Bridgeport & Travertine Hot Springs

Short driving days are a good thing, especially with the price of fuel along this sparsely populated and traveled section of Hwy. 395 being over $5.00 per gallon.  From Coleville to our current location in Bridgeport was 46 miles.  We are staying at the Bridgeport Marina & RV Park in one of their dry camp sites, right on the lake with beautiful views, for $22 a night.  The Verizon service is weak but their wifi signal is fast.  When did it become mandatory to have internet at one's beck and call?  And deciding on where to stay based on said need...!  Shouldn't these be cause enough?

Bridgeport Lake with Eastern Sierras

Our site lakeside

 Storm clouds forming just after the eclipse (cloud covered)

Sunset

Bridgeport and the surrounding area offers endless recreational activities as the gateway to numerous high sierra canyons, peaks, lakes, streams, and hot springs.  Fishing seems to be a big draw to the area and several large trout have been pulled out of the lake here, and all along the Walker River.  There are not many folks out and about yet as the season doesn't officially open until Memorial Weekend, which is just the way we planned it, so our sight-seeing has been unencumbered by traffic both vehicular and pedestrian.


When this plan first started percolating and we sent out requests for places to see and things to do along Highway 395, our friend, photographer, and fellow blogger, Betty of Nomad's Notes, quickly responded with a long laundry list.  She has spent a lot of time in this area and  suggested some very special spots,  some not so well known, complete with directions.


Travertine Hot Springs, per Betty's email, was not to be missed.  We followed directions about a mile south of Bridgeport and turned left (east) on Jack Sawyer Rd.  Just past the county maintenance yard a rutted dirt road takes off and continues about a mile until a BLM sign announces your arrival.  We were immediately taken by the beauty of our surroundings.  The multicolored travertine formations, the perfect puffy clouds against a bright blue sky, with the Eastern Sierras framing the scene.  Walking around revealed several soaking tubs but one in particular was outstanding.  Of course, I had to test the waters and pronounced them to be perfect, around 105 degrees F.

This view was our first

But this was the perfect pool

Quality control was called in!

The town of Bridgeport is very small with limited services, though sufficient.  What it does offer is a lot of history, especially when gold was discovered in nearby Bodie around 1876.  Now Bodie really is the tourist attraction here but deserves a page of its on.  To be continued....

The old court house in the heart of Bridgeport, 1880

The only choice for groceries and expensive

Sadly the museum was closed...maybe opens Memorial Day