Bodie Bumps

So we left Tahoe with great expectations for Yosemite. In our itinerary there is a note about visiting Bodie, the West's biggest ghost town. With Bryce just getting a gun and both the kids enjoying John Wayne westerns, we decide to go visit.

Now underneath this bullet point in the itinerary is this disclaimer, "there is a short section of gravel road off of Hwy 395. Plan about three hours to drive there and tour the site." OK, no problem. We can handle some gravel. Well, the three hours they mention takes into account about 45 minutes of touring the town. The other time is taken up by driving about five miles of washboard gravel road. Not bad in a Jeep. Bad in an RV. You know, with dishes and glassware, etc.

I found if I drove at about five to ten miles an hour the vibrations were reduced enough to keep the RV from falling apart even though it sounded like we were going to disintegrate at any second. Not quite sure why those ghosts can't get a paved road. I mean if I am roaming earth for eternity I've got some time on my hands to lobby for some asphalt, hell, how about just a steamroller? "Fouuur miles of paaaved roaaad or I will make your waaalls bleeed." That should do it.

After our interpretation of a stagecoach ride we arrived at Bodie. It was actually a pretty cool experience. Only about five percent of the town still exists from its heyday of 10,000 residents, but the kids really enjoyed going into different buildings and walking down the dusty streets. Bodie was the first town to have remote electricity, meaning that the source of the power came from a hydroelectric plant 13 miles away. They ran power lines in a straight line because it was not known whether electricity could turn corners.

First of all, couldn't they just test that rather easily and quickly? Secondly, the power lines went up and down all these cliffs and hills. What is going up and down a hill other than a corner turned on its axis? I mean if electricity can run up and down, couldn't it handle a gradual curve?

Moving on...we left Bodie, another 45 minutes down, and drove to recently opened Tioga Pass. Just driving into Yosemite is an adventure. It takes FOREVER! This park is huge. Lots of switchbacks through high alpine areas with snow. Hints of Yellowstone but recent experience has taught us that we are staying in the valley so it should be warmer.

There are waterfalls everywhere. Around every corner we see another spectacular view. El Cap, Half Dome, Bridalveil Falls, Yosemite Falls. It is all coming too fast to process. By the time we arrive at our campsite between half Dome and Yosemite Falls we are enamored. The valley is warm, in fact it is the first taste of summer we have experienced. The temps are in the 80s with lows in the 40s. It promises to be a great time.