Dear Family, Friends, and Diary,
With the car charged we bid farewell from the comfortable Michaud's B&B. Our visits here are always fun, interesting, comfortable, and positive.
Our plan was a simple drive east, over Sonora Pass on California Highway 108 to Highway 395 and north to Walker, California. Soon after leaving Sonora, it seemed we had enough energy to include Bodie, an authentic ghost town, a bit south and west into the desert highlands.
We took over 250 pictures on this drive. Normally, I purge down to less than 10%, but I found that was not doable with a new mountain passage and the truly unique California State Park. Sorry, but browse as you wish.
The Sonora Pass highway was almost empty. The contrast with more tourist-heavy mountain transits was appreciated. Our first stop was Donnel Vista, where we joined a handful of travelers (including a tiny lizard) looking out over a canyon with Yosemite-like rock walls down to Donnels dam.
Our next stop was at the top, at the 9,624 foot Sonora Pass. This road was originally the 1850s Sonora-Mono Toll Route, where wagons struggled for weeks from Bridgeport to Sonora. Now it's an easy two-hour (free) cruise. The only signs we saw of struggle was the water donations for travelers on the Pacific Coat Trail. Struggle worthy of pioneers.
From there, it was all downhill, a steep hill indeed. We had been passing signs warning against travel by large trucks or almost any trailer. The highway sloped as steeply as 26%, steeper than anything I think I have ever seen. I very much appreciated the electric car's braking that spared brake pads while recovery energy spent climbing. The meadow after the steepest descent was a welcome view.
Not far past this valley, we stopped at Leavitt Meadows Pack Station, where "Mike" gave me a tour of the stables and explained the multi-generation family business. (He, himself, was not born to the work, but chose to retire here, after a 30-year career as a professional sports photographer for the LA Times.) The longest ride, at 11 days in the saddle, reaches the back side of Yosemite National Park, whose mountains were visible in the far distance. Leavitts offers hour-long rides and days-long camping trips. Not my thing, but maybe yours?
Our last distraction on Highway 108 was the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center. Started in 1951 as training grounds for cold-weather action expected in the Korean War, the facility is now year-round for young men and women facing mountain action. Worthy of a mention in a humble travelogue.
Finally down to Highway 395, we turned south, immediately hitting a 20-minute stop for construction. Then there was 20 miles of clear highway and a left turn onto the Bodie Road. Thirteen miles later, three of them on rough gravel, we reached the Bodie California State Park.
William Bodey discovered gold on this high desert plain in 1859. Although he died shortly after his discovery, a dynamic mining town arose, named in his honor (but spelled differently). Ultimately, 7,000 to 8,000 people came over the next decades to staff 30 mines, nine rock-crushing stamp mills, all the shops, schools, businesses and churches. From the late 1800s, Bodie mining slowed until it finally stopped in 1942. By then the town belonged to the Cain family, who originally hoped to resurrect gold mining, but ended selling the place in1962 to the California State Parks.
Since then, with a policy of arrested decay, the Parks people have created a masterful stage for teaching history, without the flash or glamor of a history Disneyland. Our two-hour visit was far less than we needed to see "everything", but plenty to more than enough to justify that dirty, dusty road. At this point, I'll let the picture speak for our visit.
Only about 5% of the Bodie buildings still stand, but they offer far too many places to stop and snap a picture
Some buildings are open, others offer views through dusty windows.
Photo-worthy scenes were everywhere
Inside dusty windows
Whew! Lots of history. And there was far more than we saw or photographed. You have to go yourself.
After Bodie, we drove north for an hour to the small community of Walker, where we would spend the next 36 hours. Our small motel, decades old and simple, was recently remodeled and clean. As good as we could hope for.
However, what could we possibly do for a whole day in the tiny community of Walker, California? Not much, as it turned out, but that was OK-enough.
The drive over from Sonora and the excursion to Bodie had drawn the Tesla's battery below 20%, so job #1 was to add electrons. The Walker Country Store actually has a set of four non-Tesla chargers and, while we have had difficulties with off-brand machines, the convenience was worth a try. One of four worked, but that was enough, since EVs seem pretty rare out here. As an added bonus, the store had excellent breakfast burritos and a good wifi signal to support diary publishing - all I ever need on a travel-day morning.
The rest of the morning was spent cleaning up and getting organized. And trying to think of something to do. Eventually, we decided to drive north a bit, into Nevada, and see what Topaz Lake looked like. We hoped for a quaint lakeside village, but got a rather basic collection of a few dozen houses and one casino. At the casino, we took advantage of the coffee shop for our mid-day meal, a Denver omelet for me and nachos for Marianne. Not exactly health food, but who cares? We're on vacation.
Driving the 15 miles back to Walker, we were waved through the border fruit-check and then started looking for cute tourist shops. There weren't many. A Flea Market had a yard full of interesting rusty statues, but Tuesday was their day-off, so we did not buy. The nearby Indian Trading Post was similarly closed. And there was nothing else. Oh well.
I did go out for a walk, hoping for a nice stroll along the West Walker River. However, the only place where I could get close was over a plain road bridge. Running water is also worth a picture or two and a fly fisherman added a bit of interest.
Back at the "Historic" West Walker Motel, Marianne was enjoying the patio for her own distraction - drawing and journal keeping. It's not the Ritz, but good enough for a two-day home on the road.
At the end of the day, we still had an event to attend: The Democratic National Convention. Fortunately our streaming TV connection was decent and we enjoyed the festivities, especially the speeches by the Obamas. We do hope the excitement can last until successful November elections. Another Trump presidency is just unimaginable.
On Wednesday, we are off to Carson City for friends and a side trip to Urgent Care. Always something else.
Stay tuned,
John and Marianne
Stay tuned.
John and Marianne