In-between our hiking days we spent one full day exploring around the Salton Sea. My artsy Denver friend Emily also cued me in that Salvation Mountain and East Jesus were in the area and a definite must see. This was Natalie’s favorite day, maybe of the whole trip so far!

Salton Sea derives its fame as the biggest environmental disaster in California history, its remnants have been transformed into an artist’s community – we stopped at Bombay Beach and walked around taking it all in. There is nothing to do on or in the water, it’s too salty for life to thrive there. Yet some super creative folks are transforming areas around here into giant art installations. We’ll let the photos do the talking here:

Just a 20 minute drive from Bombay Beach was Salvation Mountain. Leonard Knight really loved God and spent the last 30 years of his life living on the margins in the desert and painting his monument for all to see.

To read more go here: http://www.salvationmountain.us

Then another 10 minute drive and we arrived at East Jesus. An ongoing experimental art installation made from repurposed garbage.

To read more: http://eastjesus.org

All of it was very imaginative and interesting. We all wandered off in our own directions letting the art lead the way. I was particularly moved by the Black Lives Matter display and the TV installation. Such a strong visual reaction to such powerful current events. Slab City (what this area is known as), left a deep impression on us. And speaks to the boundless imaginations of people society has deemed as broken and rubbish, they are far from that and we could all learn something from allowing ourselves to step into their world once in awhile.