Bodie – Goldmining Ghost Town

During a weekend road trip from the San Francisco Bay Area, destination Mono Lake, Mr. Misadventures and I made a side trip to Bodie, a fascinating gold-mining ghost town with lots of untold stories to tell.

Located in the Sierra Nevadas, Bodie is a mining town from the late 1800s frozen in time, or as they call it “in a state of arrested decay.”

Well, my imagination likes to get the best of me, so in my mind, the total state of abandonment is due to a sudden alien (or maybe vampire) invasion. [I think American TV is getting the best of me…]

No matter what history you believe about this historic town, it is a great place to visit. It is literally most of an entire town left intact. It is great for kids, historians, wild west enthusiasts, and in particular photographers – there is something for everyone to entertain themselves with.

There are picnic grounds and guided tours, but we just wandered around for a couple of hours. As this was just a stop on our way to our final destination, we did not have as much time as we needed to see (or photograph) everything and we are headed back in September to take more time.

Despite being there such a short time, Mr. Misadventures took some great shots. Buildings of all shapes and sizes:

Vehicles of all types abandoned and waiting:

Some in better condition than others:

And of course, no mining town is worth its salt without at least one church to keep the moral temperature in check:

Visit the Bodie website or the California Park site for me details on planning your trip. The roads are closed in the winter and it is really hot in the summer, so plan accordingly!

How about you? Ever been to a ghost town?

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