Interesting side trip... Slab City and Salvation Mountain

[Desert_Captain]

Just returned from a 5 day trip to San Diego and Borrego Springs. on the way home heading east out of Borrego Springs we detoured to the tiny little town of Niland southeast of the Salton Sea.

Niland is home to a truly unique adventure. Located 4 miles northeast of town on very poor but paved road you enter the realm of Slab City. Hundreds of dilapidated {disintegrating} trailers and what were once RV's of every description cover the barren landscape. Billed as one of the last places that freedom still exists it is home every winter to a special class of "snowbirds".

At the entrance to The Slabs" as it is known you will encounter Salvation Mountain and it is definitely worth a stop. Google it for details but for 31 years a man lived off the grid building his ultimate shrine to Christianity.

Colorful does not begin to describe what thousands of gallons of bright paint applied to the barren landscape can accomplish:

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Always wanted to see this amazing spot and we're glad the opportunity finally presented itself. Not much in Niland but breakfast at the Buckshot Cafe was decent.

:B

Not having any luck posting the pics I took... must be another Photobucket fiasco but I'll keep trying.

[jplante4]

CLOSED

[rockhillmanor]

azrving wrote:










The mountain may be cool or funky but you may want to look closely at how it's constructed. It looks like it could cave in some day.



This group rolled in while we were there. The top of the bus was loaded with rusted scrap metal not even tied down.




The east Jesus side was in better shape and had tried to create stuff with all the junk. A young gal and an old guy were very friendly and showed us around.

A rock band broke down out on the highway so they abandoned their bus and gave it to the slabbers so they half buried it.

Yup! That's where I want to make my plans to go see all that carp! Load your kids in the RV and let's head to the slabs for vacation and see all the junk, filth and watch all the homeless druggies. :B

[rockhillmanor]

Sure there is drug use

which is not much different than middle America suburbia.

And THAT is why most of us don't live in the ghettos of any city and sure as heck wouldn't want to take our family's RV'ing where there IS drug use as you confirm.

[2oldman]

westernrvparkowner wrote:
I would wager that most long term residents of Niland and neighboring communities are not happy with their neighborhoods being the test bed for "live and let live."

Perhaps you've not been to Niland. Salvation Mountain brings tourists.

[Mr_Mark1]

Slab City was dismantled in 1956 (before I was born). There is not much there even after all these years. Not many people live near the Slabs, the closest city of Niland has less than 1,000 people. The 'test bed' has been going on for over 60 yrs. :R

All I was trying to say, is that I have no problem with people living in the Slabs if that's what they want.

If in the area, people should check out Salvation Mountain.

Safe travels to all!
MM.

[westernrvparkow]

Mr.Mark wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
When we drove to Slab City back in '08 or '09, to see Salvation Mountain, we were just curious about the whole thing called 'Slab City'. We actually were staying in Borrego Springs at the 'Springs of Borrego RV Resort' in the RV and wanted to discovery things in the area. We had lunch at the restaurant in Niland.

After visiting the Mountain, we drove through the Slabs of which some of it looked really junky and some looked much more organized. We didn't see any people around and I wouldn't bother them anyway, we just wanted to see the place.

I'm a strong proponent of 'live and let live', if you are not bothering me, I'm not bothering you so we are good!

Safe travels,
MM.

Would you be as strong a proponent of "Live and let live", if those principles such as the zoning, land use and law enforcement at the Slabs was the standard in your neighborhood, or better yet, across the country? "Live and let live" as practiced at the Slabs is only appealing when it is like a circus sideshow. Fascinating to see, but not something you ever want to encounter in real life.

Western..... Of course I would not want my neighborhood to look like the Slabs. That's why we chose to live in a gated, guarded, manicured HOA. I live where and how I want, so do the people at the Slabs. That's what I meant by 'Live and Let Live', I make my choices, they a make there's as I'm sure you do too. Thats all.

In my HOA, you will not find any motorhomes, unpainted unkept houses or junk laying everywhere. You will get the boot so that the rest of us can 'Live and Let Live' within our HOA rules. 😛

MM.

The problem is someone does live next to the Slabs and I doubt that the appreciate the tenet of "Live and let live"
The facts are at one time the Slabs was a military base. I am sure that good people bought property, established businesses and prospered off of the people who were stationed at the base. Then the base closed, bad for all of those people. I am also sure that those people hoped that the base and the surrounding area would be repurposed like many other bases. Unfortunately, what happened is the base was turned over to local control without a plan and up sprung the Slabs. It didn't happen over night and people probably just looked the other way until it got to the point that it couldn't be overlooked. But before anyone took positive action it became too costly in time, money and enforcement action to change. I would wager that most long term residents of Niland and neighboring communities are not happy with their neighborhoods being the test bed for "live and let live."

[fj12ryder]

Live and let live, but only as far as I approve. Hmm. Seems kind of contradictory.
Live and let live, but in someone else's neighborhood.
Live and let live, but abide by all the rules.

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

[Mr_Mark1]

westernrvparkowner wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
When we drove to Slab City back in '08 or '09, to see Salvation Mountain, we were just curious about the whole thing called 'Slab City'. We actually were staying in Borrego Springs at the 'Springs of Borrego RV Resort' in the RV and wanted to discovery things in the area. We had lunch at the restaurant in Niland.

After visiting the Mountain, we drove through the Slabs of which some of it looked really junky and some looked much more organized. We didn't see any people around and I wouldn't bother them anyway, we just wanted to see the place.

I'm a strong proponent of 'live and let live', if you are not bothering me, I'm not bothering you so we are good!

Safe travels,
MM.

Would you be as strong a proponent of "Live and let live", if those principles such as the zoning, land use and law enforcement at the Slabs was the standard in your neighborhood, or better yet, across the country? "Live and let live" as practiced at the Slabs is only appealing when it is like a circus sideshow. Fascinating to see, but not something you ever want to encounter in real life.

Western..... Of course I would not want my neighborhood to look like the Slabs. That's why we chose to live in a gated, guarded, manicured HOA. I live where and how I want, so do the people at the Slabs. That's what I meant by 'Live and Let Live', I make my choices, they make there's as I'm sure you do too. Thats all.

In my HOA, you will not find any motorhomes, unpainted unkept houses or junk laying everywhere. You will get the boot so that the rest of us can 'Live and Let Live' within our HOA rules. 😛

MM.

[azrving]

The mountain may be cool or funky but you may want to look closely at how it's constructed. It looks like it could cave in some day.



This group rolled in while we were there. The top of the bus was loaded with rusted scrap metal not even tied down.




The east Jesus side was in better shape and had tried to create stuff with all the junk. A young gal and an old guy were very friendly and showed us around.

A rock band broke down out on the highway so they abandoned their bus and gave it to the slabbers so they half buried it.

[2oldman]

westernrvparkowner wrote:
Would you be as strong a proponent of "Live and let live", if those principles such as the zoning, land use and law enforcement at the Slabs was the standard in your neighborhood, or better yet, across the country?

Not any more than if they allowed factories in my neighborhood.

[westernrvparkow]

Mr.Mark wrote:
When we drove to Slab City back in '08 or '09, to see Salvation Mountain, we were just curious about the whole thing called 'Slab City'. We actually were staying in Borrego Springs at the 'Springs of Borrego RV Resort' in the RV and wanted to discovery things in the area. We had lunch at the restaurant in Niland.

After visiting the Mountain, we drove through the Slabs of which some of it looked really junky and some looked much more organized. We didn't see any people around and I wouldn't bother them anyway, we just wanted to see the place.

I'm a strong proponent of 'live and let live', if you are not bothering me, I'm not bothering you so we are good!

Safe travels,
MM.

Would you be as strong a proponent of "Live and let live", if those principles such as the zoning, land use and law enforcement at the Slabs was the standard in your neighborhood, or better yet, across the country? "Live and let live" as practiced at the Slabs is only appealing when it is like a circus sideshow. Fascinating to see, but not something you ever want to encounter in real life.

[Mr_Mark1]

When we drove to Slab City back in '08 or '09, to see Salvation Mountain, we were just curious about the whole thing called 'Slab City'. We actually were staying in Borrego Springs at the 'Springs of Borrego RV Resort' in the RV and wanted to discovery things in the area. We had lunch at the restaurant in Niland.

After visiting the Mountain, we drove through the Slabs of which some of it looked really junky and some looked much more organized. We didn't see any people around and I wouldn't bother them anyway, we just wanted to see the place.

I'm a strong proponent of 'live and let live', if you are not bothering me, I'm not bothering you so we are good!

Safe travels,
MM.

[Tvov]

Strange thread. Most (if not all) the pictures I've seen of Slab City don't really show a trashy, run down place. Certainly looks "eclectic" and artsy, and as previously posted sort of like Burning Man... but not necessarily bad.

If the people who live there are truly off grid and not bothering anyone, then until the place is needed for something else... heck, leave them be.

I would find it interesting to visit there, for a day.

[Ralph_Cramden]

rockhillmanor wrote:


A place that Freedom still exists? They are all nothing more than a bunch of squatters, homeless druggies. And to liken them to Snowbirds? Give me a break.

LOL, Evidently you have not been to any of the particular bars around the Melbourne / Palm Bay / or along the coast from Indiatlantic up to Cocoa in FL that only exist because of Snowbirds. They sit mostly empty from April until about December. Try and get a seat during happy hour from about Thanksgiving to April. I never knew there were that many drunken geezers with attitudes and the personality of a brick.

I think I would have rather sat at Happy hour with a load of homeless druggies and squatters, they certainly would of had better personalities. But then again the geriatric line dancing at one particular place was special to watch.