JANUARY - MARCH 2014

THE SLABS, ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO and TEXAS

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2014 Home

Travelogue#1   Travelogue#2   Travelogue#3   Travelogue#4   Travelogue#5   Travelogue#6   Travelogue#7   Travelogue#8   Travelogue#9   Travelogue#10

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TRAVELOGUE #2

January 7 - 12, 2014

Slab City. The Slabs. Kind of a no-man's-land. Where people can camp (and live) for free. No services - no fees. Outside of the little town of Niland, CA near the Salton Sea. Anyone ever hear of the Salton Sea? It's about as low as Death Valley, but not as well known. A former military training facility which was decommissioned in the late 40's. Over time, all the building materials were scavenged, leaving only the concrete slabs where buildings had been. Now owned by the state of CA, it's about a square mile of desert with a grid of roads (the originals, no improvements in over 60 years). Local police do cruise through occasionally, but their presence is minimal (they say).

I arrived as the sun was setting and had some vague directions as to how to find the LOWs* camp. It was getting dark and I figured i would just park if I couldn't find it. Then, flashing lights in my rear view mirror! What? The "nice" officer just wanted to warn me that one of my brake lights was out. Really? As he pulled away, a car stopped. They had seen my LOW* sticker on the window, and kindly let me follow them to the camp. I pulled up next to some bushes and that was my spot for the next 6 days. The Slab LOWS hosted a rally with meals, speakers, tours and trips to places of interest. Over 60 people came! It was a great turnout and they put on a really good event.

The Slabs is peopled by a lot of regular(?) people as well as a whole lot of characters. You have to be self sufficient and love the desert. Only a few of the very hardy stay all year round (temps in the 120+ range). Most are winter residents, arriving in October or November, leaving in March or April. One of our "speakers", an RV repair guy, came in full vampire costume, including the teeth. Some encampments are elaborate with fixed trailers, shade awnings, fences, etc. There's a stage and a regular weekly music fest, a restaurant that serves breakfast a few days a week, an internet cafe, a non-denominational church, and even a golf course. It's all "slab style" so it's funky to say the least. The people were mostly friendly, although there are some who are not and don't want you near their space. Guard dogs and signs make it pretty clear what to avoid. Sunna and I spent hours every day wandering the roads and open spaces. Most of the time she ran off leash, unless we approached some unfriendly looking dogs.

What was it like? Well, I'm going to let the photos below tell the story...

*LOW stands for Loners on Wheels - a national club for single people who travel around in RVs. It's an eclectic group of very independent people.

The town of Calipatria is just down the road from Niland. Picture yourself standing there with 184 feet of water above you!

A little guard shack is all that tells you where you are.

This shows the slab on which the LOWS group has built a permanent camp. Sun is setting. My rig is on the left, just behind the white pickup truck. There is someone who watches over it during the summer months when noone else is there.

This was behind me in the previous photo. Trailers on 3 sides with shade covering contain a large kitchen, TV room, Game Room, Library, and Post office (people can get their mail sent here).

These two flagpoles were visible from almost anywhere in the Slabs and really helped me find my way back as I wandered all over it.

Me and my bushes.

This is "Radio Mike" who came and talked to us, then came back and was DJ for an evening.

We had a fire every night. Folks are watching the dancers.

The military included an Olympic size pool for the troops. This is it - now mostly used as a skateboard area with great curved sides - and just about anything else (see below).

This guy was there one morning, gone the next.

On one early morning walk about with Bucky (a long time Slabber who showed me lots on morning walks) we went to "East Jesus" - a collection of artwork made from recycled junk. The original artist died, but volunteers keep it maintained - sort of. The bus on the left is partly embedded into the ground as if it's rising up.

The formal entrance...

Back on the main road in - The Shoe Tree - take a pair, leave a pair.

There are two huge concrete water tanks that were decorated with murals by one man about 5 years ago. Some graffitti has been added, but you can still see a lot of the incredible details. This one is called "Creation"

This is the X-rated one (can't remember the name).

This bus actually drives around. I saw it parked at several different places. (Yes, I asked their permission to photograph it).

Salvation Mountain. The creation of one man over 30 years or so. Volunteers keep it up and provide docents. He's still living, but only is able to visit once a year. Leonard Knight is his name.
[NOTE: Leonard passed away Feb 10, 2014. For his obituary - click here.]

Views from the top

The sunrises in the desert are spectacular and I made a point of getting up early enough to walk and enjoy them.

On this early morning walk about, Sunna and I walked to the far corner of the Slabs and along the canal that borders it on the east. Love the shadows!

Sunna had a playmate for a little while...

One woman combined various libraries around the Slabs into one collection. She passed away, but it is still maintained. There are places to sit and read, and lots of books to borrow.

One thing I loved about my early morning walks were the birds (they hide when it gets hotter). I think this is a ladder-backed woodpecker.

There were lots of doves. Not sure what the back bird is - he has a crest like a cardinal. Any suggestions?

And lots of California quail.