Things To Do! Places To See!

[Finewest]

SLAB CITY and SALVATION MOUNTAIN
Niland, CA

As Big Tom pointed out in his post the area around the Salton Sea campgrounds are abound with the usual quirky and wacky desert folks. The best examples of this is Slab City and Salvation Mountain.

Slab City is a abandoned U.S. military post that over the years have been taken over by retired and old hippy squatters. They live and camp there year round for free! They even created a golf course there with no grass of course; it's the desert!

Here is a great link to that monument of American Free Spirit:

SLAB CITY! (http://www.desertdutch.org/slabcity.htm)

Also nearby is SALVATION MOUNTAIN! A place devoted to one man's devotion to his Christian faith. This old guy, Leonard Knight, has over the years built and painted in bright colors the desert and hills his unique style of folk art. I will be going there to take some pics! A must see!

Here is a website dedicated to this fantastic place:

SALVATION MOUNTAIN! (http://www.salvationmountain.us/)

I am including below some pics of these desert "oddities"... The first three pictures are of Salvation Mountain, and the last two are of Slab City.

Thanks to Big Tom of Yuma, AZ for reminding me of them!

[BigTom]

Well. Nice pics and sites, Fred.

I see that Leon has painted some since the last time I was there...He was on a Revelation tear, not so much on the "Love" theme:)

Must have been about 7 or 8 years ago. Picture in the 'slabs' site of my Goddaughter before she was 1. They moved to Quartszite then permenant in Washington state, now are south of Austin, TX. Anyway, I think she was 8 in April...or maybe 9:)

[Finewest]

It'll be ol' homecomin' for the both of us then Tom! Bring your houka! LOL.

[STBNE]

WOW Great job Fred!:bow1: This is really fascinating stuff.really enjoyed your presentation:cool:

[Finewest]

WOW Great job Fred!:bow1: This is really fascinating stuff.really enjoyed your presentation:cool:

Thank you Bennie. I am sorry you won't be able to make it! Keep an eye out for other events and who knows? I've seen people come from all over for a good thing! LOL. :)

[Finewest]

THE BRADSHAW TRAIL

Near the campground is the Bradshaw Trail. I love this route! I have done it several times when I had my Toyota 4x4. It is a rugged route and requires 4X4 vehicles, or I imagine a Adventure Bike would do it fine. In fact I have had a couple of guys on BMW Adventure Bikes show up in camp one time looking for directions. Boy! Were they dusty! LOL.

The Bradshaw Trail is a 70 mile route through some of most beautiful desert that area has to offer. You can enter it from the west around Mecca and the campground and it twists up into the Chocolate Mountains behind the campground and up along Salt Creek. Just a warning though; this is rough and tough area and most of the Chocolate Mountains are used by the Military for fighter jet bombing training! So pay careful attention to the signs! I've been there to see some fantastic aerobatics by those hot dogging young guys in their Star Wars jets dropping bombs with all the loud booms and explosion lights! Wow! Scared the wife, but I was tripping!

The Bradshaw Trail was once the only stagecoach and freight route to the goldfields on the Colorado River back in the day. It is now in BLM land and open to anyone crazy enough to try it!

Here is a couple of links and some of my pics of the area to get you going, or salivating...

BRADSHAW TRAIL LINK 1 (http://www.blm.gov/ca/palmsprings/bradshaw.html)

BRADSHAW TRAIL LINK 2 (http://www.desertusa.com/Thingstodo/ttdtrails/du_ttd_bradshaw.html)

These pics are from the Bradshaw trail I took a while back, including a couple of Google map pics of the trail. Mostly of the Salt Creek area just above the Salton Sea in the Chocolate Mountains. One of them you'll see left over dud bombs left by the military. DON'T TOUCH THEM!!! LOL.

WARNING: Bring lots of water AND DRINK IT! There is no services or water up there so be prepared! Leave a message with friends where and when you are going and when to expect you back in case we have to call out the rangers! USE WITH CAUTION! KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING! BE AWARE AT ALL TIMES!

[tommyboy]

Another suggestion for a ride would be to go up through Box Canyon north to the 10, and across to Joshua Tree NP. Last time through I was charged $5 for the motorcycle. If you have a passenger it will be $10.
Just a thought.

[Finewest]

Another suggestion for a ride would be to go up through Box Canyon north to the 10, and across to Joshua Tree NP. Last time through I was charged $5 for the motorcycle. If you have a passenger it will be $10.
Just a thought.

I totally agree with Tommyboy! Excellent excellent ride!!! I was going to post that very same ride in this thread. Worth noting! Thanks Tom!

[Finewest]

BOX CANYON AND JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK - SOUTH ENTRANCE

As Tommyboy so astutely observed the ride through Box Canyon out of the little town of Mecca just north of the campground is a great ride. It will end out at the Interstate 10 and is right at the south entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, which is worthy of worn rubber right there! I also believe that Box Canyon and the area around it was used in the bike film Torque!

Here is some info and links of that grand ride...

BOX CANYON AND THE MECCA HILLS (http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/box_canyon/index.html)

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK - SOUTH ENTRANCE (http://www.joshuatree.org/visitor/map2.html)

Thanks Tommyboy!

[Finewest]

Near the campground is the vast and largest of California's state parks; Anza Borrego. Also in the park is a off-road vehicle recreational area called Ocotillo Wells.

The park has many destinations and great winding roads to offer a motorcyclist, and if you got the huevos and a dual-sport bike you can jam on the sand at Ocotillo Wells.

Here is a couple of links...

ANZA BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638)

OCOTILLO WELLS HOV RECREATION AREA (http://www.ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1217)

[Mark]

Camped there in the '60s (and since).
On the 1st time I was with a group called 'the amigos de las Americas' doing some training before we went down to central america to give vaccines. One person's contacts froze into their container over night and during the day another girl's nose was burnt so badly it blistered...
Moral: Bring Sunscreen! :-)

A great big beautiful desert...

Mark

[Finewest]

SALTON SEA MUD VOLCANOES

At the south end of the Salton Sea is a geological feature commonly called the Salton Sea Mud Volcanoes. Might be worth seeing. They are located in the town of Niland in farm fields.

The mud pots, or "volcanoes" are not caused by geo-thermo, but carbon dioxide coming deep from inside the Earth's crust bubbling up it form these surreal looking cones and mud filled craters. This is another of those eerie natural features that only the desert seems to have. Here's a Google map there and a couple of pics.

[Finewest]

Here is some low res home movies I posted on Youtube of the area around the Salton Sea. One of the clips is of the Glamis dunes during the height of the off-road Mad Max madness! Another clip in it is of that flooded area at Bombay Beach on the Sea.

HOME MOVIES - PART I

HOME MOVIES - PART II