Salvation Mountain
So you’re visiting Palm Springs and you’ve golfed, and shopped and dined and hiked an maybe you’re looking for something different, something quirky, something unique. Look no further than Salvation Mountain! About an hour and half by car, Salvation Mountain ticks all of the boxes. Salvation Mountain is composed of local adobe clay and hay bales. It’s colorful exterior was painted completely by non-toxic paint, all of it donated. It was created by local resident, Leonard Knight, who had a vision of creating a tribute to the love of God. The original concept was to build the entire structure around the Sinners Prayer, but now encompasses numerous murals and areas around various Christian sayings and bible verses. In the year 2000, the Folk Art Society declared it a folk art site of protection and preservation.
You may have seen pictures but nothing can properly prepare you for the sheer size and spectacle of the actual site. Inside the mountain are mazes and murals as colourful as the exterior. Atop the mountain is a large cross you can climb to which offers a fabulous view of the surrounding area, including Slab City (more on this later). You don’t have to be Christian or even religious to appreciate the enormity of this undertaking. It is truly one of the most unique places I have had the good fortune to visit.
Slab City – the last free place
Right next to Salvation Mountain is Slab City. What is Slab City you may ask. Slab City takes its name from concrete slabs left behind when the Marine Corps barracks of Camp Dunlop abandoned the site immediately after WWII, leaving behind concrete slabs. The site is both decommissioned and uncontrolled. Parking, camping and squatting are free. About 120 people live in Slab City year round, the rest of the residents are seasonal who have placed some form of housing on one of the slabs or nearby. Many RV’s have occupied written on the side, despite which squatters have been know to take up occupancy in seasonal housing outside of prime season. Many “Slabbers” who live year round in Slab City, despite temperature of up to 120 degrees F, live on social assistance and have been driven to Slab City by poverty. Others are learning to live of the grid. Several artists have taken up residence.
Slab City is definitely different. As a group of five who had basically lived a middle/upper class life it was an eye-opener. One of our group must have said “Holy Shit” a dozen times as we drove around. It is not an easy life in Slab City. Some are there by choice, some because they have no other alternative. There is no electricity, sanitation or running water in Slab City. Water is delivered. Many residents use solar panels and outhouses. Basic shopping is done in Niland, about 4 miles away. There is an active barter system and residents host an open mic every night at five o clock for those (either local or otherwise) that wish to participate. The “city” boasts a library, church, hostel, campground and even an internet cafe. The locals I met were welcoming and chatted freely but I suspect there are others that don’t do social niceties as easy. Reading other blogs and sites on the place opened my eyes to the dark side. There is crime, there is mental illness, there is poverty. It would be a good place to go to hide from whatever is chasing you (except maybe your own demons). Nonetheless, there is also community, charity and charm. Next time I will make sure to stay for open mike.
Salton Sea (and Bombay Beach)
The Salton Sea was accidentally created by the engineers of the California Development Company in 1905. In an effort to provide water to farmers an irrigation canal was dug from the Colorado river to the old Alamo river. The headgates and canals suffered silt buildup creating pressure, so a series of cuts were made in the bank of the Colorado river to increase the water flow. This caused an overflow of water and the river flowed into the Salton Basin creating a modern sea. (There are several local conspiracy theories that this was no accident). An interesting fact – Salton Sea is actually 200 feet below sea level.
In the 1950’s local developers attempted to create a resort area (a poor man’s riviera) and for a brief period it was highly popular with sun seekers, featuring vacation homes and tourist accommodation. However most of these settlements have been abandoned as the result of high levels of pollution created by industry run off and increasing salinity creating a ghost town appearance. Many of the species of fish have been killed as the result of the pollution, salinity and frequent algae blooms. Dead fish have been known to wash up on the shore in mass quantities. The smell of the sea and decaying fish have played a large role in the decrease of tourism. There are boarded up buildings all along the highway.
Despite the decline, the sea is beautiful, and recently there has been an upsurge in tourism. It is a birdwatchers paradise and has been called a crown jewel of avian biodiversity, supporting 30% of the remaining population of the American White Pelican. Slab City and Salvation Mountain are nearby making the towns along the Salton Sea a popular place to stay. In fact Bombay beach has it’s own share of snowbirds from Canada, many of whom return ever year to the welcoming environment of the town (and to party).
Bombay Beach
This post wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Bombay Beach. Looking for a place to stop for a drink we wound up at the Ski Inn (fondly known to residents as the Skid Inn). The Ski Inn is an eclectic place with walls and ceilings almost entirely covered by dollar bills, many signed by the people who donated them.
Not finding enough places to sit together, some of our party settled in at the bar and some at a large table in the middle of the room. The beer is cheap, food is good and the welcome is warm at the Ski Inn. There is a definite party atmosphere:One guy in the bar said “Don’t tell my wife I was here” as he tucks into his third margarita. The owner, Ernie, is in his 70’s and bought the bar only a few years earlier. Locals advised us to check out the local art work including a large piece created from an old airplane and many other weird and wonderful pieces of ‘art’! Bombay beach boasts many seasonal residents who come to get away from the snow at a cheaper price than palm springs. It would be a great place to get away from the daily grind for a couple of weeks!
Go Go Years 