February 4-11, 2019

We had a wonderful time at Slab City last year, so we were excited to return again. Sheila had never been there before, so we wanted to visit all the attractions and more. Last year, we were in the Chinook, but this year, we are in the Airstream. It’s a good thing because we had 2 days of wind and sand storms. We could, at least, spread out in the Airstream while the wind buffeted the trailer.

Our camp (Can you see the Airstream Bambi behind us?):

Instead of repeating much of what I wrote last year, I’ll add hyperlinks to previous posts.

First, let’s look at the remarkable housing that the locals have created. Some are on the original slabs for which the area is now named.

 

Salvation Mountain

No trip to Slab City is complete without a visit to Salvation Mountain. In fact, people from around the world come just to see this masterpiece. This year, we could not climb the mountain due to damage from the rain. An artist was hard at work repairing the damage and repainting the repaired areas. If you look on the left side of the mountain, you’ll see where a large portion of the mountain has fallen.

East Jesus

East Jesus is registered with the California Museum Association. The artists are trying to purchase the land from the government to ensure its permanence. This year, they had t-shirts and bumper stickers for sale to raise funds. Paul got a t-shirt and I got a bumper sticker. I would have liked all four stickers, but I settled for:

DO BIG FUN
(First Church of the Chocolate Martini)

These were the 4 tenets of the founder:

This artist greeted us and told us about the fundraising. He was quite the character.

This sign really makes me laugh:

I searched for the wheel, but I couldn’t find it. I’ll just have to come up with my own sources of debauchery. I’m imaginative.

Playground of Horror?

Hey, we found a new house. It’s a fixer-upper, but we’re handy. Debauchery lives here!

Blooming fun!

Due to all the rain this winter, the desert is blooming.

The girls enjoyed their walks. Bunnah (Scottie) and Kenzie (Westie) tried to imagine that they were walking in Scottish heather:

The Coliseum

Slab City even has its own coliseum. Well, not really, but these old tanks are now referred to as the coliseum.

Pet Cemetery

Actually, we found 2 pet cemeteries. This seems to be the first one.

Just look at the care and attention given to these graves. One (Winnie) was only a few weeks old, and Poppy took a special interest in it.

Hot Spring and Shower

Yes, there is even a hot spring. It’s about 15 feet deep and you can see the bubbles coming up through the centre. Before a young guy disrobed, he said, “This is clothing optional, so I hope you won’t be offended.” No offence taken!

After jumping in, he told us where to look for the “shower”, so off we went.

Let’s play “Spot the Airstream” one more time!

Once again, we had a fabulous time at Slab City.

Next stop: Palm Springs
Why? MODERNISM WEEK! The Atomic Pod will land at Atomic Central!