I'm sorry I have been quiet on the website. In June, they found a spot on my mammogram. It took until early September to get the final diagnosis; I had breast cancer. I had surgery in October, and Thanksgiving week started a 7-week, 30-session course of radiation. Thankfully, the screening did what it was supposed to: it caught the cancer early. It was stage 1a, grade 1, meaning it wasn't ... VIEW POST
Recent Ghost Towns & Travel Updates

China Camp: Bodie’s Woodcutter Camps
Bodie is a well-visited and documented ghost town. Sadly, some parts of its story are often forgotten. The Chinese played a critical role in the history of Bodie and the Eastern Sierra. Not allowed to work in the mines, they worked as laborers. It was their efforts that kept Bodie warm in the winter, supplied them with wood for cooking, and kept the mills operating. Multiple wood camps formed ... VIEW POST

Reese River
Reese River, just outside Austin, is a fantastic place to explore. It has mining camps dating back to the early 1860s and some of Nevada's most historic and scenic ranches. Gold Park Thomas Barned discovered ore in Gold Park Basin in 1864. The area was worked for only a few years due to its low value. Three mines opened in 1878, and the district was renamed Jackson. A revival ... VIEW POST

Passenger Princess
I got out a little last weekend. I was a Passenger Princess with Nevada Expeditions and Baby Badger's first time out since he got a new engine. Most of the weekend was spent putting a new radio in Honey Badger, but we played a little. Grantsville is one of the biggies I hadn't visited yet. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend, sunny and 60! Knickerbocker The Knickerbocker mill was ... VIEW POST

Bennettville Ghost Town
Between 40,000 and 65,000 people traverse Tioga Pass each year, often on the way to the ghost town of Bodie. Many are unaware that the road itself is historic and deeply intertwined with Mono County's mining history. Few stop, other than an occasional picture of the scenic overlooks. Near the top of the pass, there is even a scenic ghost town that few visit. Bennetville began at the same ... VIEW POST
