After a delicious "Dirty Pumpkin" at the Looney Bean coffee shop (Psycho Donuts to start, Looney Bean to finish - I don't just throw this together!) we climbed north into the Sierra Nevadas and Yosemite.
Before hitting the park we made a detour to Bodie. This is the biggest ghost town in the US, and makes Calico's mall an insult to the ghost town brand. At its height in the gold rush 10,000 people lived in Bodie, and now it's only the park rangers. There are about 100 buildings still standing, representing 5% of the original town, once the third largest in California, and everything has just been left. You wander, peering into dusty windows, looking at what everyone left behind. It's more than a little eerie.
There's also a curse. If you take anything from the town bad luck is supposed to haunt you. We didn't steal, of course, for ethical and historical reasons, and laughed at the superstitious tourists. A couple of hours later we hit a deer in Yosemite. I checked with Hannah that she hadn't snuck anything out but she claims not. The deer didn't fare too well, unfortunately, and the car is a little bashed up. Time for a new American experience - an insurance claim!
Despite that, Yosemite remained as beautiful and breathtaking as ever. Hannah proclaimed it the most beautiful place she'd ever seen. And this is a girl who's been to the Jelly Belly factory! We drove along the top of the granite peaks and then down into the valley (where I reported the deer death to a sympathetic ranger).
The final section of the drive was the least inspiring, through the Central Valley as darkness fell. It's still fun to see almond, cherry, and every-other-type-of-orchard but we've been a bit spoiled by the amazing sights of the last few days. We finished with the milometer counting just below 1,600, and while I was tempted to travel a little further to tip it over it was high time to return home. So: 1592.2 miles, highest point: Tioga Pass at 9,941ft, lowest point: Badwater Basin at -282ft, several pumpkin lattes, one confirmed kill. All in all a very successful trip.
Welcome to Bodie.
Some of what's left, empty.
It's just full of...stuff.
Reminds me of my room at uni.
Lively church.
A ghostly image in the mirror.
And at the window.
Bodie was known for wickedness, badmen, and "the worst climate out of doors".
As this is California, rent is probably $2000 a month.
A new resident.
It's my La-Z-Boy!
School.
Not any more.
The general store.
Pre-Chevron.
We scoffed at the curse. And then hit a deer.
This is before you even get to the Yosemite entrance!
Stunning, as ever. And the mountains.
An alternative view down to Half Dome.
Rock chick.
No animals were harmed in the taking of this picture. Well, maybe one.
Down at the bottom.
Goodbye Yosemite Valley, and farewell road trip as the shadows lengthen.
The magic number.
