Salvation Mountain and San Diego Fish Tacos
I don’t consider myself a holy man, but nor do I consider myself an atheist either. It don’t really believe that there is a god, but I do understand faith, and try – the best I can – to understand religion. But does that make me an atheist? I’m not sure. But what I can appreciate – but perhaps not really understand wholly, is how one man’s affection towards god, caused him to use the majority of his adult life, to create a mountain to his saviour. Because that was exactly what Leonard Knight did. He built Salvation Mountain – with his own hands, plus a lot of adobe and paint. So no matter what you would think of god, and of faith, you’d have to admit, it’s an impressive task. Before I got to Salvation Mountain though, I ventured through the post-apocalyptic and unforgiving landscape, that often is the California desert.
It’s not only the temperature that changes drastically in the southern part of California. In the south-eastern corner of the state, everything changes. In and around The Salton Sea – former it place of the 1950’s – there is a now an unsettling ghost town vibe, and you feel as if you’re miles from anything and anywhere. Does that make it an exciting place to visit? I was curious to find out.
South of heaven
I left the tranquility of Palm Springs behind and pointed the Ford Mustang towards a different kind of adventure. The scenery quickly changed, the lush green oasis that is Palm Springs was behind me, and the desert came back – in style. About an hour’s – or so – drive south of Palm Springs, water again started to appear, in form of The Salton Sea. Named for the lakes very high salt content. Long gone were the normal tourists. Now I was only competing with huge trucks for space, on the seamlessly never-ending grey strips of asphalt. It was very obvious that the small communities that once thrived here, had been slowly decaying for centuries now. The palm trees had an eerie and menacing look about them. They were rocking back and forth in the desert wind, as the sand blew across the road. It had an Mad Max-esque vibe, and that would not become any better the further south I went.
I stopped off at Bombay Beach, that fans of the hit computer game Grand Theft Auto V (or GTA V), would recognize as “Sandy Shores”. It sure was sandy, and it looked pretty much like in the game. There was nothing really to see, except for some small streets and some rundown houses, motorhomes and a fire station. The few people I did see, didn’t look like the tourist friendly kind, so I snapped a few pictures and took off again.
At the southern tip of the Salton Sea, you can either go west and head for San Diego or east, deeper into the desert and a place called Slab City. It’s a village were the inhabitants defy upwards of 120 degrees F. (48 celcius) in the summer, live in motorhomes, and have neither electricity, indoor plumbing, garbage pickup or anything really. It’s all about living “off the grid”, and It’s practically lawless, as the government doesn’t really interfere with it. A place for people with big beards, bikes, leather vests, and oh yeah, nazi flags on their motorhomes. No kidding – I saw it with my own eyes. But I was too chicken to snap a picture. I’m not saying that’s how every person in Slab City is like, but it definitely takes a special kind of character to make such an inhospitable place, your home. Slab City is called Stab City in GTA V, and in retrospect, that name seems somewhat appropriate.
A light in the sand
It’s not all bad in and around Slab City. One place makes up for all. Leonard Knight’s now famous “art-installation”, Salvation Mountain. It’s an impressive sight of color out there in the middle of nowhere. It’s a painted hill, created with mostly with adobe and straw, and painted in all colors of the rainbow, complete with murals, bible verses, and a few statements from Leonard himself, including the all-encompassing statement: God is love. Leonard sadly passed away a few years back, but his masterpiece will live on, as a public charity organization has decided to support the project. If you do visit, you should donate a few dollars, to keep the site there – and in good condition.
It’s impressive from the ground, but also from the top. I actually climbed the “mountain”. It was the first mountain I ever climbed, even though I just followed the yellow brick road to the top. From the top there was a beautiful view of the desert in every direction. You could see Slab City and The Salton Sea and other dots spread out on the sandy canvas. The mountain itself was in perfect condition, despite the harsh climate, and there were details all over, that were worth taking a closer look at. The car where Leonard slept in most of his nights, while he was working on the project, was also parked at the site, as a reminder of the persistency on this remarkable man. It’s difficult not to be amazed at his dedication, but also a little bewildered, as to why someone could love god so much. Maybe that’s just me, and my lack of faith. Salvation Mountain is worth the detour, as you will without any doubt, never see anything like that anywhere else.
Fish Tacos in San Diego
The trek across the southwestern part of California, as I headed for San Diego, was not filled with the same weird excitement as Bombay Beach and Slab City or the same awe-inspiring places as Salvation Mountain, but it did take me through some of the loneliest roads I’ve ever driven. I took the scenic route instead of the highway, and was rewarded with beautiful desert vistas, sandy roads and cacti of every shape and form.
As I arrived in San Diego (on of my favorite cities in the world), I had only one thing in mind: Fish Tacos. I was not going to miss this SoCal staple, on this my second trip to this beautiful town. So I headed to Blue Water Seafood Market & Grill, a place known for fresh fish, so I thought they would to great fish tacos as well. Blue Water works as a seafood market as well as a small restaurant. You pick your fish and how you want it served. As a salad, sandwich, taco etc. I of course opted for tacos, one with swordfish and one with mahi mahi. I wanted to try fish that’s you don’t typically see back home in Denmark. You can get swordfish in Denmark, but it’s rare and expensive, and mahi mahi – forget about it. The tacos were huge! The fish was slightly seared on a grill, and not battered like a lot fish tacos are. It was topped with cabbage, tomato, scallions, red onion and a light sour cream based sauce. Simple and wonderful, because it made the fish stand out. And no doubt the fish was the star. Fresh, fresh, fresh. No fishy taste what-so-ever. The swordfish was a little more robust and meaty than the mahi mahi, but both tacos were absolutely delicious. “Heaven wrapped in a flour tortilla”, I think I called them. I washed them down with a Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, as San Diego practically perfected the West Coast IPA-style, and the Sculpin IPA is regarded as a modern classic. What an awesome combo. I had found my happy place.
