Salvation Mountain and Slab City

We traveled to Yuma, AZ to meet up with friends, Jay & Joan Brown (and Lacy), who we met in FL last winter.  They were to meet us in Palm Springs but due to a fire in their RV they are stuck in Yuma for several months while it is repaired.  If you've ever been to Yuma you know there's not much here besides plentiful sunshine, tons of RV parks, dining and shopping.  Oh yeah, and we can't forget a quick trip to Mexico for medicine and other items.  We also bumped into other friends in the area, Walt & Pam MacQueston, and enjoyed a little time with them as well.

Lacy, recovering from surgery

Tom, Pam, Jay, Walt and Joan - we're enjoying a cookout together at our place

We took a road trip back to CA to the Salton Sea area to see Salvation Mountain (http://www.salvationmountain.us/) and Slab City (http://www.slabcity.org).  Leonard Knight created a painted mountain out of a pile of trash.  People donate the paint and he adds to the mountain with adobe mixed with straw to hold it together.

Slab City is actually the abandoned Camp Dunlap Marine Training Facility formerly located 3 miles east of Niland, CA.  This 640-acre compound, located approximately 120 fee below sea level in the desert near Salton Sea began operation in 1942 as a training ground for US troops during WWII.  In 1946 it's operations ceased, and the buildings were removed and sold.  By 1961 the base had been completely dismantled and abandoned.  Only the cement foundations of buildings remained, thus providing a convenient name for the area, Slab City.  Soon afterwards, RV campers began to occupy the area during winter months to take advantage of the rent-free parking.  Attendance steadily grew over the years, and now thousands of visitors return to "The Slabs" each winter to enjoy the relatively mild climate.  CA is considering shutting down this area due to the amount of trash and human waste which is left behind.  Christopher McCandless (Into The Wild) spent time in this area during his travels.

The sign when leaving Slab City 

Tomorrow we leave for Pahrump, NV (near Death Valley) where we'll stay for a week before heading into Las Vegas.  It was a quick week in Yuma but we had a great visit with our friends.  

Til next time...Happy Trails!