Living Off-the-Grid: Salton Sea's Unique Communities, CA

The expression, ‘You say freak – I say unique’ by Christian Baloga perfectly captures the essence of several desert communities around the Salton Sea. I’ve written a number of blogs about the Salton Sea, but this particular story focuses on the settlements located on the outskirts and the peculiarities of people living off-the-grid and on the edge of society. The four specific communities I'll highlight are:

• Salvation Mountain

• Slab City

• East Jesus

• Fountain of Youth

Salvation Mountain

Picture a human-made mountain nearly 5 stories high and 150 feet in length, constructed from adobe bricks, hay bales, discarded tires, automobile parts, and thousands of gallons of paint. An engineer might describe Salvation Mountain in these terms, while an artist would see it as a visionary sculpture inspired by its creator's simple message. For religious individuals, it serves as a tribute to God. Regardless of your perspective, it's a destination worth visiting.

Salvation Mountain is the creation of Leonard Knight (1931-2014) whose religious awakening in the late 1960's led him to dedicate his life to spreading the word of God.

Initially, there was a project to create a hot air balloon with the message 'God is Love'. However, after 14 years, Leonard was left with nothing but a decayed heap of fabric and no balloon. Disappointed but not dejected he continued on his mission. As the story goes, while traveling through the Southern California desert, he made a promise to God that he would build an 8-foot monument to God's Love. Although it would be located in the middle of nowhere, in an area now know as Slab City, it would be a beacon for believers.

In 1984, Leonard embarked on his new project with several bags of cement and cans of paint. Unsatisfied with the monument's size, he continued to add to it until it became the first version of Salvation Mountain. However, his construction methods didn't take into considerable the weight of his growing concrete pile resting on the sandy desert floor. In 1989, a rainstorm eroded the support at the mountain's base, leading to its complete collapse shortly afterward. Though disappointed, Leonard was not discouraged and vowed to rebuild Salvation Mountain with improved techniques. Instead of using cement, he crafted adobe bricks by mixing clay and water with hay bales, then sealed them with paint. This method proved successful, and now, 30 years later, his mountain still stands.

To further strengthen the structure, Leonard added junk that he collected from the desert — tires, car parts, doors, and tree branches.

However, paint is the key ingredient to Salvation Mountain's longevity. Leonard aimed to repaint the mountain twice annually. This involved using a paint-soaked broom to apply multiple inches of paint to the surface at once, yet he did so with the precision of a sculptor wielding a fine chisel. Although he never fully realized this goal, it is estimated that throughout his lifetime, he applied over 100,000 gallons of paint to the Mountain.

In 2011, when Leonard could no longer tend to the mountain, Salvation Mountain, Inc., a charitable foundation, was created to carry on the preservation efforts. Battling the elements is a challenging and ongoing task for the volunteers who now upkeep the site.

However, nature is not the only threat to Salvation Mountain. In 1994, the county proposed converting the entire area into a fee-based campground. County officials claimed that the yellow paint used by Leonard was toxic, therefore the Mountain would need to demolished. The fact that retesting of the soil by Leonard proved the soil was clean combined with the extra publicity his story had received was sufficient to stop the project. In 2014, Leonard passed away but his mountain of straw and paint continues to convey his simple message of love.

Slab City

Located less than half a mile from Salvation Mountain, the entrance to 'The Last Free Place,' also known as Slab City, can be found. This area covers 640 acres and is situated approximately 50 miles from the Mexican border. Slab City occupies the deserted site of Camp Dunlap, a former US Marine Corps base.

Established in October 1942, the base was instrumental in training Army and Marine troops for World War II combat. By the end of the war, the government started to close down operations and dismantle the camp. With characteristic military efficiency, they cleared all the buildings, leaving only the slab foundations and a few guard shacks. In 1961, the Department of Defense returned much of the land to the State of California, which technically makes the residents here squatters.

Since the early days, Slab City has been a community embracing an off-the-grid alternative lifestyle. It lacks city services such as running water, electricity, sewer systems, and trash collection. Camping here is free, operating on a first-come, first-served basis. All necessities for survival must be purchased or brought along by visitors.

The nearest public amenities – including drinkable water – are in Niland, a few miles away. The residents share one communal shower that is supplied by a nearby hot spring. Most community members depend on their own technical skills to manage other needs.

Slab City encompasses a diverse population including addicts, former convicts, and people who would otherwise be homeless. There are clearly people here who don’t want to be found while others are seeking a simple life.

Living conditions vary greatly from one location to another. Each winter, thousands of retirees and snowbirds arrive in their RVs equipped with standard creature comforts. In contrast, the 100-300 permanent residents, referred to as 'slabbers,' reside in trailers, tents, lean-tos, dilapidated vehicles, and improvised homes constructed from whatever materials are at hand.

It's common to see solar panels and generators on many of the homes - living off-the-grid but with a few additional comforts like AC and refrigeration.

Unlike the environment of Bombay Beach, there's an edge to Slab City. The utopian dream of 'free living' has changed. In an apparent paradox, it's now common to see camp sites ringed with 'No Trespassing' signs, security fences and barriers all of which infer private ownership and legal boundaries. These practices doesn't align with the 'The Last Free Place in America' philosophy.

Moreover, the rates of drug overdoses, violence, and crime have risen. However, it is possible that these issues were always present but went unnoticed by the wider society until social media highlighted them in this city. Slab City has endured similar challenges in the past and will likely navigate these new threats as well.

East Jesus

At the northern boundary of Slab City, a dirt road leads to a dusty art commune called East Jesus. This commune was founded by Charles Russell, who originally came to Slab City to work with Leonard Knight, known for Salvation Mountain. Inspired by the free-spirited atmosphere of Slab City, Russell decided in 2007 to leave his job, gather his belongings, and set up a camp on private land just beyond Slab City's borders. He named his camp East Jesus, not for religious reasons, but as a reference to the phrase describing a location in the 'middle of nowhere'.

Shortly after arriving, Russell began creating his own art on a plot of land less than a mile from Salvation Mountain. He gradually transformed a trash-littered stretch of desert into a vibrant and eccentric outdoor art gallery. He wanted East Jesus to be a reflection of his world vision: a world without waste, where trash could be repurposed into art. He welcomed other artists to join his commune, and the gallery swiftly expanded to include hundreds of remarkable artworks. The entrance to the art garden offers a glimpse of the distinctive and thought-provoking sculptures on display.

East Jesus emphasizes the creative repurposing of materials, embodying their motto 'reuse before recycle' throughout. Below are some of the notable sculptures we encountered during our visits.

Sadly, Russell passed away from a heart attack in 2011, but by then, East Jesus had already developed its own identity. In 2016, the Chasterus Foundation, a local non-profit, purchased the 30-acre site where East Jesus is located. The board of directors now oversees the curation and growth of the gallery, continuing to honor Russell's vision of a sustainable, livable, and constantly evolving art installation.

East Jesus residents live behind the museum in a complex arrangement of trailers encircling a communal space. Due to its smaller size and private nature, East Jesus is a more organized and well-kept community compared to Slab City. Despite lacking running water, the community features a battery bank linked to a solar array, a backup diesel generator, composting toilets, a water heater, a hand-washing station, a library, a pantry, and a recycling area.

It may not be on par with the Guggenheim Museum but East Jesus is such an interesting and unique art garden located 'in the middle of nowhere', that is unless you happen to be exploring the Salton Sea communities.

Fountain of Youth

On our drive home from today's adventures, we encountered this billboard. It was like 'click bait,' and we couldn't just drive past it.

What we didn't know was that Fountain of Youth (FOY) is a family-owned and operated hot springs resort on one of the main roads along the Salton Sea. This Geothermal RV Park is located on 90 acres in the desert and offers over 1,000 RV pads for seasonal and extended stay. Since it is a gated community, we could only drive around the outside walls but on our way back to the main road we saw this small sign on the side of the road. We took a left and drove down a short dirt road.

We found the golf course and it was unlike any course we had seen around Palm Springs - not a blade of grass anywhere. The ‘fairways’ were covered in sand and rocks and the ‘greens’ in sand and pebbles.

However, it was free, and there were several golf bags, clubs, and golf balls available if you wanted to play the front nine.

The tee boxes were the only strips of green to be seen but it didn't stop Paula and Scott from taking a swing.

With the scorching temperatures and no shade on the course, Chris chose to use the golf push carts while Dave carried his bag.

In reality, there was grass on the fairways, but it was dried-up tumbleweed. Can you picture this course on a windy day?

The putting game was more challenging than the typical mini golf course and no shot was easy enough to be a 'tap in'.

Occasionally, there was a shot worth celebrating.

Naturally, the visitors claimed victory in the challenge and took home the winner's trophy.

A great way to end our day of exploring off-the-grid communities along the Salton Sea.

For other Salton Sea adventures, click on the hyperlinks below:

Salton Sea Introduction

Hiking on the Volcanic Domes

Exploring the 'Almost Ghost Town' of Bombay Beach