Salton Sea!

March 26, 2015

The Interestingly Weird Salton Sea!

Sitting on the edge of the Salton Sea in the Imperial Valley of California, I now know how an ant under a magnifying glass feels! And covered in flies to boot! It’s HOT! And there are zillions of flies here at our campsite! Hard to believe in the desert, but there you are! As for the heat … there were times as we were driving that our outdoor thermometer went over 40C! That’s over 100F for you American folks.I think we may have timed this trip badly … we thought we’d have the month of March before it got crazy hot, but it seemed to beat us to the punch!

Our visit to the Salton Sea was a bit surreal. It is one of the world’s largest inland seas and lowest spots on earth. It is actually 227 below sea level! It is no longer a pristine body of water and, so for us it was a bit of a disappointment, but it was definitely interesting to see.

We drove up the east side of the Salton Sea and attempted to check out a wildlife sanctuary. Unfortunately it’s late in the season for most of the migrating birds and mostly what we found were extremely bumpy dirt roads … oh, and did I say it was HOT?

White Pelicans on the Salton Sea

We finally made it to the Salton Sea State Recreation Area and found a campsite for the night. Bruce immediately got his kayak down from the roof and was out in the water like a flash! I opted to stay by the mo-ho and drink a much needed G & T! With lots of ice!

Salton Sea State Recreation Area Campsite

Bruce getting ready to set off on the Salton Sea

The Salton Sea

White Pelicans over the Salton Sea

The sea itself is kind of weird. It’s an artificial sea created back in the early part of the 1900’s by an accident by the army corps of engineers. The Colorado River then flooded the Salton Sink in the Imperial Valley (about 200 ft below sea level) and subsequently got sealed off so no more water came in … or went out. It’s very salty, sulphurous and smelly and continues to get worth as evaporation continues and fertilizers and pesticides continue to flow into the sea from the surrounding farms. The ‘beaches’ are actually billions and billions of crushed barnacles introduced here during World War II by military seaplanes practicing their maneuvers. It is really surprising with the horrible condition of the water that there are still so many birds around!

Dead fish & barnacles near Bombay Beach

We drove into Bombay Beach which was a thriving resort town in the 1950’s and 60’s. It now looks more like a post-apopalytic nightmare right out of the movies. It is a ghost town in every sense with broken homes, abandoned and decrepit cars, and empty trailers but, there are some people still living here.

Bombay Beach – Once a thriving resort

Bombay Beach

So, we came, we saw and I really don’t see any need to come back. There isn’t anything interesting along the roads and all the little towns that were once thriving resorts in the heyday of the Sea are all gone, now dried up and crumbling to dust.

We’ll be heading ever northwards starting tomorrow and may have to re-think our trip to Death Valley. If it’s this hot here …. Can Death Valley be any better?

March 27, 2015

Got up early for a pre-sunrise walk along the ‘beach’. Quite lovely actually with just a hint of pink in the mountains across the sea and tons of birds already out fishing. Pelicans, cormorants and various others were evident.