Eastern Sierras

Bodie, Ca. ~ A Gold mining Ghost Town and a photographers paradise

shaunaaguirre — Sun, 28 Jul 2019 07:00:35 +0000

Just off the US 395 north of Mono lake and south of Bridgeport is the ghost town of Bodie. Take the State highway 270 east for about 10 miles to where the pavement ends. Another 3 miles on the dirt road gets you to the parking areas. Map of Eastern Sierras Bodie began as a mining camp in 1859 with just a few prospectors. However, in 1876 a large discovery of gold turned it into a boom town. From 1877 to 1882, Bodie was a bustling town with more than 10,000 residents. Over 2000 structures existed and the mine produced more than $35 million in gold and silver. Bodie, one of the richest gold strikes in California was known back then, as the most lawless, wildest and toughest mining camps in the West. Although two large fires wiped out a lot of the town, there are still over 100 structures to see. Bodie’s heyday was short- lived. The year 1881 saw the town in the grips of decline. The rich mines were depleted, and mining companies went bankrupt as the miners and business people left for more lucrative areas. By 1886 Bodie’s population had decreased to 1500. By 1890, the introduction of electricity brought a short resurgence to the town but a fire in 1892 wiped out a large portion of the buildings and another fire in 1932 destroyed all but 10 percent of the remaining buildings. By 1940 Bodie had become a ghost town. Most of the residents left their belongings because it was too hard to pack them out. The town is now owned and maintained in a state of “arrested decay” by the Parks association. Pick up a town map at the visitors center and spend hours walking around checking out the buildings, peeking in windows and getting a feeling for what it was like to live here during Bodies heyday. Bodie Gold Mining Equipment If you bring a picnic, there are plenty of places to sit and enjoy being in this eerie but fun place. The town has its share of ghosts, including James Cain’s Chinese maid/mistress at The Cain house and the phantom children playing at The Mendocino House. Maybe you’ll get a glimpse of them during your visit. Be sure not to take any souvenirs from this ghost town or risk being struck by the “Bodie curse.” For more Eastern Sierra day trips check out our blog on the Lakes of the Eastern Sierras.

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Mono lake, June lake & Mammoth lakes ~ Lakes of the Eastern Sierras

shaunaaguirre — Sat, 27 Jul 2019 07:00:00 +0000

After setting up our base camp at Bishop creek we set out for a day of exploring some of the Lakes of the Eastern Sierras. One of my bucket list items has always been to swim in Mono lake. This was a short 45 min drive from our campsite. Mono lake is known for it’s high salinity and it’s healing powers. There are several places to access the shore of the lake. Just 5 miles north of Lee Vining there’s plenty of parking with a picnic area and restrooms and a boardwalk through the marsh to the North shore of the lake. We decided to access it on the South side so we took the 120 east to the South Tufa/Navy beach area. The Tufa’s here are other-worldly. Tufa is essentially common limestone. These Tufa’s form exclusively underwater. They are made by a chemical reaction between calcium and carbonates and become calcium-carbonate limestone. The reason you can see so much tufa around Mono Lake today is because the lake level fell dramatically after controversial water diversions began in 1941. The Tufa’s are home to a family of Ospreys who live atop them. Because of the salinity in the water, there aren’t any fish in the lake so they fly over to June lake to fish and then fly all the way back with the fish in their tallons. They thrive here due to a lack of predator access. We spent several hours here, soaking up the incredible views and playing in the water. Exploring the Ansel Adams Wilderness From here we headed south on the 395 to the 158 – and to another of the Lakes of the Eastern Sierras, the June Lake loop. The whole loop takes about an hour with no stops but you’re going to want to stop a lot. This area sits at the base of the 10k+ ft Carson peak. There are numerous hiking trails and so many things to do here that include horseback riding, world-class fishing, camping, boating, kayaking and paddle boarding. You can spend a whole day here or make it your destination as there are several resorts. The first stop is Silver Lake, the oldest trout fishing retreat in the Eastern Sierras. The Silver Lake Resort here has cabins, campgrounds, rv hook ups, kayak and boat rentals. You’ll cross over Rush creek another great place for trout fishing. The views here with the combination of the color of the lake waters is really breathtaking. Next up is Gull Lake and the Gull Lake marina. The Marina has boat rentals and is the perfect opportunity to get out on the water. If you follow the Gull Lake trail you’ll find two awesome rope swings. This is a great place to hang out and have a picnic. June Lake is up next and has an awesome swimming beach and the perfect place to cool off. Mammoth Lakes Heading South on the US 395 you come to Mammoth lakes, a year-round adventure area with everything you could ask for in an unforgettable setting. A couple of the best hikes in the Easter Sierras are Devils Postpile and Rainbow Falls. Catch the scenic shuttle from Mammoth Adventure Center to Reds Meadow (no private vehicles allowed), where you’ll find Devils Postpile monument. This geological formation was formed by lava flow over 100,000 years ago, with crumbling hexagonal towers of basalt forming a massive cliff-face. This is an easy 4.5 mile r/t hike with a 700 foot elevation gain. About 2.5 miles down the trail past the Postpile, you’ll find the 101-foot Rainbow Falls. Top 5 hikes in the Eastern Sierras Devils Postpile/Rainbow Falls: 4.5 mi r/t. Easy with stunning views. Convict lake loop: 2.5 mi r/t. Easy hike around the lake. Great for families. Inyo Craters: 1 mi r/t. Easy. To get there, take the Mammoth Scenic Loop a few miles west from the 395 Highway. Turn right on the Dry Creek Road Spur and follow the signs to a small parking lot. Crystal Lake: 3.1 miles r/t. Moderate. Enjoy views of iconic Crystal Crag, Lake George, and Lake Mary. Thousand Isle Lake: 17 mile r/t. Challenging hike but you’ll see some of the most spectacular views of this part of the Sierras. No trip to Mammoth would be complete without a trip to Toomey’s restaurant. Their signature dishes like smoked trout, lobster taquitos and delicious fish & chips will make you do a happy dance! Be sure to take home some of Matt Toomey’s famous seasonings. For more bucket list things to do in the Eastern Sierras, check out our blogs on the ghost town of Bodie and camping at Bishop creek.

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Eastern Sierras ~ The US 395, camping & day trips

shaunaaguirre — Fri, 26 Jul 2019 07:00:23 +0000

We love exploring the Eastern Sierras. This area starts at Lone Pine in the South and extends to the Nevada state line in the North. There are so many things to see that include the surreal Mono lake, the eerie ghost town of Bodie, so many lakes and and streams and much more. There are tons of places to fish, hike, camp, bike and ski. Just relaxing in what is known as the Ansel Adams wilderness and enjoying the scenery is an amazing time. Our first stop on our trip is always Bass Pro Shops in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca. It’s a great place to pick up last minute camping and fishing supplies. However, be sure to give yourself a time limit because this place is easy to get stuck in for hours. Our destination is of our favorite places to camp, Bishop creek. This camping area is just west of the town of Bishop, Ca. Bishop is a sweet old-fashioned mountain town and makes a great base camp for exploring the Eastern Sierras. It’s a 6 hour drive from San Diego or San Francisco and a 4 hour drive from Los Angeles. Lone Pine ~ The US 395 to the Eastern Sierras From San Diego, we take the historic 395, there is so much to see on this route. We always plan our trip so we can spend a night in Lone Pine, the jumping off spot for hikers going to Mt Whitney and the southern entrance to the Eastern Sierras. Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48 @ 14,500 feet. We love waking up in the shadow of Whitney and taking a drive up Whitney Portal road. This 13 mile drive west of Lone Pine, takes you half way up the mountain to the trail head. There’s an awesome breakfast/burger joint called the The Whitney Portal store with amazing pancakes. You’ll find a campground here and lots of trails to explore. There are plenty of HOTEL options in Lone Pine and rates are reasonable. Camping in Bishop, Ca. We like to get an early start out of Lone Pine and make our way to Bishop. If we are tent camping, we always go to the Bishop Park campground. Most of the sites are next to the rushing Bishop creek. Take the 168 for 16 miles and you’ll find it at Middle Fork at about 8300ft in elevation. The campsites are first come-first serve so the earlier you get there the better. Each campsite has a picnic table, a fire ring and a bear box. There are several other camp grounds in this area as well. On the way up, you have to stop at the Burger Barn. It is one of our “Top 5 favorite” burgers ever! If it’s too cold for a tent (for me, it’s never “”too cold” for Bryan) we like to stay at Parchers Resort. They have nice 1 and 2 bedroom cabins with decks and full amenities. Once we have our base camp set up, it’s time to plan our day-excursions. There are so many places to go from here. We will be fishing, hiking and exploring for the next few days. Check out our blogs on the Eastern Sierra’s. Get the low down on epic bucket-list day trips to Mono Lake, Mammoth lake, June lake & the ghost town of Bodie!

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