Bodie really is a photo destination if you are in the area of Mono Lake and the eastern access to Yosemite. I've been there several times over thirty years. It's a huge ghost town, acquired by the state after WWII. Technically a state park, it has not been fixed up as a showpiece, but just maintained in its status as found so it doesn't fall apart anymore. It's about 15 miles off the main highway, open year around, weather permitting. It's quite high, so winter is snowed in, but the road is kept open. IMO, best times to go are Spring, as the surrounding hills are green and everything is growing, or Fall, where you get very good light in the afternoon and early evenings. It used to be free, but they charge something now - not much. B&W is king, for all the textures of the old, exposed wooden buildings. Hit Bodie in the early afternoon to evening, then Mono Lake at dawn the next morning.
