On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Further south from Bombay beach and a few miles east of the Salton Sea’s shore is Salvation Mountain and Slab City. During WW2 this was a Marine training base, and after the war the land was given to the State of California. The State really hasn’t done much with the land except remove the old buildings leaving Slabs(hence Slab City). Folk have just kind of squatted on the land, formed a community and even built stuff. Salvation Mountain was built by Leonard Knight as his tribute to the Sinner’s Prayer. It was built with adobe and straw and covered in latex paint. You can climb Salvation Mountain by following the Yellow Brick Road up to the top. Further east of Salvation Mountain is Slab City, it features a preforming venue(The Range), a library and various art project. The area is home to both folk who drive their RV’s there for the winter as well as a hearty group of permanent residents that live in mostly rundown trailers.
Wide view of Salvation Mountain you can the God’s mailbox at the right.
This is the view though the “O” in God at the top of Salvation Mountain. You can the the “Yellow Brick Road” that you use to climb the mountain.
One of the trucks and trailers that the builder of Salvation Mountain lived in while building the mountain.
The Colosseum is an old water tank that has been turned into an art project
This is the Slab City information Kiosk.
The Range is Slab City’s live performing venue.
One of the trailers in Slab City with some art that we’d later see in Bombay Beach.
I took this photo for my step-daughter, her Instagram tagline is “We’re not lost, we’re wanderers”. If you wander into Slab City, you’re lost.
Ruckus
I believe this is where I used to hang out occasionally, had friends who had a place down there and we also used to camp and hunt and fish. We would go out east of the sea and walk through the desert and there was a military area that was fenced off with warning signs that it was dangerous and illegal to go farther. Once while there we had a jet fighter fly right over us at about 100 ft at a pretty good speed. We only had a second or two to actually see the plane but we could sure hear it coming. This was fall of 1968.
JPL
Who knew that god had a mailbox.
JeanneT
What an interesting place! Thank you for giving us a glimpse of it.
Baud
@JeanneT: Seconded.
Wag
People do interesting things in the name of God. This one appears to be a force for positive vibrations, at least on the surface.
RobertDSC-Mac Mini
This place was also satirized in the game Grand Theft Auto V.
Laura Too
Thanks for this! I was lucky enough to meet Leonard a few years before he died. Made the pilgrimage after seeing a documentary that included Salvation Mountain on a local PBS station. I went with my Aunt and Uncle from California. My Aunt threw a fit when she saw it (she was quirky, opinionated and very loveable) and refused to get out of the car. I laughed so hard I almost choked! My husband, Uncle and I hiked in. We had the place pretty much to ourselves for the first half hour so Leonard gave us a private tour. He was a lovely man, had such an air of sadness about him though. I brought him oranges and he gave me a puzzel of the mountain that I still have. I appreciate the mental vacation.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Ruckus: The Marines weren’t using this area post Korea, but there is still a bombing range to the east.
@JPL: He’s got mail.
@JeanneT:
@Baud: It’s pretty unusual and very colorful.
@Wag: Tend to agree.
@RobertDSC-Mac Mini: It’s been in a lot of TV and videos as well.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Laura Too: I’d never heard of the place until about 6 months ago. This was a local photography group shoot that was originally planned for late last year. A non-profit organization that was set up by Leonard before he passed maintains the place now(they take donations of paint) and they had a table there to answer questions and stuff.
J R in WV
Weird place… pics are good, but of what, really?
Puppy brought home another turtle in the wee hours before dawn, although with that full moon it’s hard to be sure how close to dawn it really was. I have Turtle in a laundry basket up on a chair so BooBoo can’t get to him. Here directly I’ll take Turtle way far away from puppy’s turf where Turtle can be a turtle without worrying about F’in’ dogs.
LongHairedWeirdo
@JPL: That’s so people can reach out, since he couldn’t get a starship.
LongHairedWeirdo
@Wag: Yeah, it’s amazing how rarely you see people evoking God or Jesus for things like “help your neighbor” and “take care of the poor and disadvantaged.”
It’s a shame Jesus didn’t give a sermon where he said “whatever you do to the least of my people, that’s how you’re treating me!” Oh, he did?
Well, if only he’d said that it’s good to be humble, and kind, and to hunger and thirst for Justice. Oh, he did that too?
Well, if only he hadn’t screamed so loudly about gay people and transgender folks, etc., and … oh, he never did?
Well… okay, check this out. Maybe he should have allowed himself to be martyred, rather than going on the warpath… oh, he never did that, and was killed, without putting up a fight?
That the GOP can so completely obscure the message of the man they claim to follow should be a warning to anyone who thinks they can be trusted, ever, under any circumstances.
Laura Too
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I think he was known better farther afield than he was in California. He was known as a folk artist. My Uncle had never heard of it either and he is always finding quirky places for us to visit. https://www.integratron.com/ was one of my favorites. We meet the coolest people when we go to California. This is one of my favorite parts of the blog, I am always transported to another land and can get a little mental vacation. :)
?BillinGlendaleCA
@J R in WV: It’s unusual, but interesting.
@LongHairedWeirdo: Who, God or Leonard?
@LongHairedWeirdo: I’ve been told by my Republican betters that’s just Hippy Jesus.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Laura Too: There seemed to be a good number of Chinese and Japanese tourists there, which I found a bit surprising. The Intergratron looks interesting, but will have to wait until the current unpleasantness ends.