curmugeon | May. 8th, 2016

Crossed two places off my bucket list yesterday. Slab City is a "community" of misfits, loners, artists, and borderline crazies outside of Niland. There are no real rules. You find a piece of desert and you settle there. There is a lot of trash but someone's trash becomes another's treasure.

The "community" runs on a bunch of unwritten rules. It is basically a place where you can live,az you see fit. People are on tents, cars, motorhomes and assorted trailers. There are no water lines, sewage plants, or electric companies. Self sufficiency is the rule. I used GPS navigation to find my way around. Google could direct me to the more famous landmarks in Slab City.

I first went to Salvation Mountain. This is a huge work of a gentleman who was a longtime resident of slab city. He found God and devoted his life to erecting a monument to let people find salvation. Salvation mountain was constructed of Adobe clay and straw bales. He Incorporated found objects and even used whole trees as structural elements in his building. Right now there us a non profit group that maintains the place. When I was there a volunteer was in the process of restoring the floor with a new coat if paint. In fact he said that just the other day they had gotten 400 gallons of paint donated and would be working to restore much of the place. It is colorful. And everywhere you look there are reminders of this man's love of God and the bible. I would consider it to be the Watts Towers of Niland.

Another place in Slab City is East Jesus. It is an art installation of things created from found objects. It is art in the purest sense. Some art makes a statement, some makes you wonder what the artist was thinking. East Jesus has to be seen. I had no guide but roamed freely through the installation. It is hard to describe. The paths are defined by carpet strips. Most things are curious creations while others scream out their purpose. Part of the compound is private, and where the artist lives. That gate was locked. However I'll return at a later date for a guided tour. It will be well worth it.

Here are links to a few pictures.

https://flic.kr/s/aHskyPCDEJ

https://flic.kr/s/aHskzPxvsi