Masonic
We
left Aurora around mid-afternoon and planned to drive to Masonic
and camp there, exploring it the next morning. The route
first entailed retracing our route back to Bodie, and then climbing
west up onto the high plateau via the signed dirt road roughly
opposite
the Bodie parking lot. This route reaches elevations
around 9,000' , and provides plenty of scenic and wildlife views. Finally,
you will drop down the canyon to Masonic. We camped in
a little clearing up the canyon from the ghost town itself. Several
head of cattle wandered over to watch us put up the tent and
fix dinner before moving on. A beautifully clear, dark
night provided a spectacular view of the Milky Way.
opposite
the Bodie parking lot. This route reaches elevations
around 9,000' , and provides plenty of scenic and wildlife views. Finally,
you will drop down the canyon to Masonic. We camped in
a little clearing up the canyon from the ghost town itself. Several
head of cattle wandered over to watch us put up the tent and
fix dinner before moving on. A beautifully clear, dark
night provided a spectacular view of the Milky Way. Masonic
proved to be very interesting. Several shafts and adits
dot the canyon sides, as well as some rather more substantial
mill ruins. There are several old log cabins that are still
clinging to the vertical, as well as some that have given up
the fight. There is a plaque beside the road which
gives a mini-history of Masonic. We enjoyed a full morning
of exploring the entire vicinity. Don't overlook the hillsides
above the canyon or the flats adjacent to the ruins of the mill. If
you look high up across the canyon from the mill ruins you will
see the remnants of a substantial tramway which, judging from
the amount of rusting cable, used to connect to the mill. We
also found quite a few obsidian chips, indicating that this was
a popular area with the native Americans even before the miners
arrived. Two huge red tailed hawks entertained us with
their aerobatics while we tried to get some pictures of them. You
can check out those pictures, as well as all the rest, if you
click on the thumbnails below!