![\"image\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image-3-300x188.jpeg\")
<\/a>Well, judging from the response we got to Bob’s post last week, I’d say his butt is so popular it should have its own Twitter feed. \u00a0He continues to do quite well in his recovery but his now-famous derri\u00e8re is still stuck at home. \u00a0So this week you’ll be traveling with me again to the Eastern Sierras<\/strong>. \u00a0Last time I wrote about the ghost town of Bodie<\/strong>, which is a state park that has been preserved in a state of “arrested decay”. \u00a0Hmmm, sounds like some people I know. \u00a0In any event, this week our travels take us to the towns of Benton<\/strong> and Benton Hot Springs<\/strong>. \u00a0If you’ve never heard of them, you’re in good company.<\/p>\n![\"No](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image-300x184.jpeg\")
<\/a>No gas or food here<\/p><\/div>\n
Benton and Benton Hot Springs are on California Highway 6,<\/strong> 32 miles north of Bishop<\/strong> and 46 miles east of Mammoth Lakes<\/strong>. \u00a0The towns are three miles apart and are literally in the middle of nowhere. \u00a0More on that in a moment. \u00a0The “Bentons” were established in 1852<\/strong> by the Paiute Indian<\/strong> tribe who sought out the warm springs that surround the area. \u00a0During the gold rush\u00a0<\/strong>Benton became a stop-over spot for fortune seekers traveling to and from the western Sierras. \u00a0With the discovery of gold in Bodie<\/strong>, Benton became a supply center for the mines and the population swelled to 5,000 people. \u00a0The heyday of the towns was from 1862 to 1889<\/strong> and then, much like Bodie, the gold-seekers moved on to other states and the towns that supported the mines fell on hard times.<\/p>\n Today, Benton Hot Springs<\/strong> is noted for a rustic bed and breakfast, aptly named The Inn at Benton Hot Springs<\/strong>. \u00a0Remember when my brother wrote about the Inn at Spanish Bay<\/strong>? \u00a0This is nothing like that. \u00a0However, it is a jumping off point for many of the hiking trails in the area and is busy all summer long. \u00a0Note that I said it is “rustic”<\/strong> – only one of the rooms has its own bathroom. \u00a0The inn gets varying reviews on Yelp from “fabulous” to “flea bitten . \u00a0Since sharing a bathroom with a stranger is my idea of Dante’s Inferno, I’m going to pass on the Inn. \u00a0But if you want to hike the area it is your best – albeit your only – bet.<\/p>\n Hasn’t changed since the ’50’s<\/p><\/div>\n Benton is the real “town” of the two spots, although the current population has dwindled down to 165 hearty souls<\/strong>. \u00a0The town’s gathering place is the Benton Station Cafe<\/strong>, which coincidentally is also the gas station, bus stop and post office. \u00a0My husband and I have mixed memories of Benton Station. \u00a0About 25 years ago<\/strong> on our first trip through the area we decided to stop and use the facilities at the cafe. \u00a0It should be noted that Benton Station provides the only bathroom in a 30 mile radius<\/strong> so we assumed they had lots of visitors with urgent needs. \u00a0When we walked through the front door everything and everyone came to a standstill.\u00a0 Every person in the place (and it was packed) stopped talking and turned to look at us as we walked through. \u00a0No one said a word to us but they followed our every move. \u00a0Images of “Deliverance”\u00a0<\/strong>raced through our minds. \u00a0We scurried to the restrooms, bought a couple of Cokes as a donation, and got the hell out of there. \u00a0I have since learned that, like The Inn at Benton Springs, the Benton cafe has widely divergent reviews. \u00a0While their pies are rated universally tasty, the food is deemed to be either “best ever”<\/strong> or “sick as a dog for three days”<\/strong>. \u00a0It turns out there is a “good” cook and one whose vocational talents lie elsewhere. \u00a0The locals have memorized the cafe schedule so they know which days will provide a delicious meal. \u00a0After reading that I thought back to the day 25 years ago and surmised that we must have hit the cafe on a day when the “good” cook was working and the locals didn’t want us horning in on the food.<\/p>\n Our wing man<\/p><\/div>\n This year we decided to make the trip from Mammoth Lakes<\/strong> out to Benton<\/strong> once again. \u00a0Truly, the scenery on the road there is spectacular – a mix of mountains and rolling hills, pines trees and a view of the southern end of Momo Lake<\/strong>. \u00a0But knowing that the past can be prelude, we prepared ahead of time for this journey out to Benton. \u00a0We brought Dash the Wonder Dog<\/strong> along to act as interference. \u00a0After all, the locals might be wary of us, but who can resist the face of a cute dog?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Suzanne Sparrow Watson Well, judging from the response we got to Bob’s post last week, I’d say his butt is so popular it should have its own Twitter feed. \u00a0He continues to do quite well in his recovery but … read more![\"It](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image-1-300x300.jpeg\")
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