When you tell people you're staying near Palm Beach, California I'm pretty sure the following is not what they envision for things to do.
We began our day not too long after sunrise, coffee and chai in cupholders, driving on a road winding peacefully between deep canyons on one side, lightly colored hills on the other.
The desert is so beautiful this time of day.
First stop was Borrego Springs where massive metal statues roam along different plots of land just waiting to be photographed. There were vineyards to be tended, a mythic battle between a scorpion and a grasshopper, a massive dragon and so many more.
With 130 statues scattered about there were far more to find than we had time for.
The true goal of the day was The Squeeze and Heart Attack Hill. Located on the Pinyon Mountain Trail, they would give us our twenty-second Jeep Badge of Honor. We knew from watching YouTube videos The Squeeze would tight, but wow! The Butterfly is a two door jeep with some lift modification but she's not that big!
Here we are sneaking up on it.
After two attempts to pass without body damage we realized the back passenger fender was always in danger, so Dave removed it long enough for us to "squeeze" through.
The obstacle along this trail, Heart Attack Hill, which, if you watch videos on it is fairly terrifying. As a true scaredy cat, I was expecting to try and back my way out of the jeep through the seats as we descended.
Instead, Dave had me focused on tire placement, meaning I didn't notice the scariest part.
Piece of cake (says the passenger).
The rest of the trail was just pretty a drive.
Then the trip got a little weird.
There is a place in California called Slab City.
Built upon the concrete slabs left behind from Camp Dunlap, a World War II Marine Corps training camp that was dismantled in 1956, Slab City is now home to an off-the-grid community that attracts non-mainstream, free spirited individuals who refer to their home as "The last free place."
The most famous spot in town is Salvation Mountain. Whether you are religious or not, it's worth a stop for the artistic display.
Look this place up on the internet and you'll see terms such as squatters, alternative lifestyle, and lawless.
While it does feel apocalyptic, the streets are clean (even if some of the plots feel like they belong to the Junk Lady from Labyrinth), buried tires differentiate property lines, mattress springs create a unique fence and the artist touch is found everywhere.
Did I mention the car Minions?
Maybe it was the daylight or the time of year, but it was more disturbing not seeing people mulling around than the city itself.
Our last stop held a different type of art installation.
Bombay Beach was once a hot spot with pristine beaches and a feel good vibe enjoying the shoreline of the Salton Sea (it's just a really big lake but who are we to judge the naming convention?).
Unfortunately, natural disasters in the 1970s destroyed this desert oasis. Now, it's almost a ghost town.
Almost.
In the 2010s artists showed up to do what they do best...create.
In 2015 the Bombay Beach Biennale Art Festival was founded. Following the festivals rules to be a "tool to amplify the largely unknown and ignored ecological crisis that is the Salton Sea" artists transform remains from the town into fun and unique pieces.
Salvaging parts of the town has saved it from becoming a true home for ghosts. Tourists once again come to the beach, if not in the droves they used to and not for the same reason. Instead of sunning themselves on golden sand and cooling off in the sea, now passerby's stroll through art, becoming part of the warning against what could happen.
It was a day filled with the unusual. Not what we were expecting from the Palm Springs area and yet, so much fun.
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