Salton Sea and The Slabs

Wednesday, January 8
A couple of sites on our must-see list was the Salton Sea and The Slabs. We headed southeast on Hwy 111 that takes you along the north shore of the Salton Sea.

We turned onto Hwy 111 from I 10 at Indio.

Lots of veggie crops grown out this way.

Newly planted crop. The light sprinklers help the seed germinate.

The Salton Sea, California's largest lake is saline and increasingly so. Currently it is much saltier than the Pacific Ocean and only a few fish species exist here. The lake is shrinking in size and as it continues the water will become more saline.

The Salton Sea

Water filled lakes have existed here in the Coachella Valley throughout the earth's history. In 1900 it was a dry lake bed. Engineers developed a plan to use some of the Colorado River to irrigate the area and this was successful for a few years. Then in 1905 a heavy rainstorm and subsequent failure of some dykes sent the full volume of the Colorado into what is now known as the Salton Sea. Since the flooding was stopped two years after it began there has been little water added to the Sea. At first the Sea was used for recreation and communities sprang up around the Sea. By the 1960's however the sea was becoming very salty, shrinking and no longer attractive to visitors due to fish kills. Today the debate rages as to what to do with the lake. Some would like to see more water added to raise the level where salinity would be reduced so fish and recreation could again make use of the Sea. If you want to learn more, click here.

Camping in the State Park along the Salton Sea

Seems like a nice sandy beach, but the Salton Sea shoreline is covered in dead fish and shells.

Currently there are some campgrounds around the north shore. There are also a couple of towns that have seen much better days. We stopped at Bombay Beach for a quick look. Some very artistic people live here.

Some rough looking 'homes' in this town.

A trailer condo??!!

Don't ask me. I have no idea about this one......

.......or this.

Lends new meaning to the term.....'friends in low places'. The town is about 235 feet below sea level.

It seems like the town is on the rebound.

Next stop was the town of Niland. Just east of Niland is the area known as The Slabs or Slab City. It is the site of an abandoned Marine Base from the Second World War. Today it is inhabited by 'free spirits'. These folks come from all over to spend the winters here. Some stay year round but the heat keeps most folks away. There are certainly some colorful characters living here. They pay no rent, nor do they have any services.

The former guard house is now the welcome sign.

You see this side on the way out.

This monument is called Salvation Mountain.

I guess they do have some amenities.

An unfortunate end to someone's home.

All sorts of RV's here. This is a highway tractor mated to a bus.

Sense of humor abounds.

Amazing art, or another man's junk.

To the south of the Salton Sea lies a rich agricultural area around Brawley. There are also geo-thermal power plants here that take advantage of super--heated water reservoirs several thousand feet below the surface. You can read more about the plants here.

At the northeast end of the Sea is another power generator but this time it uses man-made waste to develop its power. It uses wast wood fiber. You can learn more about it here.

We stopped at Oasis Date Gardens for a date shake. These are so good for you that we try to stop when we spot a date farm. Ignore the fact that they use frozen ice milk .....it's the dates that are the true star of the shake!! Lots of iron and vitamins in dates.

We stopped to pick up a few things at Walmart then home to catch another awesome sunset over the Park.

Clouds on Mount San Jacinto ridge at sunset.

....and that was Our View From Here!