Exploring the Eastern Sierras
Blogging today about a fabulous family adventure!
Last weekend, my hubby and I decided it was time for a get-away. We needed to find a spot where there was no cell service and no internet. My sweetie knows it's important that I unplug. We decided to explore the Eastern Sierra's.
The view from Sonora Pass
We started out by driving over Sonora Pass, Sonora is the second highest pass in California and the views were breathtaking! We made reservations at the Sierra Retreat Resort at a quaint little cabin in Walker, CA. The cabin was wonderful!!! No phone, no internet, it was quiet and very clean. It had everything we needed. It was perfect! After settling in we checked out Mono Lake - it is a saline lake, no fish, but has its own very unique eco system. It also has amazing limestone formations rising up from the lake bed.
Mono Lake
We had a wonderful time here, had a picnic, relaxed and watched the lake. We did a bit of hiking out to the point and took lots of great pictures. We are definitely going back one day soon with the kayak to explore the lake in its entirety.
Exploring Mono Lake
Our next adventure took us to Bodie State Historic Park. A genuine California gold mining ghost town, super cool!
View from Bodie Cemetery - no ghost town is complete without a cemetery!
Bodie is an abandoned gold mining town. Named after Waterman S. Body who discovered gold in 1859. At its boom, boosted a population of 8500, in 1932 a devastating fire decimated Bodie and left only 5% of the town still standing .... what remains are those 100 or so buildings.
Bodie Methodist Church
The Park Rangers caution you upon entering the Park to not remove anything from the premises. Items removed bring instant bad luck upon the thief! In fact there is a book in the museum that contains letters describing bad luck and items being returned!
Headstone at the cemetery.
Bodie is rumored to be haunted. They offer guided "ghost" tours just a few times a year when guides, dressed in period era clothing, offer a tour of the premises that includes the cemetery. Oooh! Wish we could have made it for one of those tours!
Bodie Ghost Town
At Bodie, killings occurred with regularity. Robberies and stage coach hold-ups were not uncommon. And the town's 65 saloons provided an opportunity to unwind after a hard day's work in the mines. There was a quote in the visitor's guide from the Reverend F.M. Warrington who described Bodie as "a sea of sin, lashed by the tempests of lust and passion." It was a fascinating glimpse into the old west!
Another stop we made was in Momouth to see the Devils Postpile National Monument. After traversing seven miles down a one lane winding road, we hiked a short half mile to view the formation.
Our first glimpse of the Devils Postpile
It was AMAZING!!! This picture really puts it into perspective.
An amazing place to visit!
There are so many amazing National Parks to visit! We had such a wonderful getaway! I hope you have the chance to visit parks near you and I'd love to see a picture or two!
For more fun, travel and adventure visit:
- White Sands National Monument New Mexico - check out the beautiful white sand dunes, the photos are stunning and it was an amazing adventure!
- On your way to the Eastern Sierras, you very well may pass thru Yosemite. Check out my tips for Hiking Half Dome or visit Yosemite Park Waterfalls!
- For tons of history visit Mesa Park, CO to see the ruins and learn about the culture of the Ancient Puebloan People!
Susan
Wow. That looks like a wonderful weekend. What cool little adventures there are in our lovely state.
Bowl Me Over
We do Susan! Between the two of us we can tour the state and not even leave our computers with all of the fun things we've done! (But leaving is much more fun! 🙂 )
tracy
What an adventure- fascinating and fun! Glad you had an escape 🙂
Bowl Me Over
It was WONDERFUL Tracy! So much fun to get away and so much to see that's right outside our backyard!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist
What a fun trip. I am putting it on my to-see list. Is Devil's Postpile a natural geological formation? It looks amazing.
Bowl Me Over
Yes Michelle the Devils Postpile is a natural formation - apparently it was much taller eon's ago, and the "post pile" itself is no 60 feet tall, that doesn't include those that have tumbled away. It's absolutely amazing!
Sandi Gaertner (@sandigtweets)
It certainly looks beautiful there. Now that my daughter's foot is on the mend from surgery, our family needs to take some more exciting vacations 🙂
Bowl Me Over
Super fun - she'd probably like Bodie Ghost Town too, it was a great get-a-way!
Healing Tomato
WOW!! Those are the most beautiful pics of the Sierra Mountains. I especially like the pics of Devil's Postpile.
Bowl Me Over
I know, super cool huh? I wish we would have hiked to the top, I understand the view of the "posts" from the top looks really neat too. It was absolutely amazing!
Lois
I know you wouldn 't need a mother to go with you to see all of these things but it would have been a great time to be there with you. Love it.
Bowl Me Over
Mom you're always welcome, you're a blast to pal around with!!