Every year it happens round about November. The days get short and the nights start to get cold. The end of the truck camping season starts to draw nigh. Luckily there’s wheels on the home on the road, and if you point to parts south, you can roll the season back to shirtsleeve weather for a couple more weeks.
It was with that in mind that we struck out south to California for a couple weeks in November. South on 395 east of the Sierras, then to the dry, sunny deserts further south. And with that plan we were on the way. The first day wasn’t much more than a drive to get us past Reno and on to more scenic environs. Day 1 got us as far as the Virginia Lakes area where we found a camp just before dark.
It was plenty chilly the first night, with temps quickly dropping to the teens. We’re not quite to those warmer climes yet.
Next day we spent the day exploring the area, with the first stop being the ghost town of Bodie. It is one of those spot I have seen tons of pictures of through the years, but never had the time to get out there and have a look.
Bodie is an interesting place, emblematic of the boom and bust mining towns of the late 1800’s. To think that this ghost town once was a booming city of nearly 10,000 people, scratching out a living far from any resources really gets you thinking about the drive of people in those days. Maybe it was just what you did back in those days, but the idea of a town popping up in the middle of nowhere for the prospect of unknown riches does boggle the mind a bit.
We wandered most of the town. The buildings that remain are pretty well preserved in the dry climate, however several others are missing and left to the imagination as you wander the old streets.
After a few hours of wandering we bid farewell to Bodie and headed over the hill to Mono Lake. Having only passed by while travelling 395 in the past it was nice to get out and explore a bit of the shoreline of this interesting lake.
We spent most of our time walking among the south tufa and learning about the withdrawals of the water that left the tufa exposed. How long will it take for the lake to reach the level it is supposed to? Will it? In the meantime the tufa is exposed for interesting photos and observation.
Just like that the sun was making its way for the Sierra skyline leaving us asking why the days have to be so short in November. We left Mono and headed into the Sierra foothills. We took a quick survey of the June Lake area, but options for campsites were limited with roads and campgrounds closed in anticipation of winter. A bit further south we found a quiet spot all to ourselves where we could have a nice roaring fire and fend off the chill in the night air.
Continued in Part 2.
