My cross-country journey has been mostly loose-ended with no particular itinerary. But there was one place I knew I wanted to see: Slab City in the parched desert of southern California. When the military installation of Camp Dunbar was decommissioned, its buildings were demolished, leaving only large concrete slabs. Over the years, RVers and others have moved onto the slabs and formed a makeshift city. Some of the residents are snowbirds who gather there for the winter. Others are more or less permanent residents. Slab City is the definition of "off the grid." It is a place at the end of the road that has no infrastructure, no law enforcement, no water and no electricity. You're on your own there.
The first thing you see when entering the Slab City area is a large hillside covered with what looks like plaster and paint. It's the result of more than twenty years of effort by a determined man named Leonard Knight and it's called Salvation Mountain.
The mountain is a labor of love attesting to Leonard's strong religious convictions. Leonard is a gentle and affable soul who greeted me warmly and invited me to look around and climb to the top if I wished. There were many other people there as well who had come to look at Leonard's creation, and he welcomed them all with a wide smile. I couldn't help but admire his creativity and industry as I gazed at the huge hillside. Much of it is covered with an adobe crust that Leonard makes from mud and water. He covers that with multiple coats of paint and then applies Bible verses and other words of wisdom.
You can even go inside Salvation Mountain. There you will see an intricate and multi-colored labyrinth of criss-crossed tree limbs, boards, and other items found in the desert that all serve to support the outer "skin."
Leonard suggested I take the "Yellow Brick Road" to the summit. Once up there, I could see the complete array of Leonard's domain -- the mountain, small structures, old cars and trucks, and undefinable objects. All were festooned with colorful designs.
I came down from Leonard's mountain and drove on in to "downtown" Slab City. But I'd spent so much time with Leonard that I don't think I gave the free-form town its due. I went up and down some of the gravel lanes that separate the concrete slabs and looked at the wide range of dwellings that enterprising Slabbers have constructed from materials at hand. But after the exuberance and bold color of Leonard's creations, the Slabs seemed a bit forlorn. Looking back, maybe I should have stuck around and really gotten a flavor for the place, but I was meeting some folks further south that day and needed to get on my way.
"Tioga George," my favorite RV blogger, gives a much better description of Slab City here. While you're there, you might want to read a little of George's blog. He's an inspiration.
Here are a few quick shots I made:
