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Another fun stay at Palm Springs has come to an end. Enjoy this area with so much to see and do. Our first meal out was so Len could enjoy the all you can eat lobster buffet at Augustine's casino. Just so proud of him, he managed to tie his old record of 7 lobster tails, plus some prime rib and crab legs. He thought of going for the 8th lobster tail to break his old record, but the ice cream got the best of him. While the buffet is pricey at $34.99, Len did get his monies worth. I ordered the fish-n-chips off the menu, (not a lobster fan).
We visited the Coachella Valley History Museum in Indio. It is a historical campus which contains the 1926 adobe Smiley-Tyler House - housing our main exhibits - the historic 1909 Indio Schoolhouse and the world's only Date Museum. Other highlights include the Desert Submarine, a Blacksmith's shop, pioneer farming implements and the archives for the Historical Society. Also, the spacious grounds hold a variety of gardens which include a Memorial Date Garden, Japanese Garden, the Geissler Rose Garden, the Jardin del Desierto (Desert Garden) and our Liberty Tree - the oldest Cork Tree in the Coachella Valley.
One day we took a drive down to the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in the U.S. state of California's Imperial and Coachella valleys. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Its surface is 236.0 ft below sea level as of January 2018. The deepest point of the sea is 5 ft higher than the lowest point of Death Valley.
From Salton Sea we drove on down to Salvation Mountain. We were concerned on how we would find the condition since Leonard Knight, who built this, has since passed away. Very pleased to see the mountain is being cared for. Salvation Mountain is located in the lower desert of Southern California in Imperial County just east of the Salton Sea and about a hour and a half from Palm Springs. Salvation Mountain is Leonard's tribute to God and his gift to the world with its simple yet powerful message: "God Is Love." Leonard's passion has lovingly created this brilliant "outsider art " masterpiece resplendent with not only biblical and religious scripture such as the Lord's Prayer, John 3:16, and the Sinner's Prayer, but also including flowers, trees, waterfalls, suns, bluebirds, and many other fascinating and colorful objects. Salvation Mountain must be seen to be fully appreciated as those who have made the journey will attest. Its 50 foot height and 150 foot breadth is made totally of local adobe clay and donated paint and is truly unique in the United States and probably the world. From its Sea of Galilee at the bottom, to the big red heart in the middle, to the cross at the very top, the reoccurring theme of "Love" is everywhere at Salvation Mountain.
Onto Slab City, also called The Slabs, is largely a snowbird community in the Sonoran Desert located in Imperial County, California, 100 miles northeast of San Diego and 169 miles southeast of Los Angeles within the California Badlands, and used by recreational vehicle owners and squatters from across North America. It took its name from concrete slabs that remained from the abandoned World War II Marine Corps barracks of Camp Dunlap. Several thousand campers, many of them retired, use the site during the winter months. The "snowbirds" stay only for the winter before migrating north in spring to cooler climates. The temperatures during summer are as high as 120 °F (48 °C); nonetheless, there is a group of around 150 permanent residents who live in "The Slabs" year round. Some of these "Slabbers" derive their living from government programs and have been driven to "The Slabs" by poverty. Others have moved to "The Slabs" to learn how to live off the grid and be left alone. Still others have moved there to stretch their retirement income.
The site is both decommissioned and uncontrolled, and there is no charge for parking. The site has no official electricity, running water, sewers, toilets or trash pickup service.[3] Many residents use generators or solar panels to generate electricity. The closest body of civilization with proper law enforcement is approximately four miles southwest of Slab City in Niland where the residents often go to do basic shopping.
Len shot in the annual pool tournament while we were here. Still some people are shooting from past tournaments he knew, but so many are no longer able to do it for one reason or another. I walked over one morning to say "hi" to the few that I knew from years back when we both shot in the tournament.
The weather was mostly warm so we took advantage of sitting on the patio and visiting with friends that stopped by. So good to catch up with Phil and Darlene (they shot the tournament) and we had a couple of visits from Cyndi and Erald. One night while at Cyndi and Erald's we decided to head to the Spotlight 29 casino and have the prime rib buffet. Len and I had already taken advantage once before, but why stop at one visit. Good meal both times and you can't beat the $9.99 for a prime rib buffet.
Met up with my cousin Mike and his wife Janet at Shield's Date Farm for a great lunch, so good catching up with them again. After our meal we took a stroll through their garden, In 2011, William and Lillian Vanderzalm contacted Shields Date Gardens with a wonderful opportunity. The Vanderzalm’s owned a biblical garden in Vancouver, Canada. They had recently sold the property and were looking to relocate the statues to the Palm Springs area.
The details were finalized and on March 1, 2011. Shield’s horticulture and landscape team then began construction. The Garden was open on a limited basis October 2012 and fully completed October 2013. The garden path winds through our 17 acre date farm. It depicts 14 scenes and includes 23 statues that chronologized Christ’s life. Such a pretty place.
We plan on being in California till the end of May before heading into Oregon.
More after our next stay.
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