The Slabs

On Dec 5, after about a 2hr drive south east, along the Salton Sea, I arrived at Niland, CA.

view of the Salton Sea from the highway

That is the town closest to Slab City, otherwise known as "The Slabs". Slab City was named after the concrete slabs that remain from the abandoned WW11 Marine barracks. Up to thousands of campers, many of them homeless or retired live here during the winter months. Fewer stay over the summer as temps may go up to 120F ( 48C). Campers include RV owners and squatters from all across North America and sometimes elsewhere.
The appeal for most people is that camping is free ( no taxes here) , a benefit for those on low incomes or on disability pensions. Others just want to live off the grid or snowbirds wanting to get away from the cold weather.
The site has no controls, no electricity, water, or sewers. There is no trash pick up. Supplies and services are available in Niland, about 4 mi from here.
The Slabs are like no other place I have experienced. When I drove in, the first scene that greeted me was " Salvation Mountain". It was created in 1984 by Leonard Knight as a monument to share his religious beliefs.

Salvation mountain has been named as a National Treasure. It was featured in the film "Into the Wild".
A short drive further, I had to turn onto a rough dirt road to get to the area the WIN group was camped. The whole area is open desert with tents, RVs, and makeshift  homes scattered around. 

" home sweet home" at one of the Slab city neighborhoods

Our camping area at Slab City

Many of the permanent residents have staked out their territory, often with some kind of fencing. Due to their limited funds, the residents have become very resourceful, making use of whatever they can find. Although firetrucks and police do respond to an emergency, people
often take care of their own problems, helping each other if needed. There is very little crime despite the possibility of some drug use or someone hiding from the police.

Someone's " back yard fence"
               

 I've felt safer here than in many places I've lived at. No one here would ignore a call for help.
People tend to respect each other.

Although most of the roads are quite
rough, there are some street signs,
like those at the major intersection in 
this photo.
There is art work throughout the 
community, some seeming rather strange but so is some of the art you see in city galleries.

I've been having some problems with my electrical system not producing enough electricity. One major drain is my furnace motor and I've been finding out about ceramic heaters which are much more efficient. Several RVers have shown me their systems. These ceramic heaters use no hydro but are directly connected to the propane tank. There are ceramic tiles that heat up resulting in a good amount of heat. In order to get one, I first had to have the lines and connectors installed, a very costly process if done at an RV service site. It happens that Wayne, who lives here, is an expert at installing these and has done it for many RVers. He is a delightfully unique character, well known in this area. I had to go get the parts and then, for a fee of $25 he installed them.I will be buying a small ceramic heater when I am in Yuma. Until then I can try another trick some RVers have told me about. You get a clay flowerpot and invert it over a burner on the stove. Within a few minutes, the flowerpot is hot and the burner can be turned off. The hot clay takes the edge off any cold air.
This method cannot be used overnight as it is dangerous to have a propane flame going for more than a few min within a confined space unless there's fresh air circulating.

Wayne installing the line for a ceramic heater

Yesterday, I had an appointment to have my batteries checked and advise from "Solar Mike" who is a retired Social worker and moved here with his wife many years ago. He set up his solar business and is well known by RVers.
My batteries were down due to having run my furnace during a few cold nights and had to be "equalized" ( a process of recharging them that takes about 8hrs.). I discussed my electrical needs and he advised more solar panels so 2 more panels got installed on my roof. During that time, I had the opportunity to explore an area of the Slabs I had not seen yet ( Slab City takes up about 1 sq mile). I discovered "East Jesus" where a community of artists live. The artwork was unusual but also interesting.

There is a hotspring about a mile from where we are camped. It is a wonderful feeling to start the day there and and chat with some of the residents. One man has been living here full-time for about 12 yrs. He loves the heat.
On the way to the hotspring, I noticed a home made of recycled materials as well as some campers and a few squatters camped along the way.

some squatters

A memorable tour was taken by our group a couple of days ago when we went to visit Bernie, living in an old abandoned sewer tank! The tenant before him had cleaned the tank, left behind by the military after the war.
There is an entry door cut into the side and he set up a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living area, including a ladder leading up to an opening in the roof. It was fascinating to see how he manages to live there year round, using a solar panel for electricity and having water delivered every 2 mos to fill a large tank he has for that. He uses propane for cooking.

The outside of many tanks in the area have been painted by various people.
This one on the side of Bernie's home
was done by an artist using only spray paint. How she got such beautiful detail is difficult to comprehend.
She also did some of the insides of old water tanks like this one:

The inside wall of a nearby tank

Last week there was a community meeting to discuss issues of living here. The problem is that the land belongs to the state of California and it is technically illegal for people to live here. Many are homeless and poor, not being able to afford to live anywhere else. The land is for sale. If a developer buys it, the people here may be evicted. If the community itself buys the land ( where would they get the money?) they may become regulated, require building permits, and pay taxes. It will be interesting to see what happens. Perhaps no one will want to buy land that sits on top of concrete slabs. The concrete has hardened over the years and would be extremely costly to remove. It is covered in sand and if you dig down about a foot you can feel it.

I've enjoyed my time here and plan to leave in 2 days to drive back to the Sleepy Hollow campground so I can get my dental work completed in Algodones.
It's a unique place like no other and worth experiencing.

A sculpture made of scrap cars, bicycles etc



"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
---T S Eliot


See you on my next adventure,

Maria

whyknotrvmaria@gmail.com

 

Sand and water

Our camping area near Borrego Springs

Our desert experience was dry camping with no water or electric hook ups and no bathrooms or showers available in our camping area. We had to rely on our own water, have "navy showers" ( turn on shower to get wet, turn off shower, soap up, turn on shower to rinse, turn water off, which uses very little water), use propane for heat, and many people had solar panels for electricity which was often supplemented by generators.
The benefit of dry camping in the desert is that it is free but keeping track of propane, water, and sewage is critical when camping in the desert.


One day we drove to a point of interest that someone had seen.
In the desert were various rocks and when we arrived at a particular group of rocks, we were all astonished that rocks could look like a natural sculpture.
How they could develop to resemble an eagle so accurately is difficult to comprehend. Nature is truly marvelous!

The next day I got a ride with a friend to Agua Caliente, a desert hot springs in a county campground on the other side of the state park we were in. They charged only $3 for a day pass and it was heavenly to soak in their hot indoor pool and then go swimming in a cooler pool outside. To swim while surrounded by desert is a feeling like no other and after spending such a long time on arid land it was delightful to be immersed in water.

A large group of WINs left after that to drive about 1 1/2hrs north to Indio to park for free at a casino and stock up on supplies as well as get some city experience. Along the way, several of us stopped at Salton City to dump our tanks, refill with fresh water and get gas and propane. That gas station was doing fantastic business as it is the only one in that area and there were a large number of RV's heading home after the Thanksgiving week-end.The desert is a favourite playground for those with dirt bikes or ATVs ( all terrain vehicles).

along the road to Salton City

I wondered why they call that place Salton City as it has a pop of less than 4000!
It is at the Salton Sea, the largest lake in California at 15x35 mi. It's surface is 234 ft below sea level. It is salty and shallow and is directly on the San Andreas fault.
It was easy to find the casino on the outskirts of Indio and their parking lot was huge, enough space for all of our RV's. Our "rigs" come in all sizes with mine being one of the smaller ones at 24ft. There are many that are much longer "Class A"s and towing a car. Some also tow a small trailer for extra storage.

I parked beside Linda, a solo full-time RVer who is a retired radio announcer
and very interesting to talk to. As you can see, the large parking lot is very 
flat and sandy. The casino was happy to have us there (hoping some of us would spend a lot of money playing the machines.) 

Parked near the city meant we could get some shopping done or see a movie. Linda and I went to see "Brooklyn" which was very good. The city does have its advantages.

I met a few other WIN members from BC and Alberta, Canada. It's always a good feeling to meet other Canadians and share RV experiences. I got a ride with one of them to drive to Joshua Tree National Park which is fairly close to where we were camping. It was a real treat to see that park again after having camped there last winter and loved it. The western part of the park is the Mohave desert with elevations above 3000 ft. It is here where you can find the Joshua Trees. These are not real trees but rather a species of yucca. They can "grow over 40 feet tall~~at the leisurely rate of an inch a year" ( info from brochure).
The only wildlife we saw was what looked like a squirrel. Rattle snakes and scorpions are common but come out when the weather is hot. I have never seen either of those but I am always watching where I walk, just in case.

A gate at a museum

The eastern side of the park is below 3000ft elevation and is within the Colorado desert. It has different vegetation dominated by creosote bushes but you can also see ocotillo and cholla cactus there.
We drove across the park to the other side and were able to see the transition
from the Colorado to the Mojave deserts.
My favorite area is where all the mountains and piles of rocks are.They were formed by volcanic activity a long time ago, pushing magma up from deep in the earth. It cooled and cracked, forming large boulders. These eroded over time to form unusual shapes.

An oasis

Colorado desert area

rocks in the Mohave desert area of Joshua Tree park

A few days later,our group dispersed, some leaving to go off in various directions while many continued on to the next stop on their "Western winter circuit", to a unique place about an hour's drive south and on the east side of the Salton Sea. That place is called Slab City or " The Slabs" and I'm looking forward to seeing that area.It is not listed on the GPS but I got directions from someone.

In the meantime, I decided to follow Linda north to a campground in Desert Hot Springs to hook up for 2 days and do some swimming and that is where I am at present. The Caliente Springs resort honors Passport America which made it affordable. It is beautifully landscaped and has several pools of various temperatures, fed by hot springs in the area. 

The luxury of full hook ups

 and access to pools was a wonderful treat after dry camping in the desert. It was also necessary as I had been having some problems with my batteries not charging up well. I will need to get that sorted out soon but for now I am plugged in and my batteries have a chance to rest and charge from the sun. The nights are cold and I can plug in my small electric heater. The best part, however, is being able to swim or soak in one of the hot pools. I will be leaving tomorrow for Slab City and that will be a totally different experience.

I'll end with a desert scene.The photo was taken last year when I was camping at Joshua Tree park.

Joshua trees at sunset

                                           "The journey is the reward"
                                                           -- Chinese provhrs


             "A wilderness is an area where the earth and its community of life are
untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."
                                                      -- Wilderness Act, 1964

Now, some trivia. ( these were sent to me by my friend Barry)
Did you know that:

A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue

A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24hrs

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain

The cruise liner, QE 2, moves only 6 inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

Cheers,
Maria

whyknotrvmaria@gmail.com