Bodie, California, one of the best ghost towns ever, has been on my photographic bucket list for at least 25 years. Today I finally got there and it didn’t disappoint. Well, not too much. Unfortunately, it has gotten very popular and unfortunately the timing of my trip put me there on a Saturday so I didn’t exactly have the place to myself.
The state park which is now Bodie doesn’t open until 9am. I was the second
car in line at 8:45. By the time I left around 11:30 the parking lot was full, there were about 10 cars lined up to pay the entrance fee and I must have passed at least 20 more coming up on my way down. There was a photography workshop there getting in the way of many of my pictures but still I persevered and got some good shots in spite of it all. I am thinking of giving it another go on the way back to catch the afternoon light and see if it is a little less crowded on a weekday.
I haven’t yet finished processing my pictures but I have enough to give you a taste of Bodie. Gold was first discovered here in 1859 but it wasn’t until the 1870s that a vein was found that made large scale mining profitable. Bodie boomed for about 10 to 15 years but by the 1890s the mines began to play out. A couple of fires put a few more nails in it’s coffin and by the 1940s the town was deserted and most of the land fell into the hands of the family that owned the bank.
In 1962 the family sold the land to California State Parks and they have
assumed an attitude of what they call arrested decay. Things have been left as they were when the residents left town and the rangers repair but do not restore the buildings. The cold dry climate at over 8000 feet elevation helps to keep Bodie somewhat intact.
Leaving Bodie to make my way to my next stop in Bishop I saw a lot of aspen, some past peak, some beautiful but surrounded by sagebrush so not very photogenic. I only found one patch worth stopping for and somehow the picture just doesn’t capture what I was seeing. I also tried to stop at Mono lake put I didn’t have the right parking permit and I couldn’t find where to get one and since it was mid day I didn’t expect the photos would have been that great anyway.
After a long hard day of driving I ended up in Bridgeport, California without significant incident. Fortunately, I think this will be my longest day of driving the whole trip. After a short rest I took the M3 out for a walk to see what I could find. It turns out my motel is right next door to the Mono County courthouse whose architecture I would have to describe as Italianate meets Greek revival. It is a pretty building, in spite of its schizophrenic design. Aside from being the county seat Bridgeport’s main claim to fame is being the gateway to Bodie, California’s most famous ghost town. That is, after all, why I am here.
historic buildings, neon signs, and old mining equipment I headed down a side street where this hawk cruised into a tree right beside me. Yes, I did have to do some serious cropping as I only had a 18-150 zoom lens with me but I think he came out pretty well, all things considered.
useum which, sadly was closed. But there was an assortment of mining and agricultural equipment from days gone by outside. None of the photos made the final cut for tonight though. I preferred this wagon wheel I found back at the motel.
e mood tonight. Maybe it is just the subject matter. It turns out the courthouse plays bells every half hour. I hope this doesn’t go on all night as I need to get my beauty sleep before heading up to Bodie tomorrow.
Our first full day of touring started with a bus ride around town with a guide to tell us all about the history and culture of the city. One thing we learned is that the reason they build so much with glass and steel is that it is more flexible during an earthquake than concrete or brick. We also learned that there is a serious housing crisis in the city as real estate prices keep spiraling upward. A tiny condominium in one of those high rises can go for upwards of a million dollars. People are being priced out of their own homes because the appraised value is so high they can’t afford the property taxes. Living in paradise has its price it seems.
the city has the best views. It also features gardens planted in old quarry beds and a geodesic domed conservatory. There is also a plaza with a huge fountain surrounded by spaces for Tai Chi clubs to practice.
sounded like quite a guy, well ahead of his time in thinking globally and creating a culture of peace. Having just been to Japan I was a little underwhelmed with the garden, though I am sure it makes for a wonderful retreat from the hectic city. My photos all came out just looking green so I decided a black and white treatment was the way to go.
final day in Kyoto started with a visit to Nijo Castle, the last remaining home of a Shogun. It was a very impressive complex with gold leaf on the gates and three-dimensional wood carvings. There were paintings on gold leaf covered screens with tigers in rooms where power was to be commu
nicated and peonies in the more peaceful areas. The floors were intentionally designed to squeak when walked upon so no one could sneak up on the Shogun.
We then walked a few blocks to the Shibori museum where we had a lesson in making dyed silk scarves. We got to keep our creations to take home and most everyone wore them to dinner. We also saw a video on the shibori technique which consists of tying off hundreds of little bits of fabric and then dying it to create beautiful patterns. It is painstaking work 
and can take up to two years to make a kimono which might then sell for $15,000. Some of our ladies had an opportunity to try on the kimonos.
Today’s excursion started with a visit to a museum of traditional Japanese handicrafts. As usual no photos were allowed. Except in one little corner where they had set up a place to do selfies. It was a very nicely done museum with lots of videos of crafters at work. We could have spent a lot more time there and a lot more money in the lovely museum shop.
does not date back to the Heian period but honors the history of Kyoto and was built in 1895 to bolster the city’s morale and economy after the capital and emperor’s residence was permanently moved to Tokyo. In case I haven’t already mentioned it, a shrine is a Shinto place of worship, while a temple is a Buddhist place of worship. At one time the two were rather intertwined but during the Meiji period of modernization it was decided that Japan need a state religion and Shinto was split off to fill that role. It has been argued that Shinto isn’t really a religion at all but more a system of beliefs to guide one through life.
treet to Ginkakuji, also known as the Silver Pavilion. It was intended to be covered in silver but due to economics and/or political changes, it never was. It started as a summer home for the Shogun but was converted to a temple after his death.
the Philosopher’s walk which connects several temples. Of course, there was not time to visit them all so I just walked the path and visited the first temple at the end called Eikando Zenrin-Ji. It had a beautiful garden and was not overrun with tourists like some of the other places we have visited. So, I was able to take my time walking around and photographing.
When I was done I just had to show my hotel card to a taxi driver and he took me home without incident. For dinner we had some local Japanese guests to talk to about their lives. At our table we had a young college student who had lived in the United States for a few years when her father, who works for Mitsubishi had an assignment near Chicago. It was an Italian restaurant and we were served appetizers, salad, pizza, spaghetti (with a definite Japanese flair) and a breaded chicken filet.
We boarded the bus for the last time this morning and headed into the mountains to a small village called Miyama. Here we were taken to an elementary school which had been closed and was being repurposed as a sort of community center. After seeing some of the classrooms we were taken to the cafeteria where we were handed aprons and bandanas in preparation for a cooking lesson in which we would make our own lunch. The first course was fairly simple, parboiled spinach mixed with ground sesame seeds. Next we did a stir-fry composed of julienned carrots and green peppers and shaved burdock root (don’t ask, it’s supposed to be really good for you and didn’t taste bad). Then we prepared something called Chirashi or 
“scattered” sushi which is shown in the picture. It consisted of a vinegar rice base with thinly sliced scrambled eggs, radishes, shrimp, mushrooms, dried bonito flakes (that’s the pink stuff), and snow peas. I think this was also the one where they stirred the baby fish into the rice before-hand. Anyway, it tasted really good. They also demonstrated making miso soup.
After lunch we went just down the road to tour the village which is one of only a few remaining towns featuring thatched roofs. Our guide was a craftsman who specializes in repairing thatched roofs. Except in special circumstances new houses are not allowed to have thatched roofs but maintaining old ones is encourages by government subsidies. While at the village we had an opportunity for a short visit to an Indigo museum with a demonstration from the artist who owns and operates it.
boarding the bus we experienced, all in the space of five minutes, snow, rain, sleet, hail, thunder and lightning. Our guides had to scramble around and find an indoor activity to substitute for our walk through the samurai quarter. Instead we went to the Museum of Folk Art which was interesting enough. I especially liked the highly decorative lacquerware.
century. We were not allowed to take pictures inside, but the thousand-armed Buddha statue was impressive. What was also fascinating was that the building was built without nails. This closeup shows the detail of how the wood pieces are just fitted together like Lincoln logs.
Once in town we dropped our luggage at the hotel, said goodbye to the bus and walked to our next appointment at a food museum. Here we had a craft lesson in making paper and later looked at all the plastic models of Japanese food.
ng to the early Edo period when the Tokugawa Shogunate took direct control of the area for its timber resources. The building continued as something equivalent to a county courthouse until 1969. In the early days it also served as a residence for the head man and his wife and servants.
xplore. In addition to fruits and vegetable there were a few crafts and lots of pickles to buy.
gathered back up under an awning outside a museum before heading to the bus to settle in for our two-hour trip to Kanazawa. The drive consisted of a few breathtaking glimpses of mountain scenery in between tunnels. One of the tunnels was among the longest in the country at 11km. I was starting to get a bit claustrophobic, not to mention asphyxiated by the time we emerged from that one.
area has become a tourist destination of shops and cafes though we did hear some shamisen music echoing the past. And again, dodging the umbrellas of our fellow travelers was the name of the game, not to mention the taxis and police cars. We did see a few women dressed in kimonos but our guide assured us they were just playing tourist and probably not even Japanese, let alone geisha.
ur first stop was at the home of a lacquerware craftsman. The group divided into two with one seeing the house and gardens from the wife and the other getting a chance to see the craftsman at work.
route for hikers and backpackers to explore today. We visited the local shrine then walked through the town which I found to be a photographer’s paradise.
look. These dishes were followed up by deep fried tofu with a spicy miso sauce and a bowl of Soba (buckwheat) noodles in broth, a specialty of the region. For desert we were presented with a small bowl with three fresh strawberries. We then had about an hour to explore the town and shops. I would have liked to buy some lacquerware but I couldn’t think what I would do with it and the black and red colors would not go well in my earth-tone house. I did find a wooden rice paddle that I thought might work well in one of my food photography sessions.
Back on the bus we rode for an hour back to the outskirts of Matsumoto where we stopped at a wood block museum. I was pretty tired by then and could not do it justice but I bought a set of postcards that I can study at leisure when I get home.
castle and cherry blossoms all lit up at night. It was worth the trip. We were on our own for dinner and I did not feel adventurous enough to go to a restaurant on my own and the hotel was far too expensive (like $80 for a meal), so I explored the snacks in the vending machine instead. They even have vending machines with beer in the hotel so it wasn’t such a bad evening in, especially after that sumptuous lunch, though I have to say I’m not entirely sure what I was eating.
opped twice at highway rest stops. These were fascinating in themselves. Not only did they have banks of vending machines but also little shops selling snacks and souvenirs. One had bakery items worthy of some of the best patisseries I’ve seen.
We arrived in Matsumoto around noon and reported to our first stop at a traditional Miso factory where we had a brief talk from the head of the company who is the sixth-generation owner. We were then served a delicious lunch featuring their products. It included a salad with miso dressing, a miso based stew, and miso ice cream, which was very good.
age at the hotel we proceeded to Matsumoto Castle which is listed as a Japanese National Treasure. And rightly so. It was constructed around 1590 but was completely restored in the 20th century. Here in the mountains the cherry blossoms are running a little later than in Tokyo and very close to peak. There will be cherry blossom celebrations tonight and we hope to see the castle again all lit up with traditional music and revelry.
At the hotel we had the best meal of the trip so far. It consisted of an appetizer course including seaweed which was much better than it sounds, pickles, salad, and some tasty fish cakes; next course was a savory egg custard dish. Then we had sashimi which was a first for me and I hope not a last because I loved it. Then we had a tempura plate which was kind of like a birds nest of deep fried things all clumped together. Finally, we had a chicken and vegetable soup that cooked in front of us at our table, and of course rice. This was the first time also, that we were served desert which was a tasty cake with some kiwi and pineapple on the side. I may have to start bringing my camera to dinner because the presentations of the food are always exquisite.