Ghost town Bodie and Mono Lake

Saturday, 22.09.18:

The alarm clock rang - like every morning - at 6:00 am. Quickly open the curtains and enjoy the view of the mountains. Then it was time to shower, have breakfast and go... to the laundromat. It was about time, as we had been carrying dirty clothes with us from the entire last week. Accordingly, it took a while, but after 1 1/2 hours we could finally start towards the ghost town Bodie.

Bodie was created on the Nevada border after William S. Bodey found gold there in 1859. He died in a blizzard and the town of Bodie was founded. Gold mining began in 1861.

Thanks to the gold rush, Bodie boomed in 1877 with 500 inhabitants. The number increased and by 1880, at its peak, 10,000 people lived there. There were numerous saloons, breweries, and brothels. The town was a typical wild town where no laws applied. After the boom was over in just 3 years, the residents moved on to 1/3. The population steadily decreased over time. In 1888, there were only 500 people again. After a fire in 1932, most of the houses were destroyed, but the remaining 170 buildings are very well preserved due to low humidity.

It was very interesting for us to see the houses from the outside and also from the inside. Sometimes it felt like the residents had just left. I felt like I was in 'Little House on the Prairie'... which of course Stefan didn't know. 😆

After the historical excursion, we drove to Mono Lake, an alkaline and saline soda lake. Since the early 1940s, Los Angeles and other nearby places have been sourcing their water from the lake, causing the water level to drop significantly. This exposed the so-called 'tufa towers', which were formed underwater and now serve as great photo opportunities for us.

Since the mid-1990s, a court decision has limited the diversion of water, allowing the water level to slowly rise again.

After countless photos of this beautiful surroundings, we continued our journey. Our destination for the day, Lone Pine, was about a 1-hour drive away. But before that, the car's onboard computer suddenly displayed low tire pressure. Fortunately, after a short drive, we reached the town of Big Pine, along with a gas station, where we checked the tires. Well, the rear left tire was a bit flat... so we rolled forward a meter to be able to pump in air. But suddenly, I heard a loud hiss and within 2 minutes, the tire was completely flat. Such crap. It's Saturday evening at 5:00 pm... how do we continue from here?

Called the emergency number of Alamo and spoke with the lady from Florida for 30 minutes or rather hung in the queue. 2 hours later, we were able to continue the journey. The call will ensure that my phone bill is sent as a package, but we didn't have to pay anything for the tire change.

Happy, we arrived at the motel in Lone Pine and went to the BBQ restaurant across the street.

Regards, Steffi