by kenny

Bill and Julie went to Fresno to visit Bill's friend Brody. A phone conversation revealed that Brody, who had some time off, was thinking of going to the Salton Sea, which is where we were headed after leaving Ratface's house. We were overjoyed to make plans to meet the 3 of them there.

Laura had always been interested in the Salton Sea. It's a really fascinating place, although a tragic one. Read about it here and here. There are differing points of view about the Sea, but most people would agree that it's a disaster. Check out the documentary Plagues and Pleasures of the Salton Sea.

Near the Salton Sea are a couple of wonderful places-Salvation Mountain and Slab City. I had read about Salvation Mountain from roadsideamerica.com. I had heard of Slab City too, and had wanted to check it out. I didn't realize they were close to each other and the Salton Sea. Then we saw the movie Into the Wild, which features both places, and reminded us to go there. And we're so glad that we did. These places are amazing.

A little geography. The Salton Sea is in the Imperial Valley desert in Southern California, south of Joshua Tree National Park. It is 15 miles wide, 35 miles long and covers 376 square miles. It's borders are peppered with a few small towns. Niland, California is on its east border. Three miles north east of Niland lies Salvation Mountain at the entrance to Slab City. East of Slab City lies the Chocolate Mountain Gunnery Range, a bombing test range.


Leonard Knight is 76. Twenty four years ago he tried to get his handmade hot air balloon off the ground in the desert in Southern California. It didn't happen, so he decided to stay a week and build a monument of the balloon. He is still there. He has built a huge monument, rooms, and "museum" from hay bales, adobe, old tree limbs, and odds & ends that his found in the desert. It's all covered with his own unique folk art and brightly colored house paint donated to him from visitors and friends. The bright colors are overwhelming against the desert backdrop. Julie and Laura Were moved to tears. Leonard lives in a truck and does all the work himself. And he is an amazing man. Simple, gentle, sincere, dedicated, and full of love.

During WWII, Camp Dunlap was used for military training. In 1956 the camp was dismantled, leaving only the concrete slab floors/foundations. "The Slabs" or " Slab City" has since been home to thousands of campers, snowbirds, drifters, squatters, etc. Temperatures get well over 100° in the summer, so only about 100 or so Slabbers stay year round. It costs nothing to stay or live in Slab City because it is not a developed campground. This is probably due primarily to the undesirable surroundings, but Salvation Mountain also has something to do with that. The land belongs to the State of California. At one point local authorities tried to bulldoze the mountain citing the toxicity of the thousands of gallons of paint seeping into the "pristine" ground between the Salton Sea and the bombing range. It seems to me they just wanted to develop the land, and start charging people to camp at the Slabs. Salvation Mountain, being religious in nature, probably would not be able to exist in or near a campground own by the State. Leonard wasn't thwarted, however, and now Salvation Mountain is considered folk art of national importance.


Slab City has a golf course, library, social clubs, a hot springs-fed culvert/cistern "shower", a church, and an open mic music stage complete with generator-run party lights and theater seating. Well, theater seats. People are generally friendly, but many keep to themselves. People have nicknames. There is some litter and junk and as with most places, it's a good idea to watch your back a little. Overall, a relatively safe, incredibly interesting place.

Bill, Julie, Brody, Laura and I camped here for 3 days. We hung out with Leonard Knight at the Mountain. He took us out for iced tea in Niland. We went to the library (take a book, leave a book), hung out at our camp, and enjoyed great music at the Range. Bill even played a set. It's a pretty great place and we want to comeback to stay longer. Please checkout our photos and the links, then go visit for yourself. This site has some great photos and Slab City info.