Bodie, a California Ghost Town
Visiting Bodie
In the Spring of 2015, I had the opportunity to take a Westward road trip to California. There were a few places I wanted to see. The ghost town of Bodie, California was one of these locations. The Ghost Town of Bodie, California is a California State Park. I also wanted to see Yosemite National Park.
Homebase Hotel
I based my stay in Mammoth Lakes, California. Actually I should have planned things better, Mammoth Lakes is about 30 minutes South of Bodie. So I had to drive 30 minutes up I-395 (which is a nice, scenic drive). Then I had to find the small turn off to Bodie. The turn off consisted of another 30 minutes of driving. The drive started off on asphalt. The road twisted and turned. Then after about 30 minutes of driving on a regular, asphalt, two lane road, the road turned to dirt.
Getting to Bodie
A deeply rutted dirt road. I happened to be driving a low, sports car. So I was naturally concerned. I found out there was no cell phone coverage, and no guard rail on the dirt road. I had to drive the dirt road very carefully and slowly. I could imagine a worst-case scenario of a break down or a flat tire. I did have enough gas in the tank, so I was comfortable with that aspect of the trip. Bodie is in left in a state of natural decay. It is a California State Park, and park officials are on site. After the winding, asphalt road ended, the deeply rutted dirt road continued. I estimate that it was 1 hour of driving from the turn off entrance of I-395 to the town.
What’s at Bodie?
Bodie’s ghost town consists of mainly wooden structures. I think there is one brick structure near the Main Street of town. However all structures are wood. They also have an old mine there. That area is fenced off to the public. I believe there is a deep mine shaft that makes the area unsafe. Because Bodie is in a state of arrested decay, the structures are left to decay naturally. Bodie was a mining town.
Also you do have to pay $10.00 for parking. I did not have any cash on me, so I could not leave my 10 dollars in the slot for my parking.
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