Bodie Hills after dark

[Lighthawk]

We spent last weekend visiting the ghost town of Bodie and surrounding area. We often pass through the area with our East Side adventures. When I learned that the state park would be open until 10pm for "ghost tours", I saw the opportunity to take some dusk and dark sky photos.

We extended the weekend by leaving Friday after work. It became a longish drive after dark, and we missed some favorite views, but adding the extra night out really extends the weekend. Part of my strategy was to land at Travertine springs late for a quiet soak.

The Milky Way was following Scorpius up into the south-eastern sky. There was no moon, but the starlight was so strong the Sierra and Bridgeport valley were illuminated. Our soak was a perfect way to shrug off the drive and get into the wandering spirit. We spent the rest of the night nearby on a dead end spur. I was too tired to break out the camera/tripod.

Morning came all too soon and I asked Susan if we could drop into town to have breakfast at Hayes Street Cafe, a seasonal favorite. A big omelette for me and oatmeal for her, while reading the latest edition of the Mono County Historical Society Newsletter, which they offer in the foyer. I heard a waitress say the owners are ready to sell.

I wanted to investigate the possibility of kayaking Bridgeport Res., so we took a little detour off the Sweetwater Rd. to check out the boat ramp. It was a good find. They have a tidy little park with grass and shade, and running water and clean restrooms. We were able to drive down onto the shore, where we found some good birding while letting Callie run. We met a lady with a jack russell and Callie had a great romp.

American white pelican




Gadswall ducks


Willet


A tern, that I looked up as Forster's Tern


Doing a little trout fishing


Showing off the catch


They are amazing birds in flight, but have these funny little legs. http://www.lighthawkphoto.com/Nature/Birds/18797249_sF5prj#!i=3354788486&k=hMT57fb&lb=1&s=A

Follow along for the next installment: Bodie after dark

 

[ETAV8R]

Starting off just right. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the report. We have those turns at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. They are one of my favorite wetlands birds.

 

[takesiteasy]

Great bird shots! Looking forward to more.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Thanks for the bird images, Lighthawk. Am awaiting the next ghostly installment.

 

[Lighthawk]

Booo!


We traveled the Aurora Cyn. Rd. then along the Bodie-Masonic Rd. to visit the historic town of Bodie.
The parking lot was full and there were photogs running around with big cameras and tripods.

Note: Bodie-Masonic Rd. is visible in the background, winding westward up the ridge.

We scouted the townsite during the warm afternoon/evening.


Susan was able to bring Callie, so long as she was on leash.


When you have two beautiful models in an interesting setting, you shoot!


For those that haven't been to Bodie, it is extensive. Here's the Mill. Unfortunately, we did not attend the tour, but it looks interesting.


We enjoyed looking at the buildings in a state of "arrested decay"


A couple of B&W conversions


Looking in the schoolhouse window


The schoolhouse


The light began to get sweet.




We took a break back at the camper and popped the top. There was a tailgate party atmosphere as folks ate their dinners, awaiting the sunset hour and beyond. It was a welcome respite to get out of the sun and heat for a while. Packing for the night photos, we brought hats, gloves and warm jackets for later.

As advertised, Bodie After Dark
The Methodist Church


Interior shot (before dark)



I was using a headlamp with low power to light paint the buildings, but the guys to the right of me were blasting with a strong light. In this 25 sec exposure, I caught their light.


The School House



This one is my favorite. The Milky Way was just coming up at 10pm when the rangers told me it was time to go.


Shot in the Back
This is what happens when people with lights walk through your shot. I picked up the tripod during the exposure. I actually like the result and my title is "Bodie Dreams"


Stay tuned for the last installment: Bodie Hills to Chemung Mine

 

[billharr]

Really like this shot, milky way looks surreal. Looking forward to my trip on July 26th. Anyone else going up then?

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Andy,that is a great photo tour,thanks for sharing it.
The shots of the milky way WOW.We have only been out a couple times in a place to have a dark enough sky to get that good of a view.
Last Oct at Red Rock Canyon SP was one.
Waiting to see the next part.
Frank

 

[Lighthawk]

Bill, the house is up the hill on the east side of town. You will need to look for opportunities to catch the rising Milky Way in the last hour before they kick you out.

 

[takesiteasy]

Very cool! It must have been challenging to get such nice photos in the midst of a crowd- well done!

 

[norcalhawk]

Nice photos lighthawk. Like your Milky Way shot to, but I'm taken by your "Bodie Dreams" shot...somewhat "ghostly" in a way. I didn't secure a ticket, but I still plan on going this month...Plan to come into Bodie via Bodie-Masonic Rd. Is there camping along the shore of, or near Bridgeport Res? Nothing like a morning swim...

 

[Ted]

Andy,

Really enjoying your TR. Like others, I like the house with the Milky Way. Question about the Terns, though. We camped last week on Indian Creek Res. Like you, great bird watching, including terns. We identified them as Caspian. Foresters have a black tip on a red bill. Foresters have an orange bill. If you look at my photo, there is some discoloration in the tip of the bill, but I would not call it black. Yours looks similar, though the bill does appear more red. The biggest difference is the size - Caspian being 21 inches in length and Foresters being only 13" . At first I thought we were looking at seagulls, which would be closer to the Caspian size. But then when they dove like Osprey for fish, we started paying more attention and realized they were Terns. At 13", a Foresters would be more dove sized. Not arguing your ID, just trying to confirm as this was a new bird for us.
BTW, we also had Bald Eagles, Ospreys, pelicans, geese, Mallards, Coots, Cormorants, Blue Heron, Loons, quail, killdeer, turkeys, great horned owls, northern flickers, jays, swallows, red wing blackbirds, yellow headed blackbirds, and a few other little guys I don't know the ID of. Definitely a good place for birding.

 

[SunMan]

Incredible shots Andy. Was looking forward to these night shots and was not disappointed! Good stuff.

 

[Lighthawk]

Thanks everyone.

Ted: I think you are right and the bird is a Caspian Tern. Warning! "The Caspian Tern aggressively defends its breeding colony. It will pursue, attack, and chase potential predatory birds, and can cause bloody wounds on the heads of people who invade the colony"

NorCalHawk: Bridgeport Res. is looking really low and the shore was muddy. Not the best swim! There is an RV resort on the shore for paid camping, but we boondocked in the Bodie Hills. Another close by area you might consider camping is Green Creek, which has lots of options for dispersed camping.

 

[Lighthawk]

Final installment: Bodie Hills to Chemung Mine

We spent Saturday night camped in an aspen grove in the Bodie Hills. The trees are extensively carved, mostly modern graffiti, but also some older carvings from the 1950's done in spanish.




The grove was a mecca for birds and we had a family of northern flickers nesting in a nearby tree. I took these shots while drinking my morning coffee.


This is a male red-shafted northern flicker. He had the red cheek patches.


This is the female, without the red markings.


We did a morning hike, following a wet stream course down canyon. There were over a dozen greater sage grouse that would burst out of the brush, then fly a distance and settle. We would get closer and the cycle would repeat. These were big birds! Almost the size of a small turkey. Unfortunately, I only had a shorter telephotos, so no close ups.



We followed Bodie-Masonic Rd. north to return to Bridgeport Res., a new route I had not driven. It's open country up there, a lot like Nevada. The meadows were drying up quickly without the snowmelt during this drought year.

We followed our noses until we stumbled onto the Chemung Mine. There were two SUV's parked up there, and we decided to join them. It's quite an assembly of structures, largely intact.






We talked with one of the families that was visiting. They admired Callie and said they had recently lost their cattle dog mix and how much they missed her. Their daughter volunteered to show us a special spot where ice cold air comes out of "caves". We followed her through the ruined building to the other side where there were indeed two tunnels with cold air expelling.




I definitely recommend a visit. It's only six miles from the reservoir to approach the mine. The setting offers views of the Sierra and Sweetwater ranges.




It was time for the weekend to end and we hit 395 north back to Tahoe then home. We made it back in time to check out the garden and unpack. Monday was back to work, and we had only left Friday after work. Somehow in just a weekend, we had managed to stre-etch the time into a longer feeling trip.

Thanks for following along!

 

[highz]

Thanks once more for all the great images. Can't pick a favorite - too many good ones.

 

[norcalhawk]

Thank you Lighthawk. The Aspen Grove looks nice.

 

[takesiteasy]

Looks like a great weekend. Thanks for sharing the photos. It's amazing how a couple of days away can seem like a long time.

I am trying to figure out how you carry the step stool- looks like its fastened to a wall step somehow. Ours just gets tossed in the camper- last in, first out. Although simple, I never have really liked that solution.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Thanks Andy for the rest of the trip.
Great bird shots.
Frank

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Ted what were the temps at Indian Creek? Eagles you say. Maybe it might be same that were at Heenan over the years. On our early June trip there,we parked at the trail head below the dam and walked to the rear of the lake but the nest was vacant. We so enjoy watching the pair of eagles that would nest there.
Frank

 

[Lighthawk]

Looks like a great weekend. Thanks for sharing the photos. It's amazing how a couple of days away can seem like a long time.

I am trying to figure out how you carry the step stool- looks like its fastened to a wall step somehow. Ours just gets tossed in the camper- last in, first out. Although simple, I never have really liked that solution.

Hey takesiteasy. My ladder storage is one of a kind, I think. The previous owner tossed the stepladder in the back also, but I found a way to use the existing foot rungs and a piece of 1/4" aluminum I fabbed up to secure the ladder. It's been tested on DV roads and beyond, and it stays put!