Whatever you say about California, interesting things happen here.
So the Navy build a training area for the marines during WWI, way out in the desert – and then after the war it was abandoned. but nothing stays abandoned for long.
Hippies, off the grid people and those escaping civilization moved in.
A lot of oddballs live here. This guy is an artist. When he say me taking the picture of R2D2 he ran over to ask me to come in to his gallery. I declined, I hope others buy from him. Sure the Wikipedia page says most people here live off social security. Who knows, it also says that it is mostly empty in the summer – because the heat can reach 120 degrees, and the stench from the nearby Salton Sea must be unbearable.
Some of the places, built on the leftover navy slabs look permanent. they have solar panels, maybe they share a clean water tank. and here is another entrepreneur – e-bikes. No thanks, the well organized one in Phoenix was a little hard for me.
The shoe tree, I know there are places where people leave the shoes as decorations. In one place I read that people come here to find shoes to wear. All I know is that hanging out in this desert heat – none of those shoes will be wearable for long.
Rainbows abound. There are about 150 permanent residents and more in the winter.
So this is where Dr. Who goes in the winter…
As we drove away we passed another large RV park, much more regulated and organized.
A final look at Salvation Mountain.
Imperial county is interesting. The Salton Sea used to be a place for tourists, we bypassed Bombay Beach – which is slowly becoming another crazy art installation like Slab city, although this place is on the grid.
Driving north east back towards the 10 freeway – it was agriculture the whole way – which also means – a lot of residue and pollution from the pesticides and fertilizers. And yet, the area is producing a lot.
There is a massive solar panel farm up on the 10. And then we entered Arizona. The area by the border is yet another Indian reservation – and nothing. Sure a few stops, the town of Quartzite. But for all those who complain about a few hundred people living off the grid in Slab City – and claiming they live off Social Security – it looked like in AZ, the tribe is living off government money as well – not developing the land. Sure you can pretend their land is sacred – but for me, I’ll take the industrious people in Imperial county CA – who are working and producing agricultural produce. Maybe that is just me.
Leah