Bodie State Park is located along California Highway 395, south of Reno near the town of Bridgeport. It’s an easy day trip from Yosemite over Tioga Pass. Bodie is almost unique in that it is one ghost town that, even though only a small percentage of the original buildings are still standing, it looks like it was a vibrant town only yesterday. Well worth the time to visit.
We’ve all seen the classic western movies depicting life in the west, and the glorious days of the American cowboy. The “wild west” has always seemed like the place to be in a perfect world, and, of course, Jesse James was made into a hero by American folk lore. Of course, make any trip to a restored ghost town that has a minimal museum, and a good look at the dental tools used back then could probably change your mind about the glory of the old west. Those were hard times. The people who lived then did not enjoy everyday luxuries, and the tools used (it’s hard to call them “instruments”) by dentists paint a picture of the wild west that’s anything but fun. Continue reading →