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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