Salvation Mountain

While preparing for our June visit to the Salton Sea (see last post), I learned about a desert attraction that we just had to visit: Salvation Mountain, a three-story tribute to God near the tiny railroad junction town of Niland. Salvation Mountain is the creation of 79-year old Leonard Knight, who came to this place in 1984 and has been expressing his intense love for God ever since.

The theme of "love" is apparent up and down the mountain, from biblical scripture and the Sinner's Prayer to neon-colored flowers, waterfalls, and the Sea of Galilee at its base. A winding "yellow brick road" leads visitors to the summit, where they can stand beside a towering white cross and gaze across the Imperial County desert. Leonard himself still keeps regular hours at his masterwork to welcome guests and spread the word of God's love, although decades of toiling in a harsh environment are taking their toll on his stamina. But his passion and kind heart are still as vibrant as the colors that adorn his mountain.

(click photos to see full-size)

With plans to shoot trains along the Salton Sea in the late afternoon and evening, we settled for a midday visit. While the light wasn't ideal, we spent three wonderful hours touring the mountain and talking with Leonard and his friends who assist him with maintaining the adobe clay tower and keeping colors fresh . . . no small task, considering that summer temperatures can pass 120 degrees! Salvation Mountain was featured in Sean Penn's 2007 film Into the Wild, where Leonard appeared in a cameo role.

Leonard now lives in nearby Niland, but he can typically be found at the mountain during the midday hours (depending on heat severity). When we arrived on a 100-degree June day, he was being interviewed by a video crew but he quickly returned to his favorite role: happily welcoming visitors and answering questions. In the pictures above and below, Leonard is chatting with visitors from Switzerland; the lower image catches his trademark "thumbs up."

If you're touring the Salton Sea, Salvation Mountain is a must-see; it's located three miles east of Niland near Slab City. For more info, visit http://www.salvationmountain.us/. Below are a few assorted images from our visit.

Leonard's paint cans stand ready for touch-up work.

The winding "yellow brick road" that leads travelers to the summit.

 Viewed from inside the "museum," bluebirds soar across a skylight.

Trucks and other rainbow-colored vehicles add to the site's quirky character.

A final view of the Salvation Mountain mailbox. Thanks to Leonard and Daniel for their caring spirits!

Railfanning the Accidental Sea

Dwarfed by the Santa Rosa Range, UP 8121 leads a train of eastbound autos into Bertram siding beside the Salton Sea on June 11. (click pics to enlarge)

In early June, Mike Roque and I made a long-planned Southern California road trip to visit the Salton Sea and Union Pacific's busy Sunset Route. We spent the first day photographing nearby San Timoteo Canyon and Beaumont Hill, then motored east on I-10 and old U.S. 99 to Indio. For the next two days we followed trains through this stark and alien land in the Imperial Valley, with brief stops at some of the quirky towns that surround this accidental lake.

Created over a hundred years ago when Colorado River levees burst, the Salton Sea is California's largest lake. It covers more than 375 square miles and is 25 percent saltier than the Pacific Ocean. Overeager developers, hoping to duplicate the success of nearby Palm Springs, billed the Salton Sea in the 1950s and 60s as a winter playground for fishing and speedboat fans, but the breathless marketing never quite took hold: a changing shoreline, hurricane-driven floods, algal blooms and massive fish die-offs dashed those dreams. Fisherman and boating fans still flock to the saline lake, but Salton City, Bombay Beach, and other shoreline towns are shadows of their old selves.

 A westbound passes the state park entrance sign at Mortmar.

Surprisingly, the Salton Sea has emerged as one of the country's most important migratory bird habitats. Millions of birds representing more than 400 species can be spotted here, thanks to nearby fields, a prolific fish population, and the sad fact that there are few remaining wetlands in Southern California. Efforts are underway to restore this dying sea, but its future is by no means secure.

On the other hand, the future of the old Southern Pacific "Sunset Route" is brighter than ever; a key reason for our trip was to document the single track mainline and vintage searchlight signals before UP double-tracks the route. Happily, we pulled off the trip before the extreme summer heat kicked in -- 103 degrees is much easier to handle than 116!

One of my favorites from a great June 10 evening -- a nearly full moon casts the shadow of a searchlight signal at Bertram siding. In the distance lies the Salton Sea and the lights of Salton City.

Light and shadows dance over the Santa Rosa Mountains moments after sunset.

Southern Pacific lives . . . DPU no. 7442 pushes an eastbound doublestack train over the iconic SP bridge near Ferrum.

In rapidly fading light, two UP trains meet beside the sea at Bertram.

For more photos, visit my Facebook album by clicking HERE (you don't need to be a FB member). To learn more about the Salton Sea, visit www.saltonseamuseum.org or www.saltonsea.org. Watch for upcoming posts about our visit to Salvation Mountain and the restored North Shore Yacht Club.