Re: Fall in the Sierras... The Real Thing!
Part Deux...
We awoke to 15ºf and two inches of snow, I shouldn't have been such a skeptic. I should mention that I brought mom along for the trip. She's an avid outdoorswoman and a great assistant when it comes to photography but a bit... Uh... mature(?) for tent camping in sub-freezing temps. You may notice her riding shotgun in some of the video I posted in the preview. We rented a 28' trailer this time, which was delivered to our site with all the comforts of home, sans air conditioning which was completely unnecessary given all the snow on the ground. We packed the Jeep up early and were on our way to Bodie before the sun had made its way above the horizon. Instead of the normal route, which takes off from Highway 395 near the town of Bridgeport, we opted to take the less-traveled Cottonwood Canyon, accessed from the road to Hawthorn, Nevada (Route 167). I'd read horror stories about this road being virtually unpassable by anything other than a robust off-roader. It was only slightly disappointing to find that, other than a few washboardy sections, it was beautifully smooth and perfectly fine for any car.
Along the 10 mile gravel road you'll see cattle, possibly on the road, and several abandoned pre-1900 buildings that belonged to prospectors, ranchers, and entrepreneurs (usually shady toll operators) who wished to avoid the lawlessness of Bodie.
This likely belonged to a Chinese resident. They made the trek from San Francisco to work on the railroad that linked Bodie to the lumber mill on the southeastern shore of Mono Lake. They weren't allowed to work in the mines because they weren't allowed to join the Miner's Union. Besides the railroad, they also sold produce and ran laundry services and opium dens. A typical Chinese home was dug out of rock and fortified with a stone foundation, unlike the Western houses which were usually just a bunch of boards nailed together that frequently collapsed under the weight of winter snow or succumbed to the hurricane-force winds common to the canyon in which they were built.
The view down what used to be Main Street and into what remains of Bodie.
Founded in 1859 by Waterman (William) S. Bodey. Unfortunately for Mr. Bodey, he got stuck in a blizzard just three years later and froze to death. I don't actually know all this stuff, I'm just paraphrasing a little book they give you at the entrance. I mean I know it now, but only because I read the book.
The town languished for nearly 20 years with only twenty brave residents (give or take) but a rich gold discovery following a shaft collapse in 1878 caused a rush and the town grew to more than 10,000 in less than a year. Bodie once boasted 65 saloons, a bowling alley, several hotels and every other thing a town might need.
This house belonged to Henry Metzger and was built in 1878. He worked as a mine foreman until 1916. Two of his seven children were born in this house. I think Henry's car has been vandalized.
This is the inside of Tom Miller's house. He worked on the Bodie & Benton railroad.
The town suffered two fires, one in 1892 which destroyed most of the business district and another in 1932. It was this last fire that spelled the end of Bodie. The fire was started by a little kid playing with matches behind the Sawdust Corner Saloon and it destroyed most of the town. Only 5% of the original buildings still stand and are maintained by the State Park System in a state of "arrested decay".
The Old Methodist Church, built in 1882 at the corner of Green and Fuller Street.
Inside the church. The original gas lamps were eventually converted to electricity when it was brought to the town in November of 1892. Originally used to power the electric motors used in the mining operation, the electricity that flowed to Bodie was generated by a hydroelectric plant located on Green Creek, 13 miles from town. Although other hydroelectric plants existed, this was the first time in history the electricity had been transmitted over such a long distance.
This house belonged to James Stuart Cain who moved to Bodie when he was 25. He began in the lumber business but eventually came to own the largest and most productive mine in Bodie.
This is the front of J.S. Cain's house. While he appears to have been a bit of an exhibitionist with all those windows, the front of his house doubled as one of the town's mercantiles.
Fun Fact: In early spring, men would cut blocks of ice from frozen ponds and store it in cellars. The ice, insulated with saw dust, would last through summer.
This was last the Swayze Hotel but had, at one time, been a clothing store and also a casino. The fact that it still exists may be credited to it's proximity to one of the few fire hydrants.
An old truck being slowly consumed by the elements. Maybe one of you afficianados can help me out with the year and make of this. Google has failed me.
At this point, I'd had enough of Bodie. The wind was blowing 20-30 mph, the temperature was just below freezing but the wind made it feel much colder and the snow actually hurt when it hit your skin. Mom had spent about half of the three hours we were there in Jeep with the heater on. We left Bodie and headed out the conventional way to the small town of Bridgeport (population: 575), the county seat of Mono County. Bridgeport is a popular place during the spring and summer months but empty and idyllic in the fall and winter. We ate ice cream in the snow and bought shoes at the rustic sporting goods/hardware/general store.
On the way back to camp we decided to head up Lundy Canyon, past the lake and into the narrow, unpaved forest. The canyon is full of beaver ponds created decades ago when beavers were fairly common in the area. Considered a pest up until just a few years ago, they've been all but eradicated. Some claim to have seen one but the gnawed Aspens that typically indicate their presence are gone, the pointed stumps that used to dot the landscape have been obscured by new growth. I haven't seen one there in ten years. However, as we were leaving the canyon, I spotted this...
As the beaver population has been on the decline, the Bald Eagle has made a comeback. Once virtually extinct in California, there are at least 20 known mating pairs along a 100 mile stretch of the Eastern Sierras and their numbers continue to increase. They are still a very rare sight.
I realize this is getting a little long so I'll save the adventures of our last two days for Part Three...
To Be Continued...
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