I’ll circle back to our stop at Lake Tahoe later … Bodie, CA was a gold mining town. Founded in 1877, the town peaked in 1881 and began a decline that lasted until 1942, when the mine shut down.
At its height, the town had somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 residents along with 65 saloons, 18 hotels, three breweries, a number of markets, two banks, a newpaper, and a schoolhouse. It even had its own red light district—shocking, I know. The mines produced more than $38 million of gold and silver over their lifetime. When the town finally was abandoned, residents apparently left a lot of their possessions behind.
I don’t know if there were any ghosts—I didn’t see any paranormal orbs in my photos—but I met a couple with a German Shepherd that seemed very nervous. The couple told me that on their last visit to Bodie, there were two buildings where the dog simply lay down and refused to go in.
Next: Lots of natural beauty.