The Salton Sea is definitely one of the strangest yet most fascinating places I have visited so far and I cannot wait to go back there one day. Created accidentally through improperly planned irrigation routes and subsequent flooding of the Colorado River during the early 20th century, it became one of the largest bodies of water in California and a recreational hot spot during the 1950s and 60s. During the following decades, its high salinity and bacterial imbalance caused massive fish and bird die-offs along with creating its famously putrid smell during the summer months. Today the shores lie mostly in ruins and abandoned, save for a few hold-out residents and the so-called "snowbirds" who descend on the Salton Sea in trailers and Winnebagos during wintertime. Despite its problems, it has become an established part of the ecosystem and many proposals for it's rescue and resurrection have been made in recent years. According to Wikipedia, more than 400 species of birds have been sighted at the Salton Sea and it supports 30% of the remaining population of the American White Pelican. The Salton Sea can be many things, ranging from beautiful to eerie as well as a throwback to the past, and I regret that I only had this one day in January to document its surroundings. More interesting information can be found at this movie's website called "The Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea"
My next stop was Bombay Beach, a community with quite a large percentage of year-round residents where neatly kept properties line up next to what seemingly qualifies for a run-down trailer park at best - yet everybody seems to get along. Due to time constraints but nevertheless with much regret, I did not really talk to any residents, nor did I take pictures of the actual town. Food and gas can be found here, which is a good thing in the desert, and everybody seems quite used to the lost tourist cars which cruise the alphabetically named roads in search of "the lost city". Part of the town was heavily flooded and abandoned in the 70s, but its almost charming decay has been extensively documented and photos of its every stage can be found via a simple Google search on the web. I too had to make the rounds several times before I finally found what I was looking for.
My next stop was Bombay Beach, a community with quite a large percentage of year-round residents where neatly kept properties line up next to what seemingly qualifies for a run-down trailer park at best - yet everybody seems to get along. Due to time constraints but nevertheless with much regret, I did not really talk to any residents, nor did I take pictures of the actual town. Food and gas can be found here, which is a good thing in the desert, and everybody seems quite used to the lost tourist cars which cruise the alphabetically named roads in search of "the lost city". Part of the town was heavily flooded and abandoned in the 70s, but its almost charming decay has been extensively documented and photos of its every stage can be found via a simple Google search on the web. I too had to make the rounds several times before I finally found what I was looking for.
