Adventure

We awakened our appetites for adventure this weekend on an amazing last minute spur of the moment camping trip with Bernie & Craig, new friends and camping buddies! Bernie invited us to come, as I'd been begging her for some lessons on how to use my camera better, and she used to teach a photo class before she worked at Punch. I can't wait until I develop my film, all my photos of Salvation Mountain are on it, and some shots of the wonderful Slab City outdoor library.

I'm jumping ahead though - here's the lowdown I found online to describe the place:

Several thousand campers, many of them retired, use the site during the winter months. These "snowbirds" stay only for the winter, before migrating north in the spring to cooler climes. A group of around 150 permanent resident live in the Slabs all year round. Most of these "Slabbers" subsist on government checks and have been driven to the Slabs through poverty; some of the "slabbers" also have a strong desire for freedom from the American government. The site is both decommissioned and uncontrolled, and there is no charge for parking. The camp has no electricity, no running water or other services. Many campers use generators or solar panels to generate electricity.

Located just east of State Route 111, the entrance to Slab City is easily recognized by the colorful Salvation Mountain, a small hill approximately three stories high which is entirely covered in acrylic paint, concrete and adobe and festooned with Bible verses. It is an ongoing project of over two decades by permanent resident Leonard Knight.>

I was taken aback by Salvation Mt., Leonard gave us a few tours of it, and his mind is pretty gone, but he's lovely, wants you to take lots of pictures of his message that God Is Love, and spread them around the world. He seems so small and yet has built his own mountain, an outpouring of paint and clay and love, it's staggering to stand before, above and within.

We set up camp in a dusty spot that looked OK, rummaged through some trash to make ourselves some makeshift chairs & tables out of tires and an E-Z Financing banner, and had a great day exploring the slabs, playing dominoes, making friends with a traveling Canadian who had camped nearby, checking out some sun-down musical talent, and feeding s'mores to the hippies.

We were rained out the next morning, and packed our tents up in bare feet, as the water level rose and we worried for the Bee Car's ability to drive out of the mud. Our new friend, Leo convinced us to take a dip in the natural hot spring with him on our way out, as it was so cold and muddy, and this would be relaxing and soothing, and we were only too eager to do so... and then the Bee really did get stuck in the mud, and all of us pushing couldn't get it out. Stranded in the middle of NOWHERE, Bernie called AAA, and we made the best of things by getting into the hot springs anyway while we waited for an hour or so. We dunked ourself in the hippie soup, and waited to be rescued as it rained on our faces, and the earth cooked our bodies. The bee eventually made it out, and we got home, feeling like the craziest, happiest, filthiest goonies.

Bernie took lots of digital pics, so I hope I'll get some soon from her to share, for now, here are a few shots of my phone, just a taste, more to come.