Bodie is a cursed ghost town. Pilfer anything from one of the old sun-bleached buildings north of Mono Lake -- a nail, part of a clock or even an old bottle - and bad luck latches onto you forever. Don't believe it?

Then tell it to the visitors of this ghost town who have been returning stolen stuff with tales of heartbreak, death and serious injury that beset them once they left this Eastern Sierra settlement. One fearful visitor even returned the nail that pierced her tire as she drove through town.

From U.S. 395, take California 270 east. Drive 10 miles to the end of the pavement and continue three miles on a dirt road.