Bishop CA as a base camp

[jar3316]

Well I'm not one for the "Blogging" life but we have a blast every year in Bishop Ca for Memorial day weekend which of course everyone knows is MULE DAYS. Right? Ya I didn't know either until about 3 years ago when my boss heard me say that we bought a trailer and so for the past 2 years we have gone. Even if your not horse/mule people its worth going. Believe me Im a city boy and this is great very calm very relaxed everyone is friendly. Big parade the Mule Rodeo is cool to but not a must.

We use it as a base camp. This year I wanted to go to Bodie, its a ghost town about 90 miles north of Bishop, I won't go into to much detail but it is worth the trip at least look it up on line, I don't scare easily but every window I looked in I was sure every window I looked in was going to have a skeleton or a ghost or a guy going boo. It's right out of one of those Hollywood the whole town just disappeared stories.

Then down to Mono Lake. A salt lake that is 3x saltier than the ocean and since the Sierras are so rich in calcium the underground springs make these weird Tuffa towers. Worth the stop and on the North side there is a park with a boardwalk to the beach and a play area for the kids and a spot to BBQ.

Last year we went up to lake Sabrina outside of Bishop and spent the day driving down and seeing all the rivers and lakes that the snow pack feeds every year. Also about 40 miles south of Bishop is a place called Manzanar. It was an internment camp used during WWII to round up any "potential Asian spies and to "protect" the Asian American people from angry citizens. But as one of the internees pointed out then why are the guards with guns and the barbed wire facing in. I do have to hand it to our government they admitted their mistake and rather than cover it up they put it out their for everyone to see so we don't make that mistake again.

Anyway, the Owens valley area is a great place and as my boss says I have been coming here for over 28yrs and every year I say this will be the last year I've seen it all; and every year I leave saying wow I didn't know that was there we gotta come back and see that next year.

I'm no photographer but I will insert some pictures of the trip but honestly they just don't do it justice.

[jar3316]

[jar3316]

[jar3316]

The best sign of the whole trip was in Bridgeport just outside of the Bodie cutoff
Man they really know how to multi-task

[jar3316]

and if ANYONE knows what this is we found hundreds of them out while we were off roading behind Bodie (drove out to the state line thought it would be a bit more impressive see last picture)

[Superchief]

They look like tent caterpillar nests.

[showtime0022]

I ve been wanting to camp @ Bishop. What campground did you stay at or which one do you reccomend?

[jar3316]

honestly we have only ever camped on the fairgrounds during mule days, but I hear the J diamond mobile ranch is a nice place to camp inside the city. Everything is right there with in about 3 or 4 blocks for a more out of the way campground the one just as your coming in from the south on 395, cant miss it, is supposed to be very nice and more "out there" feeling. But its all second hand to me, sorry.

[jar3316]

found it took Google statilite browns town campground right next to the golf course

[jar3316]

Originally Posted by Superchief

They look like tent caterpillar nests.

yep that looks like them. See, city boy.

[Freds342]

We go to Lee Vining and stay in Mono Vista RV Park every year in late SAept. or early Oct.

Still haven't fished and four-wheeled everywhere that we want to! Been doing it every year for ten years,