Salton Sea, California – February 9, 2022
Over the last couple of years I’ve been making trips to Joshua Tree National Park and routing home along the Salton Sea. When I came across a photography workshop actually based in this area, it felt like the perfect excuse to finally slow down and explore some of the spots I’d been driving past.
I’d been wanting to visit Salvation Mountain and Slab City for years, but previous attempts were foiled — once by a train blocking the road, and again by COVID closures. This time, I finally made it! Bombay Beach is a fascinating mix of an old lakeside community and an open-air art installation right on the shores of the Salton Sea.
The whole area sits along a fault line and is surprisingly geologically active. I stumbled across some bubbling mud pots and passed several geothermal power plants along the way. The latest chapter in the region’s story is lithium mining — the same lithium that ends up in EV batteries. It’s a strange and compelling place with a lot going on beneath the surface, literally and figuratively.
