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From: boren@randvax.UUCP (Pat Boren)
Newsgroups: net.travel
Subject: Re: Request for Unusual Sights
Message-ID: <2870@randvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-Jan-86 12:07:24 EST
Article-I.D.: randvax.2870
Posted: Mon Jan 13 12:07:24 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Jan-86 04:40:17 EST
References: <667@cylixd.UUCP> <133@molihp.UUCP>
Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica
Lines: 42


How about a western trip, complete with ghost towns, gold
mining sites, even a bit of gambling?

Starting on the eastern side of the Sierras north of Bishop,
there's a real ghost town called Bodie.  It's 13 miles off
highway 395.  Only a park ranger or two live there.  No
hotels/restaurants, so stay nearby at Mono Lake (at the backside
entrance to Yosemite).  Mono is hauntingly beautiful, and is
suffering from lack of water thanks to the LA water department
(this is a heated battle between northern and southern Cal.).

Anyway, from there north, you come to Lake Tahoe, I think
the most beautiful spot in the west.  Gambling there in 5
casinos, too.  Skiing in winter, water sports in summer.
(An hour's drive east, just across the Nevada border, is
Virginia City, ala Bonanza.  It's a real silver mining town
that's preserved as it was 100 years ago, and has lots of
shops and buildings you can visit.  People still live there,
unlike Bodie).

Go west from Tahoe (following the Donner trail, where 100+
years ago the Donner party got stranded in a bad storm) and
you come to Placerville, a gold mining town.  Crossing this
town is highway 49, which goes thru many historical gold
mining sites (including Sutter's Mill, where gold was first
discovered in 1849).

The closest city to all this to fly in and out of?  Reno (near
Virginia City) or Sacramento (near Placerville).  Oh, as an
interesting aside, outside Sacramento is Folsom Prison.  We
visited it once and went to their gift shop (!) with items
made from the prisoners.  Trustees run the place, and were
eager to tell us stories of what it's like on the inside.  This
place is maximum security, and only the San Quentin rejects make
it there.  I thought it was fascinating!
--


                Patricia Boren
                decvax!randvax!boren
                boren@rand-unix.arpa