From a distance, it looks like a large lake...but when you get closer that picture changes. If only this was a "scratch and sniff" picture....ewe...the smell gets worse the closer you get to the water and you can see why very quickly.
Back in 1905 the Colorado River flooded the Salton Sink. In the 1950s and 1960s this was a popular vacation spot. A regular to this area was Frank Sinatra.
Over time it has dried up and is a wasteland of toxic runoff...
Next stop was a popular tourist area called Bombay Beach. It's now a ghost town that is slowly being re-occupied by people wanting a different lifestyle...
Nice wedding spot complete with a chandelier!
Then on to Slab City...established 1942 as the Last free place on Earth and the last Lawless Place.
First stop was Salvation Mountain
One man's vision, spanning over 30 years, no power, no water, just a truck he lived in and he alone created this. He is gone now but it was maintained by a small group of volunteers who welcome people to enjoy it and spend countless hours repairing it.!
This was his home...
I spoke with one of the volunteers...interesting old guy..it's made from sand, covered by straw, then adobe, then 10 coats of primer and 3-4 coats of colour...wow!
On to the Slabs....150 residents in the summer, up to 4000 in the winter...it was hot, creaping up to 40 degrees. Too hot for any residents to be out and about....real quiet, no movement at all.
Pet cemetery...
When Joe and Marianne were here, it was winter so it was a different lively eclectic mixture of nteresting people. We were told the evenings are when it comes to life and you can meet some of the interesting folk.
We only saw two people at East Jesus... the "Wizard" who was the welcoming committee..
We were told some 2000 artists created the vast array of art displays...
And my favourite.....Leave Your Burdens
So much to see here, sensory overload...
Then there was this guy who has been working non-stop on this art display....he was one of the two people here...but he was not interested in even looking our way....he was on a mission of his own...
On the way put we stopped at a Gallery...not really a gallery...but a pallet and metal home, the owner selling pizza and cold drinks...with a fan running...all on solar. He told us soon he will get air conditioning...a real treat for neong one of the full-time business men here at the Slabs..
And this place would not be complete without the local Cab...aptly named "Slab Cab".
