the bank (destroyed in a 1932 fire)
Looking down Green Street
Standard Mill
School house
New math?
Classroom
Small piano
Bodie truck
Typewriter
Pool table
Gas station
Cart
Cart
Bodie buildings under the sky
Kitchen/dining room
Bedroom (bed is really small)
Inside the church
After exploring Bodie, we drove toward Mammoth Lakes to get groceries. But then we took a detour to Whoa Nellie Deli to have dinner. After dinner we got our groceries and then went to our rental house in Swall Meadows.
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