Palm Desert To Slab City, California

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the 75 miles from Palm Desert to Slab city, California…one of the most unusual places in the United States.

First photo is of Palm Desert with the San Jacinto Mountains in the background…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Most of the trip was on California Highway 111 along the eastern shore of the Salton Sea. Highway 111 is essentially atop the San Andreas fault. SC indicates the location of Slab City…

On the way I ran along the eastern shore of the Salton Sea which appears to be at its lowest level that I have seen in my 18 years coming down this way. In these photos the Salton Sea is on my right…

Stopped for a bite of lunch with this view of the Salton Sea…

San Jacinto Mountains in the background…

Alongside Highway 111 mile-long trains transport Yuma, Arizona produce to the rail-head at Riverside, California…

Downtown Niland…hook a left and 3 miles out into the desert to Slab City…

Slab City is one-mile square that once was Camp Dunlop during World War II. A deserted sentry house now tells you that you are almost there…

A little further on you pass-by Salvation Mountain…

A second sentry station tells you that you made it…

The military base was decommissioned after the war and not long after early RVers found their way here. The buildings were demolished and only their concrete slabs remained…hence the name Slab City.

Locals like to think of Slab City one of the last true places of freedom where folks can reside with minimal interference from government authorities. It became a favorite hangout for ex-hippie types. When I first came here in 1996 there were more than 5,000 RV’s within the one-square mile. I doubt that there are 500 now…

When the economy turned bad a few years back a number of new homeless folks came here. Unfortunately with little regulations they left their trash when they left…

My friend Wayne has had this spot for more than 20 years. With no utilities…solar panels are big here…

The LOW’s (Loners On Wheels) singles club have had a permanent presence here for more than 20 years…

I’m parked nearby with a great Westerly view…

As usual…the dinette window photo…

Finally a Google Earth view of Slab City…

I’ve written about Slab City many times. Here’s a link to my Blog entry from 2010 describing this unique place http://wp.me/pDCku-ZX

In addition you can enter Slab City, CA in your Internet Search Box and see numerous sites written by others who have been here.

Recently I discussed the spectacular sunrises and sunsets to be found in the desert Southwest during the Winter season. Here’s four photos from lat night’s sunset…

Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time in this area and have explored it thoroughly…so I’ll continue my journey to Yuma, Arizona later this morning.

Yesterday was a mostly cloudy day at 69 degrees.  Forecast for today is sunny with and 72 degrees.

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 500 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273?authkey=Gv1sRgCKrvzqm8-IKGdA

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2014