Salton Sea Soiree

Yesterday, Tom, Derek and I took the day off to go explore and we chose to visit the very weird Salton Sea and surrounding areas.

In the mid 1970s, things went south, and by the 1990s the whole area was largely abandoned. A series of fishkills had lined the beaches with tens of thousands of dead fish, even as the government restocked with hardier species like tilapia. Eventually the entire area became predominantly known for being a haven for societal outcasts, methamphetamine makers & users, and the very poor.

This is a really trippy place to visit and you feel like you’re in a Quentin Tarantino flick just before everything goes bad.

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We saw hundreds of abandoned trailers many of them burned to the ground. The strangest part is that they are actually starting to build new homes amongst some of these trailers.Who would live here? You have to see what I’m talking about. I didn’t take a picture of this phenomenon, but I did find some other strange things to photograph!…

Footprints to oblivion

Sale ends today

You can check in anytime you like..but you can never leave.

Tourists Welcome.

Dry Dock takes on a whole new meaning

But I hear the fishing is great!

Escape from hell

Salvation Ahead: Repentance Behind

The road to salvation is this way

ALAS…SALVATION

Salvation has a mailbox!

These last few pics are of Leonard Knight’s creation Salvation Mountain. This was by far the highlight of out trip and it was a surreal experience meeting him. Salvation Mountain is Leonard’s tribute to God and his gift to the world with its simple yet powerful message: “God Is Love.” Leonard had a cameo appearance in the recent movie Into the Wild directed by Sean Penn. You can click on the link to read about this unique place. What a cool experience this was for us.

Leonard rules!

I think what was most surreal to me was that this is just a 2 1/2 hour drive south east from Hollywood where I live. It’s a whole different world out there and Hollywood’s colorful people pale in comparison to the residents of the Salton Sea.

Good times.