Touring the Southwestern States
Hi to all White Mountain fans and people interested in the expoits of Gillian Lee. Well if you want to know what I am currently up to, I am exploring the South Western United States, presently in Southern California. Some time ago I was driving down from Showlow to Phoenix and passed the Salt River Canyon. Just look at these amazing views:
These pictures were taken in Tucson, Arizona. Being from England I often think it would be nice to know what other countries look like from street level, not just the picture postcard views you often see, which dont tell you what a country really looks like. So for the benefit of others who think like me, here is a bit of Tucson from the motorists eye view:
Tucson is famous for the Davis Monthan Airforce Base, but Tucson is also a great place to look at scrapped aircraft, if you are interested in that sort of thing. Here is a selection of pictures I took through holes in the chicken wire fencing:
At the moment I am visiting Slab City, in South Eastern California. Slab City is close to Niland and the Salton Sea. The Salton sea for those of you who dont have a map is an inland Sea about 125 miles from San Diego, and I'm told about 35 miles from the Mexican border. It certainly isnt a beauty spot, and I think visitors to the Salton Sea must be fairly rare. Here is a few pictures to give you a feeling of the place:
The above view is of the Salton Sea with the Chocolate Mountains behind. Also you can see a train passing by in the background, and you might even see that the "beach" is made up mostly of crushed Barnacles rather than sand or beach pebbles.
Slab City is not a city as such, more a collection of assorted RV's dotted around a large area that has been abandoned by the U.S Military. In fact there are not many Slabs as such to park on, most "Slabbers" have to park on gravel. Because of this and the fact that there are a large percentage of Slobs here, I prefer to call the place "Slob City". Here you can find every type of R.V and every type of person. At one end of the scale there are ancient brokendown Motorhomes and Caravans that probably wouldnt be worth $500 to Coach style Class A's that must have cost the owner $300,000.
The occupants range from wealthy geriatric snowbirds who are escaping the Northern U.S Winter but are too mean to fork out for a proper R.V site, to homeless types who live here because they cant afford anywhere else. There is also a few people who live here long term because they like the freedom, and the odd crazy coot who lives here is practice his art.
Above: Slab City early morning, to the left Leonard Knights "Salvation Mountain", in the distance steam rising from Geothermal Power Plants on the San Andreas Fault, and in the foreground a few R.Vers parking near Slab City entrance.
Slab City boasts a Christian center, a "Library" where people can borrow books and not bring them back, or bring back books that they never originally borrowed, and a Golf course that ranges out towards the Chocolate Mountains where the Seal Base and the U.S Military occasionally let off Bombs and heavy Mortars.
Slab city also has a Hot Bathing pool heated by Geothermal Energy, (maybe too hot for most people) and a shower which is actually the outflow from the Hot pool just mentioned, accessed by climbing down a hole in the ground. Delightfull!!
What Slab City does not boast is any electricity, water, or sewage facilities. Electricity has to be provided by individual R.Vers, either by Solar Panels on the R.V, or by running the Generator, or from batteries that are charged up when driving, water is collected from around the back of the Gas Station in Niland, and sewage can be dumped at the rest stop just outside Calipatria, or Grey Water wherever one happens to park.
In Slab city I met Ronald, who is unofficial manager of Slab City Library. He come here for 3 months each year to escape the weather in Oregon, I also met Michael who plays a flute and a guitar in order to commune with God. I must also mention Builder Bill who made a folding table for my RV, and his wild eyed "friend" Tommy, who is perpetually drunk. One day Tommy insisted on showing me a hole in his Caravan roof that he had blasted with his shotgun. You know how it is, he said, when you've had a few, the dawg's having puppies, and you drop your shotgun, by the way would you like a puppy? - They're good for the pot, or you could keep it as a pet!
Slab City is also the home of Leonard Knights Salvation Mountain. This amazing eddifice is created out of Straw Bales covered in Adobe, (a mixture of Clay soil, chopped straw, and water) and painted with ordinary household paint. Leonard got the idea to make this seventeen years ago after seeing a hot air ballon at a Fair, and thinking he wanted something like it only with "God Loves You" on the side of it.
This web page and the pictures on it are provided courtesy
of White Mountain Innovations - www.remedydevices.com
Below: The entrance to the inside of Salvation Mountain.
The tree you see below is actually constructed out of Car tires, and adobe, and peices of wood. The tree serves both as a supporting framework and as an item of interest. Leonard is in the process of constructing a dome around it, so the space will be totally enclosed, the windows are taken from Cars.
Below: Pretty Flowers? Actually made of dried mud (adobe)
Below: Leonards 51 Chevy Dump Truck
Below: Leonards 1939 White Fire Truck
