Eastern Sierra dual sport ride - day 3
April 19-24, 2015
Day 3 ride: Mountains and mining sites north of Bodie
We decided to stay a
second night at our Green Creek campsite for another day of riding in the
area. The plan was to explore the Bodie Hills east of Bridgeport and north of
Bodie itself, dropping in to this famous ghost town from the backside, and then
reaching out to Aurora further to the east before doubling back to Bodie and
returning on 270. After saying
goodbye to Mojgan, who left back for Sacramento that morning in the Westy,
we then followed her out on our bikes back to Bridgeport to top of our tanks
again before heading into the hinterlands. We figured with our agenda we are
going to need every drop of fuel we can get.
Leaving Bridgeport we
headed north up Highway 182 for about 5 miles, then turning east on the
Masonic Road (dirt in reasonable condition). After a few more miles we
stopped at a fairly significant mining site (Chemung Mine?) that Tucker was
familiar with. We found the
remains of a fairly large complex of stamp mills and miners buildings, some
still in reasonable shape. Local
gun enthusiasts are apparently well aware of the area too, judging by the
number of bullet holes found in a couple of abandoned old cars from the 40’s
and 60’s.
Moving on, we headed
further east exploring various trails off the main road, find some hunter
camps and other mining sites, reaching our turn-off for Bodie-Masonic Road
along the way. I made a note to
myself of some ideal fall color and camp locations for my photography in the
future. Heading south of
Bodie-Masonic Road, we eventually dropped down into the town of Bodie from
the north, stopping for lunch at a picnic area just northeast of town.
Having been to Bodie a half dozen times already (see a gallery of a
previous visit
here), myself and the
others had no ambitions for more photography in town this time, especially
given the mid-day lighting conditions.
So after lunch, we headed east on Bodie Road (also dirt) to the
remains of Aurora and its mining site over in Nevada.
This road was more interesting for the dual sports, being in a canyon
(Del Monte Canyon) with a bit more rocky terrain and a couple of water crossings along the way.
It can also be easily done with a 4wd, but the bikes made quick work
of this route, reaching Aurora in about another 20 miles.
Aurora itself was
somewhat of a disappointment, as apparently some modern mining company has
taken over the operations, creating some rather large leach pits and strip
mine areas many acres in size, along with fencing off major portions of the
region. We rode up the hills to
the right of these mining operations, stopping to explore the old town
cemetery from the past. We then
set out into the hills to the southwest in search for further remains of
Aurora, only finding a few different small sites, but nothing that
remarkable. Perhaps we didn’t
know where to look, as the most noteworthy location ended up being a large
brick kiln visible on the south side of the main road that leads to the main
mining site.
After Aurora, there was
some debate about the most prudent way back to camp. Tucker half-seriously
suggested that we find a route over the hills on some of the rougher and
unfamiliar roads heading toward the south.
But it was getting a little late in the day, the weather was starting
to turn, not having a detailed map, being a bit thin on our margin for gas,
and starting to become more skittish of Tucker’s “shortcuts”, I suggested
the more sure thing of returning back up the canyon road to Bodie the way we
came in. Given the gas situation
and not wanting to be stranded if we dead-ended and having to double back,
we elected for this safer route.
Blasting back up Bodie Road turned into a higher speed affair (now more
familiar with what to expect), enjoying the variety of terrain and water
crossings along the way, testing our control skills at this faster pace.
Although the days ride was not too technical and could also be done on a
larger adventure bike with trail tires, it was interesting to explore this
area that myself and the others have not been through before. It was also a
much faster way to cover this terrain versus in a 4wd.
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