Bright and early on the 8th, we all drove the three miles to the RV show. Claudia and I walked the vendor area first to see what was for sale and find what we could not do without. We shopped until noonish, took our new treasures back to the car and then met the rest of the group for lunch. Jim and Joan McCracken, past guests of ours who were working the rally also joined us. Following lunch and catch-up conversation and gossip, we headed out to look at the coaches being offered for sale. There were very few and they were almost all used coaches. We returned to the Elk’s Lodge vowing not to go back. It was a very poor show.
The 9th was “Explore the Area Day”. We headed east and then south on Highway 111 and arrived in Niland about an hour later. After a bit of searching and a stop at the Niland Fire Department, we soon arrived at the thriving metropolis of Slab City and its world famous monument, Salvation Mountain.
Entrance to the Temple
Salvation Mountain is the result of the efforts of a single man, Leonard Knight. Leonard is in his mid-seventies and has worked on Salvation Mountain for about 24 years. Many years ago, he turned to God and eventually wound up in Niland. He started building a monument to his faith and never stopped. The entire site is built of old tires, trees, automobile parts, adobe clay and a whole bunch of dedication. Some of the trees are pretty big and there are a few telephone poles mixed in. He puts them all in place with three come-alongs…simple block-and-tackle devices.
Leonard giving a tour
Trees inside the Temple
He lives with his cat, Jack, in the back of an old flatbed truck that has been somewhat converted into a camper.
Leonard's home
The site is listed in Ripley’s Believe it or Not and has been the subject of several documentaries. Leonard gave us a tour of the place and presented us with a DVD of his life and the story of Salvation Mountain.
Claudia and me with Leonard
You may think he is a few French fries short of a Happy Meal but you can’t question his faith in God or his dedication. Not being able to do something is not in his vocabulary.
After Salvation Mountain, we drove through Slab City. The “town” got its name by the fact that it once was a military camp, now decommissioned and leveled with only the slab foundations remaining. It is now a haven for snowbirds and a core of very definitely “odd” characters. Every known and mysterious object that has ever fallen off vehicles on the local highways now adorns the front yards of the permanent residents of Slab City.
After Salvation Mountain, we drove through Slab City. The “town” got its name by the fact that it once was a military camp, now decommissioned and leveled with only the slab foundations remaining. It is now a haven for snowbirds and a core of very definitely “odd” characters. Every known and mysterious object that has ever fallen off vehicles on the local highways now adorns the front yards of the permanent residents of Slab City.
Homes at Slab City - Note the salvaged decorations!
I was listening for banjo music as we drove through the area but we made it out safely and headed back for home. We finalized the day by going to the new Clint Eastwood movie, “Grand Torino” followed by dinner at Mimi’s. I highly recommend the sautéed scallops with butternut squash ravioli. It was prepared in a sort of Cajun sauce and was to die for! Pass on the bread pudding though. Mine’s a lot better!
Saturday the 10th was a sleep-in morning. It felt good! When we finally got up and dressed, we took off with Neil and Terry Zitrin to go to the College of the Desert flea market. They assured us it was worth it and they were sure right! It was extra-large, double-huge…the biggest flea market I’ve ever seen! We looked all around and found some great stuff. We chugged down some bratwurst hot dogs with grilled onions and sauerkraut and then left about noon-thirty to go to “The Follies”, a musical vaudeville-type show with performers whose ages run from the high 50’s to the holder of the Guinness Book of World Records, the “Worlds Oldest Showgirl” at eighty-five years! Those gals looked outstanding! The men had nice hair! The show featured a dog act, a ventriloquist and lots of singing and dancing. The guest headliner was Susan Anton. It was a good show. Dinner that night was a much-too-large serving of chicken enchiladas and fried ice cream.
When we got up on Sunday, I went to the office and extended our stay by two days until the 13th. We all then went in for breakfast in the lodge. After breakfast, the Zitrin’s and Miller’s both left for home. Claudia and I went back to the CoD flea market to scrape up a few more “deals” before returning to the rig for the Charger game. We should have stayed at the flea market! What a miserable game. Oh well…next year!
Larry and Linda showed up on Monday and we all headed for Quartzsite on Tuesday after making sure our water was full to the brim and both waste tanks completely empty. We also made a quick stop at the Ehrenburg Flying “J” for fuel and propane. We were now ready for a week to ten days of dry camping. We headed for Quartzsite, took Exit 19, turned south to the “T” and east to Scandan Wash. After turning off the main road, we jiggled and joggled along the tire-track “road” toward the power lines. After passing the third wash, we turned right and found two members of our group all settled in and kicking back. Larry and I circled around and picked our spots. After an hour or so, we were all settled in and I was drinking a “Colorado Kool Aid”. Nice! That night we had a campfire. Hell, every night we had a campfire. That is a tradition in the desert and we upheld it in the finest tradition.
Saturday the 10th was a sleep-in morning. It felt good! When we finally got up and dressed, we took off with Neil and Terry Zitrin to go to the College of the Desert flea market. They assured us it was worth it and they were sure right! It was extra-large, double-huge…the biggest flea market I’ve ever seen! We looked all around and found some great stuff. We chugged down some bratwurst hot dogs with grilled onions and sauerkraut and then left about noon-thirty to go to “The Follies”, a musical vaudeville-type show with performers whose ages run from the high 50’s to the holder of the Guinness Book of World Records, the “Worlds Oldest Showgirl” at eighty-five years! Those gals looked outstanding! The men had nice hair! The show featured a dog act, a ventriloquist and lots of singing and dancing. The guest headliner was Susan Anton. It was a good show. Dinner that night was a much-too-large serving of chicken enchiladas and fried ice cream.
When we got up on Sunday, I went to the office and extended our stay by two days until the 13th. We all then went in for breakfast in the lodge. After breakfast, the Zitrin’s and Miller’s both left for home. Claudia and I went back to the CoD flea market to scrape up a few more “deals” before returning to the rig for the Charger game. We should have stayed at the flea market! What a miserable game. Oh well…next year!
Larry and Linda showed up on Monday and we all headed for Quartzsite on Tuesday after making sure our water was full to the brim and both waste tanks completely empty. We also made a quick stop at the Ehrenburg Flying “J” for fuel and propane. We were now ready for a week to ten days of dry camping. We headed for Quartzsite, took Exit 19, turned south to the “T” and east to Scandan Wash. After turning off the main road, we jiggled and joggled along the tire-track “road” toward the power lines. After passing the third wash, we turned right and found two members of our group all settled in and kicking back. Larry and I circled around and picked our spots. After an hour or so, we were all settled in and I was drinking a “Colorado Kool Aid”. Nice! That night we had a campfire. Hell, every night we had a campfire. That is a tradition in the desert and we upheld it in the finest tradition.
Our camp at Quartzsite
The next day, I broke out my glider for a scary short flight. I think the balance was off…WAY OFF! I got it up around 100 feet and, when I throttled the motor down, all it wanted to do was porpoise badly. It was like 99.9% out of control. After an unintentional loop, I gained enough control to land it in one piece several hundred yards away. That was enough fun for the morning! I put it away until my flight instructor checks it out. Around 10:00 or so, we did a quick reconnoiter of the early sellers booths and found a few items worth “oohing” and “ahhing” over. Over the next few days, we hit new areas and made several “finds”. I scored on a great new straw cowboy hat for $20.00 and a 9-inch only slightly rusty cast iron frying pan for $5.00. Claudia found some clothes and jewelry, notably a whimsical glass fish pendant. We kept biding our time until Saturday when the big tent show opened.
We decided to wait until Saturday afternoon to let the main horde get in and out of the tent show. About 2:00 in the afternoon, we made the trek and did a quick familiarization tour of the vendors and their wares. I made an appointment for a windshield repair and made a couple of semi-necessary purchases. We then returned for dinner and a campfire. Tonight’s fire brought a new twist. A kangaroo rat had moved into our wood pile and amused us by running around our feet as we sat in our chairs. One of the ladies “accidentally” dropped a few pieces of dog food near the wood pile before she retired for the night.
All in all, we had much fun over the next few days and met several friends staying in other locations around the area. Verle and Curtis Lambert, former Wagonmasters from the company, came over from Yuma and stayed for a pot-luck diner of ham, barbecued ribs, lasagna, salad, and, and, and… I stopped at thirds, not including dessert. We were planning to leave on Tuesday but extended a day for more shopping and came home on Wednesday. For those of you who have never been to Quartzsite, it is a “happening” you shouldn’t miss.
We decided to wait until Saturday afternoon to let the main horde get in and out of the tent show. About 2:00 in the afternoon, we made the trek and did a quick familiarization tour of the vendors and their wares. I made an appointment for a windshield repair and made a couple of semi-necessary purchases. We then returned for dinner and a campfire. Tonight’s fire brought a new twist. A kangaroo rat had moved into our wood pile and amused us by running around our feet as we sat in our chairs. One of the ladies “accidentally” dropped a few pieces of dog food near the wood pile before she retired for the night.
All in all, we had much fun over the next few days and met several friends staying in other locations around the area. Verle and Curtis Lambert, former Wagonmasters from the company, came over from Yuma and stayed for a pot-luck diner of ham, barbecued ribs, lasagna, salad, and, and, and… I stopped at thirds, not including dessert. We were planning to leave on Tuesday but extended a day for more shopping and came home on Wednesday. For those of you who have never been to Quartzsite, it is a “happening” you shouldn’t miss.
1 comment:
It's amazing what people will do to ruin the natural beauty of a place.
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