East Jesus, Slab City and the Salton Sea
In this out wandering blog post, our first stop is Imperial Valley, on the California-Mexico border. In this part of the California desert, you’ll see artists and other creative types turning everyday objects into art. It’s a really special place that you don’t want to miss.
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Out Wandering To East Jesus, Slab City and Salton Sea
The communities, Slab City, East Jesus, and Salvation Mountain are all situated close to each other. Each one is different, but they’re all bound by a sense of community, creativity, and a love for living free.
The people here are friendly, quirky, and live off the grid. You’ll find tons of folks just hanging out and enjoying the land. They’ve created their own way of life and embraced it fully.
Let’s check out these beautiful communities on the edge of society for a unique and wild experience.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea area is located 55 miles north of the Mexican border and 60 miles south of Palm Springs in Southern California. Known as the Salton Sink, the Salton Basin and the Salton Trough, this area is actually an extension of the Gulf of California.
This sink is home to the Salton Sea, which is California’s largest lake. In this part of California, where the desert landscapes are beautiful, there are 100s of sunny days per year. During the 1940s, it was a productive fishery.
Out Wandering the Salton Sea
With an influx of post-WWII wealth, the lake became a famous tourist area in the 1950s, with beautiful resorts, glamourous lakefront homes, and water skiing. At the time, we might even have spotted the likes of famous people, including Sonny Bono and the Beach Boys.
While the Salton Sea may sound romantic and picturesque, this lake is now fed by agricultural runoff. Except for the hardy tilapia, many fish species would not survive. It is a little less salty than the Great Salt Lake and has grown to its current size of about 525 square miles since it started to fill in the early 1900s.
Many opportunities to observe many species of birds.
Currently, the shores of the Salton Sea are a peculiar sight with dead fish and other human waste. However, one positive outcome is that this area has become a habitat for over 400 different species of birds, making it one of the most diverse bird habitats in North America. There is also a wildlife sanctuary available, which provides ample opportunities to observe these birds.
Slab City
Creating a community in the desert southwest, Slab City is locally referred to as The Slabs. Organized on an abandoned military base in the middle of California’s Sonoran Desert on the eastern shore of the Salton Sea, the name originates from the concrete slabs that remain long after the military base was bulldozed.
Slab City is a place for folks who really don’t fit “in anywhere else” and is often referred to as “the last free place on Earth.” If you’re someone who feels like an outcast, Slab City residents say this is the place to be. It’s a community of wanderers, drifters, and people who want to live differently than what society expects.
Is Slab City the last free place on earth?
Slab City began with veterans who wanted a home. Now, it’s become a melting pot of people from all over the world who share the same idea – they just want to live free.
A modest population lives year-round in Slab City. Short on modernized conveniences and no electricity or water, residents, or slabbers as they have been called, have had to devise systems for disposing of sewage and trash.
Escape reality at Slab City
Residents must rely on solar panels and create their own waste removal system. The tenants also share one communal shower – a concrete well that is fed by a hot spring one hundred yards away.
Slab City is not lawless, however, and is routinely patrolled by local law enforcement. Nevertheless, after seventy years, it still offers individuals liberties that are challenging to find anywhere else in the United States.
If you’re looking to escape reality, even for a little while, this town will welcome you with open arms. Every year, as many as several thousand seasonal resident campers, mostly retired elderly, flock to the area for the warmer desert weather and lack of camp fees through the wintertime, staying on a slab in their RVs.
Leonard Knight, the most famous Slabber.
People have different experiences here. Builder Bill, one of the town’s well-known residents, said it best: “Slab City can be your greatest dream or your worst nightmare. It is all that you make of it.”
The most famous town slabber was Leonard Knight. He was the artist of nearby Salvation Mountain and was featured in the book, then film hit, Into the Wild. Knight talks about his belief that love is the answer in the video below.
Out Wandering Note:
When you visit this area, please approach it with an open heart and mind. The residents here are incredibly welcoming to visitors from all over the world.
However, it’s essential to keep in mind that this is their home, so please be respectful of their privacy and boundaries. Everyone should feel comfortable and safe, so let’s all work together to make that happen.
Next Stop East Jesus
In 2006, Charles Russell left his tech job and set up East Jesus near Slab City. He initially came to help out Mr. Knight on Salvation Mountain but then decided to start his own project.
When he left Oakland, he brought a giant shipping container with all his stuff and just started building. And so, East Jesus was born. Appropriately, the community name comes from a Midwestern saying that means ‘way out in the boonies in the middle of nowhere.’
East Jesus is a 'sheltered workshop for the work ethic impaired.'
As a result of Russell’s efforts, the expansion of East Jesus turned into a sprawling 30-acre museum dedicated to large-scale art exhibits. The place is eclectic. They have a fence around the perimeter made of bicycle wheels, car tires, and bits and pieces of scrap metal. The creative people that live here call their project a ‘sheltered workshop for the work ethic impaired.’
Made of trash and transformed into art, this neighborhood’s central appeal is the outdoor art gallery. Open year-round, it’s like the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
This place is eclectic.
The museum has a lot of moving parts, and as the wind blows, the place comes alive with sounds made by the different artistic structures. Wonderful!
The area features a TV Wall expressing pointed messages, the Cry Baby Buick donned with baby doll parts and more strange designs. You will even find art that has been made from remnants from past Burning Man festivals.
The art is interesting, but what you’ll love the most about this place is the people. They are all so friendly and happy.
Out Wandering Note:
This location is better suited for adults who enjoy exploring and discovering new things. If you’re open to new experiences and looking for an adventure, add this destination to your bucket list.
However, please be aware that it may not be suitable for children. There was a definite smell of colitas in the air. If I’d heard ‘Hotel California’ playing on a nearby radio, it would have been perfect!
Salvation Mountain
Picture this: a man-made mountain that rises 50 feet into the blue sky, made huge from adobe clay and painted with 100,000 gallons of latex paint. Sounds wild, right?
Well, that’s Salvation Mountain for you. It’s the most extensive art project in the world. Designed with a childlike enthusiasm and yet thoroughly organized and exquisite in its religious overtones and messages of love.
Wanderers love Salvation Mountain when they visit the area.
This impressive display of folk art was first crafted by Leonard Knight, who wanted to build a hot air balloon and launch it over the Southern California desert with a message of God’s love.
However, after several failed attempts, he decided to construct Salvation Mountain instead. And boy, did people love it! They started building on it, too, and as a result, Salvation Mountain just keeps growing every year.
Just follow the yellow brick road.
Sadly, Knight passed away in 2014, but the mountain lives on and is watched over by his loyal artist friends. You can climb the mountain as long as you stick to the yellow brick road, a yellow-painted pathway created so that visitors can enjoy this wondrous act of love and art. To come here and visit is to witness Universal love through artistic expression and devotion to Knight’s cause.
Whether or not you believe, Salvation Mountain is genuinely inspirational. It’s hard not to feel it when you’re surrounded by the colorful paint, inspirational sayings and the loving people who have come together to keep Knight’s legacy going
Not All Who Wander Are Lost
With its location at the border of California and Mexico, the Imperial Valley is a remarkable destination that should be on every traveler’s itinerary.
For a one-of-a-kind experience, I highly recommend visiting Slab City, East Jesus, Salvation Mountain, and the Salton Sea. These communities are stunning in their own way and offer a unique perspective on life.
These communities are bound by a strong sense of community, creativity, and a love for living freely.
Slab City is a makeshift town built on a former military base. At the same time, East Jesus is a vibrant art installation with a quirky and unconventional vibe. Salvation Mountain is a colorful tribute to love and faith, and the Salton Sea is a vast and mysterious lake that has a surreal beauty to it.
All of these places are bound by a strong sense of community, creativity, and a love for living freely. So, pack your bags, start out on this unconventional road trip, and explore these captivating destinations that are sure to leave you spellbound!
Out Wandering Note:
I hope this article piqued your interest. If you decide to make this a bucket list trip, I highly recommend planning your visit during the winter months when the weather is more bearable. During the summer, the temperatures can reach scorching levels well above 120 degrees, making it difficult to enjoy the outdoors.
This is a place you will definitely want to wander through.
Read this related article to help you find places to camp – FREE or nearly so along your way. Even Harvest Hosts has resources in the Imperial Valley!
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I am an influencer of optimism, positivity & love. By acting on my dreams, I hope to inspire others to do the same. Being where my feet are means that we live in the moment with curiosity, creativity, courage & compassion. Live your happiest, best life. You’ll find resources and stories mostly on subjects like travel, van living, exploring, yoga, and photography on this site. It’s my hope you will be inspired to do something you’ve always wanted to do too. Say YES, take that first step. |
Follow along! Kirsti’s vision is to enjoy life with passion and curiosity. Kirsti Out Wandering aspires to exemplify well-being in mind, body & spirit, giving unconditional love to self and others, and pursuing all of the wild possibilities life serves up while living full-time from a sprinter van. She offers a monthly roundup that includes stories and tips on travel & exploring, van living, self-care, photography and service.