Imagine life in this once-vibrant mining community, now a fascinating and eery ghost town.

There's something eerily appropriate about bumping down the dusty desert road the winds the final 3 miles to Bodie State Historic Park . Round the final bend in the careworn road, drive by the lonely graveyard on the sagebrush-dotted hill on the south side of town, and look down upon the lonely remnants of a forgotten time, and a nearly forgotten town. Back in the late 1800s, Bodie was a booming mining community with 10,000 residents. Over time, the townsfolk began to fade away with the gold, and roughly a half-century ago, the final residents packed up and left Bodie, leaving the buildings alone and at the mercy of the dry desert winds.

Today, you can walk the dusty, silent streets of this fascinating ghost town, with shops, hotels, and simple homes carefully preserved to look as they did when Bodie ceased to be. Newspapers on walls, used as insulation and wallpaper, hint of those bygone times. Old trucks and gas pumps, a weathered wood church, and that lonely cemetery paint a vivid picture of life--and death--in this remote corner of California southeast of Lake Tahoe.

Be sure to bring food; there are no concessions in the park. A bookstore is well stocked with interesting information; ask staff about daily tours.

Join us for the unique opportunity to explore, compare, and contrast the magnificence of two Yosemite Valleys including Hetch Hetchy, the hidden treasure of Yosemite National Park. The week's events will commence with an introductory hike in Yosemite Valley led by two renowned naturalists, David Lukas and the group's leader, James McGrew. A week of discovery will follow with instructional photography tours guided by acclaimed photographers Walter Flint, Phil Schermeister, Robb Hirsch, and Joshua Cripps. James and David will guide naturalist excursions including birding tours that transect both regions.