Boy was I wrong…

Linda and I heard about a place called “Slab City”, located out in the middle of nowhere, in an inhospitable part of the Southern California desert, where summer temperatures easily reach 120F (48C). Once the location of a WW2 camp, all that remains now are some concrete slabs, from which the place gets its name.

With our interest having been sparked (I know we have weird interests), we set out  to find it… and did!

What a place! It is really hard to define, but “post-apocalyptic” certainly comes to mind. Like a scene straight of a “Mad Max” movie, this place is occupied with as diverse a community of people as I have ever seen. Sure, there was the odd fancy motorhome or RV (the place is destination for “Snowbirders”), but by far the most common sight to see are ramshackle dwellings, old rusted out trailers, tents with lean-tos built with pallets, corrugated roofing sheets or old shipping crates. Among all this are a plethora of tire-less car wrecks, garbage, broken bottles and all kinds of stuff you can really only refer to as “crap”.

Then, among all this, are a few “artistically” laid out plots or trailers decorated in unusually artistic ways or “buildings” crafted in eye-catching designs, using anything that can be found (usually for free) in the vicinity.

While this makes for a visually interesting visit to people like us, to the folk that make Slab City their home, it is all quite normal and an inexpensive way to extend their home while expressing their inner creativity. Obviously, there are lots of folk who really like the abscence of any building regulations and rules. While the area is owned by the state of California, it is generally “left alone” with no real governing body to oversee things. Perhaps put in the State’s “Too Hard” basket, the place has been allowed to grow into a haven for people “who don’t quite fit in mainstream society”. A place for people “down on their luck”, outcasts, or just people who simply don’t like having to comply with rules and regulations imposed by “mundane” things like “mortgages”, “rent” “being politically correct” and other  things that you and I would consider normal.

These people have decided to forego all of those things and have chosen to live in Slab City, with no rent or title deeds or even a fixed address. As there is also no water, sewer or even electric, they need to be creative to survive living there year round – hence the odd constructions seen around the place, all providing some manner of shade, cool in the summer and protection during the cool nights of the desert.

There is a “code of conduct” in Slab City, “leave us alone and we’ll leave you alone”.

Sounds reasonable . . .

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I am not sure how best to describe a Joshua Tree to someone who has never seen one, but the term “Alien” definitely comes to mind.

By any definition, it sure is a strange looking tree.It is actually a member of the Yucca family, but grows like a tree, i.e. tall with branches. However all resemblances with a tree stop there. The Joshua Tree is simply a unique plant and only grows in the Southwestern United States, in, and, surrounding the Mojave Desert to be more precise. For non US-friends reading this blog, Mojave is pronounced “Mo-HAH-Vee”.

Anyway, Linda and I are on a mission to visit every National Park in the US so we decided to visit Joshua Tree National Park, in Southern California. I had been there once before with my son, but that was a long time ago and a visit, together with Linda, was well overdue.

 

Overwintering in Southern California

We were staying in an RV Resort in Palm Desert (just south of Palm Springs) in our motorhome. This resort was simply awesome and we were there in October, just in-between “seasons” as the summer crowds were gone and the “snowbirds” (a term used for RV-ers who overwinter in the South, just like migratory birds) had not yet arrived. As a result, the resort was pretty empty, we had ample room and even had the magnificent swimming pool (and hot tub) all to ourselves . . .  every time we went.

Getting to Joshua Tree National park was about a 45 minute drive, this was to the North Entrance of the park. As it was going to be a hot day (98F) we decided to leave early and get some early shots before it got too hot. We also knew, from visits to other National Parks, that if you arrive  too late, every man and his brother is there too, often making the experience somewhat less then great. So, off we went, leaving around 6 am and getting to the park well before 7. It was cool, the sun was just coming up and the place was empty, just ourselves and Nature . . . perfect.

There is beauty everywhere, even in the desert

Despite its alien nature, the park is quite attractive and we saw some beautifulI locations with wild flowers and interesting formations of granite boulders. In fact, it is not just the unusual vegetation that makes this park so interesting, the Eastern part of the park is littered with these piles of of huge boulders, like some giant piled them up in a random fashion, a long time ago. Today, these “clumps” of boulders have become popular with rock climbers, who use them for practice, training and just for fun. We stumbled upon a an area called “banana crack rock”, a challenging rock formation that is popular with rock climbers who like a challenge. The main reason for its popularity is the steep cracks on its west face. Banana Cracks Rock is short, only about thirty five feet, but it sits on top of a jumble of large boulders about another thirty five feet high themselves. The approach to the base is somewhat precarious to say the least. Some climbers rope up for the approach to the base. The safest approach, however, seems to be scrambling on large boulders on the left side of the west face. Pretty cool.

On a side note, the original “Banana crack” term comes from those stringy “things” you peel off a banana. Apparently, when you dry them, you can smoke them and get high (look it up!). No wonder there us a strain of cannabis now that is also called “Banana Crack”.

Anyways, I digress . . . Parts of the park reminded us of Death Valley, not surprising perhaps as Death Valley lies only a short distance to the North of Joshua Tree and is also dry and located in the desert.

Joshua Tree National Park actually contains TWO different kinds of deserts, the Mojave type, found in the higher portions of the park and the Colorado type, found in the lower elevations.The two are distinctly different and you can clearly see the vegetation and “look” change as you pass through the park. Nested in a secluded area between these two desert types is the Cholla Cactus Garden. If you thought Joshua Trees looked weird, wait until you see the cacti that grow here! Amazing.

Check out the pictures of this very interesting park and if you are ever in the area, make sure you take some time off and check it out. It is well worth a visit!

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You may never have heard of him, but he was one of California’s “Authentic Characters” . . . with an obsession. I am referring to Leonard Knight, the creator of “Salvation Mountain”.

You’ll find Salvation Mountain about 4 miles inland, Southeast, of the Salton Sea, right in the middle of the desert. Don’t worry, you can’t miss it as the “mountain” is painted bright blue and pink and dominates the country side. If fact, you’ll be able to spot it a mile away.

The “mountain” is (as Aaron Huey from National Geographic so aptly described) a literal man-made mountain, 28 years in the making, covered in half a million gallons of latex paint. What started as a small monument made of dirt and painted cement became, over time, a sprawling adobe clay and hay-bale mountain complex, with peripheral structures made of telephone poles, tires, and car windows, as well as art in the form of cars and sculptures, all painted in a patchwork of stripes and colored blocks of whatever color paint was donated that week.

Leonard Knight

The “man” in this description is Leonard Knight, a man who found God at age 36 and wanted to tell the world about Him. After a failed attempt to do so with a balloon, he settled in the Southern California dessert (living in an old truck without water, electricity or services) and built Salvation Mountain as a lasting monument for all to see. From its Sea of Galilee at the bottom, to the big red heart in the middle, to the cross at the very top, the recurring theme of “God” and “Love is everywhere” at Salvation Mountain.

We first heard about the Mountain while staying at an RV park called the “Emerald Desert RV Resort”, just south of Palm Springs and and were intrigued… The initial description we heard of the place was kinda vague and open to multiple interpretations. We heard words like “art”, “painted mountain”, “spending 28 years in the desert”, “dedication to god” . .  and much more. Enough phrases to spark our interest so we decided to go see for ourselves.

We arrived there in the afternoon and while this was October, temperatures that day still reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot! The good news here is that there were not many people about so we had ample opportunities to look around and get great pictures without battling crowds of people.

Salvation Mountain’s Museum

The “mountain” has two distinct areas, the main (and original) mountain and a newer addition, built after a donation of 200 bales of hay, called “the museum”.

A yellow path, called the Yellow Brick Road” lets you climb up to the very top of the mountain, which really lets you appreciate the effort it took to create this place. It also offers some amazing views of the desert, adding to the wonder and admiration of Leonard’s dedication.

In May, 2002, Salvation Mountain was entered into the Concressional Record of the United States, proclaiming Salvation Mountain as “A National Treasure”, something that Leonard was extremely proud of and thrilled by.

Salvation Mountain was also featured in Huell Howser’s well known “California’s Gold” series – twice! You can see both episodes here, just scroll through to the 27:00 mark of the video.

Make sure you check out the video, if for nothing else to enjoy Leonard’s enthusiasm for his creation, his wonderful sense of humor and his obvious delight and pleasure he gets from the people that come and visit the mountain.

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Bombay Beach lies along the Eastern shore of the Salton Sea, a large lake in the South East corner of California, was supposed to be a paradise in the desert, a place for fun, enjoyment, fishing, water sports and family getaways. Then the salt levels started to rise, killing fish and birdlife, causing algae to take over large portions of the lake, turning the water into a toxic cesspool incapable of supporting any form of life. Carcasses of dead fish and birds washed up on the beautiful beaches – millions of them – and the whole region started to stink of decay, rotting fish and sulfur, a side product of the algae and the chemical reactions it causes. The stink is awful. Even today (2017), the stink is overpowering.

The effect on the surrounding areas and lake-side communities, has been devastating as the tourists simply went elsewhere and many of the locals, once hopeful of living in a bustling location, ended up abandoning their homes and businesses, unable to sell them. Yet there were those who “hung on”, perhaps wishful that things would would turn around someday, or perhaps not having anywhere to go. Regardless, they stayed put, watching their surroundings deteriorate further and further. One such community is Bombay Beach.

Bombay Beach has fallen upon hard times.

Today, the place is like a ghost town, although not entirely deserted. There are still people living there . . . but not many. Bombay Beach history is quite fascinating, if not sad. Once a hopping lake-side community of around 500 homes, RVs and trailers, now has, perhaps, no more than 50 occupied dwellings. The rest is . .  a mess. Rusted-out trailers, houses in ruins and plastered with graffiti, trash and garbage everywhere and old, rusted, cars without engines or tires on every corner. This is “Urban Decay” at its worse, yet it represents a goldmine for photographers. As Linda and I drove through town, we saw numerous people doing the same, cameras out, shooting the sights of this once bustling and thriving community of vacation homes and fishing cabins. The visit left us sad and disturbed, yet happy with the shots we got.

The place also presented some surprises… a few well-kept homes, that were clearly well looked after, with flowering plants and landscaped gardens. What motivates the owners to stay there and have pride of ownership in the midst of such rubble and decay is beyond us. There is still a functioning church, a corner store (albeit small), even a community center. How well they are attended, or thrive, is somewhat a mystery, but they are signs the place is not entirely dead.

The residents

Linda met and spoke with a local, who had some fascinating tales to tell. He used to live in L.A. and acquired the house he now lives in as a vacation place for fishing. This was back in 1957! . .  when Bombay Beach was still a happening place. He claimed the fishing was “the best” with generous allowances due to the plentiful fish population and he loved coming here. He did not elaborate on “when” (or why) he left LA and settled in his fishing cabin, but he clearly made very fond memories here. Today, he holds some bitterness about the slow demise of the place, believing that local authorities were “sitting” on funds that were earmarked for restoration. The sad truth is that restoring this environment is pretty much impossible, representing a battle with nature that, in reality, can only ever have one winner.

The story of Bombay Beach is not unique, similar fates have fallen upon most of the small towns and communities around the lake with perhaps the only business that still thrives being the Date farms. Large groves of Date Palms are sprinkled throughout the area and it is clear they are doing well. The rows and rows of palm trees, each with the dates neatly bagged with a protective cover, all looked well kept, neat and very healthy.

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