Mother’s day weekend at one of the most Unusual Place
We had the opportunity to take a ride to one of the most unusual places in California’s Imperial County: Salton Sea, Salvation Mountain and East Jesus.
Salton Sea (The accidental River)
One of the world's largest inland seas and lowest spots on earth at -227 below sea level, Salton Sea was re-created in 1905 when high spring flooding on the Colorado River crashed the canal gates leading into the developing Imperial Valley. For the next 18 months the entire volume of the Colorado River rushed downward into the Salton Trough. By the time engineers were finally able to stop the breaching water in 1907, the Salton Sea had been born at 45 miles long and 20 miles wide – equaling about 130 miles of shoreline. Wikipedia. Since the Salton Sea has no outlet, the salt and chemicals dumped by agricultural runoffs began to rise while the water level remained the same, resulting in increased concentration of toxic chemicals. Over the years, fish began to die in large masses.
Our first stop was at the west part of the see where rotting carcasses rimmed the shores and the smell (of rotten eggs) was overwhelming
Our next stop was Bombay Beach which is on the East Side of Salton Sea.
Half flooded, the remains of Bombay beach is kept dry with a help of a huge dike that surrounds the town. R.E. Gilliagan founded the community as private development in 1929. The town flooded in 1976 and 1977, when tropical storms, Hurricane Kathleen and Dorren hit the area that raised the Salton Sea dramatically. Today what you can find is relics of lost hope, abandoned and ruined places tagged with graffiti, piles of used clothing, filthy couches, broken bottles, plastic garbage bags and old fashioned TV’s.
On our way to our final destination, our trip wouldn't be complete without visiting the Salvation Mountain. Salvation Mountain is Leonard's tribute to God and his gift to the world with its simple yet powerful message: "God Is Love." Its 50 foot height and 150 foot breadth is made totally of local adobe clay and donated paint and is truly unique in the United States and probably the world.
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East Jesus is an experimental, habitable, extensible artwork in progress since 2006 constructed entirely of salvaged and recycled materials.
“Situated in the harshest, most remote part of Slab City, California — itself a radioactive dumping ground for the pariahs and lepers of the First World — and suffering from extreme temperatures year round, that East Jesus still survives is a testament to the tenability of mutation and the stubborn hearts of those who call it home”
Our last stop on our way out of Slab City was shoe shopping
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