Bodie

(click to enlarge)

So I went on a UCSC photography workshop to Bodie State Park, ghost town. Bodie was a town where they brought millions of dollars of silver and gold out of the ground. People lived there until around 1952, but now there are just park rangers living on site. Because it's at 8375' feet, the town is really well preserved. And a bit chilly.

Headed out on Friday afternoon, because the first class meeting was scheduled at 8. Route 120 (Tioga Pass) is still closed and I was warned that 108 could close without much warning (it's as high or perhaps higher than Tioga at the Sonora Pass), I elected to take highway 50 to South Tahoe and cross over there. I came to regret that choice to some extent as the traffic along that whole route was teeth-grindingly annoying. For instance, it was stop and go for about five or six miles before the toll plaza at Martinez. On the flip side, the drive through whatever the pass is on Hwy 50 was really beautiful. Actually, the whole trip once I got past El Dorado Hills was really beautiful. Anyway, got into Bridgeport around 7:30. It was cold there! Ordinarily when I am on 395 it's really hot in the valleys and cold in the passes. This year has been especially cold I guess.

Saturday was the main shooting day and I got up at 4am. The fire alarm went off in my motel room, I think because it was reacting to the water vapor coming from the shower. That woke me up. Hopefully not the rest of the motel too. :-( My friend Nancy (who was also in the class) and I drove up to Bodie together around 5:30 or so and started shooting. It was freezing out. The stamp mill (where they crushed the ore fore refinement) tour was especially cool. We stopped at around 10:30, when David and kids joined us and we had a nice lunch (man I was hungry!). Took a quick nap, then a critique of photos around 3 and evening shooting at 6:30. Drove back for the evening shoot and right around the time I hit the dirt section of the road, Iggy Pop's Lust For Life came on the iPod. I naturally had to tear ass down the road with the song cranked up. Loved the plume of dust rising up from behind me while Iggy's wailing. Obviously I was really pumped up and had a decent evening shooting. Not sure I got anything very interesting from my landscape shots at sunset. Finished up around 9 and drove back to the motel where I basically crashed. What a long day! Packed up my stuff because I had to check out the next morning.


Sunday was basically free form except for us having an opportunity to shoot directly into the tack room, which is ordinarily locked and shut. Most of the buildings at Bodie are locked to prevent looting and in the case of the tack room, to preserve the dust on the floor.

(click to enlarge)


After that I was basically on my own. Headed back on route 108 (Sonora Pass) because I had information that it was clear and I was really glad I did. It was such a beautiful drive. I had to stop and take a few pictures, it was sooo cool.

Did I mention I love my new wide angle lens? <grin>

Got home late Sunday afternoon, feeling like it was Monday or Tuesday. Good trip, though. I'm glad I went. Here are a few more pictures, without much editing. Click for larger versions. I will have more to show later (296 shots on this trip!).