My family used to go to the Salton Sea in the 1960’s. It was a beautiful place then and I still remember the sensation of floating on the water. I visited a couple years ago and was a little depressed by the sights. I want to go back now and see the wildlife refuge.
I remeber walking down to the salton sea and there were all these dead fish every where. The airalways had a funny smell and it was hot in summer. I loved living there though it was so peaceful and the sunsets were amazing bouncing offf the sand stone mountain. Miss my NINI too.
Do you remember Camp-Run-A-Muck store and bar? I went there several times in 2001 and stayed overnight several times at the Sea & Sun Motel. It was a fun get away from the hustle and bustle of San Diego.
It's sad how the Salton Sea is dying, however I've read that over the last ten thousand years it has filled and dried up several times. I remember as a child that we camped there when it was still a nice place. It was the first time I ever saw so many stars in the night sky.
🌺💐🌻🌸🏵🌹🌻💐🌺 Our Dead Sea is also dying... quickly! 😪🤢🤧 By the way, most of the scenes in this video look like the region around the Dead Sea!... Believe it or not!
Thanks for making the video. I started going there with my husband there over 40 years ago. We used to have dirt bikes and Baja bugs and then we ended up having sand rails. I have many wonderful memories of Salton city. There are some great washes and incredible scenery if you head off of Highway 86 and S22. We used to be one of the very few people that were out on the trails but unfortunately that’s not the case anymore. Too many weekend yahoos that don’t know what they’re doing are tearing up the desert with their four wheel drives. I remember going to the yacht club and dancing and having a wonderful primary dinner. My husband participated in many treasure trails weekends that was put on by Helen. It is hard to believe that the sea used to be a beautiful blue and we used to water ski too. If you’re lucky you can see the blue Angels practice over the desert. It is a remarkable place and I hope that they can save Salton Sea.
sorry to be off topic but does anybody know a method to get back into an Instagram account..? I was stupid lost the login password. I appreciate any tricks you can offer me
@Kai Ramon thanks so much for your reply. I found the site thru google and im in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
My dad and I used to waterski and fish in the Salton Sea, in the 1960s. We even ate the fish (corvina). We would launch our boat from Red Hill, after buying a carton of mud suckers from the bait shop there. The fish ranged up to about 20 pounds, and on a good day we would catch a limit in about an hour.
I used to buy fresh dates from the stores in Borrego Springs, then I would go to Desert Shores and play pool with the Mexican date pickers and drink beer all night at Camp-Run-A-Muck. That was in 2001.
I remember being a small child in the 1970's and camping with my parents, aunt and uncle and cousins ay Salton Sea. It was such great fun. I've not been there as an adult. Maybe next time Im visiting California. Your channel is great and I really enjoy the videos. Thanks for all you do with this channel.
The "Date Shake Capital" east of the Mississippi is in Cairo, Egypt. It's centrally located between the Nile and the Great Pyramid. You should go and try and make the comparison. FYI, the Nile is also toxic.
I remember the Salton Sea from when it was the place to be. Summer of 68 I learn how to water ski here it's so sad to see it now the way it is and knowing the problem could be fix if not for all the red tape bs and the money be allocated from the state to start repairs.
@@MrShobarThe question right now is will California finally fulfill its promise to fix the Salton Sea. In order to “fix” the sea, government agencies, led by the state, will need to flood, plough or plant tens of thousands of acres to control dust and rebuild habitat. As of right now California is poised to begin the first major restoration project at the Salton Sea. The state is investing more than $200 million in a project that will create flooded ponds and other habitats on the exposed lakebed at the southern edge of the lake and from what I have read the work should be complete the work over the next two-and-a-half years, I believe completing the project in 2023
@@petebradt Prove what ? that it can be fixed if so it's been know for year that there a fixed for it but no one will put up the money to get job done.
If you want the money spent to fix it, write to your politicians and ask them to raise your taxes. Then they could over develop it and turn it into downtown San Bernardino. Or you could simply enjoy the quiet and solitude of the place.
The dead fish season is during the Summer usually. I've participated on an avian botulism patrol with the FWS on the Salton Sea on an air boat. You really get the smell.
I remember in the early 1960s my grandparents wound take me to the Salton Sea to go fishing. Corvina was the trophy fish in the Salton Sea and I have photos of my grandparents holding up their catches. The beaches were fun to play on. My grandfather once told me when the area flooded as you mentioned there already an existing railroad line and underwater there is a locomotive and a few box cars. If the winds were blowing hard and the waves were high enough in between the waves you could see the smoke stack of the locomotive.
I really appreciate how Sidetrack Adventures brings out the positive, and little known, of every place they showcase. Along with the music background, the aerial photography, and Steve's understated dry sense of humor.
My best friend actually lives near Salton City in one of the more recently built housing 'tracts' that was built on the old pre-planned neighborhoods from the 50s/60s that were never actually built west of the 86. He really is only there on the weekends as he works all around the LA/Riverside area during the week. None the less, It's an interesting area and I've explored all around the Salton Sea with him in our Jeeps and I absolutely love going out there.
I'll be there next week. Sky Inn is a must go place @ Bombay Beach. I camp a little further north, supper cool at night. Last year we were at the Slabs and saw a burned down trailer and asked "what happened"? "We didn't like that guy". good to know, LOL.I do night photography and will also be at Borrego Springs for a new moon next week. Nice job buddy!
That used to be one of my favorite fishing spots in So. Cal back when I had decent money coming in and time to recreate. The fish there don't bite until after the temperatures get so high that everyone else who came there earlier in the day have split. Then the fishing is phenomenal. You can catch tilapia on every cast with just worms. I liked to tie a small hook on the end of my line, bait it with a couple of kernels of canned corn and tie a larger bare hook just above it. I would catch a sargo on the small hook with corn and leave it there to struggle then typically an orange mouth corvina would hit the sargo and hopefully get caught on the big hook and I would real him in. I caught a 9 pounder there doing that on one trip. Funny I would go there in the morning during the summer and people would be all over the place trying to fish, boat and recreate. By noon they would all be gone and it was just me and the fish. Imagine hell with 95% humidity, sulfur stank from the geothermal plant, dead fish stank and flies so thick you have to wear a mosquito net over your head to breath. Even the rangers there thought I was nuts, would check on me from their air conditioned SUVs then scurry off to their air conditioned huts to hide out for the rest of the afternoon. I almost got heat stroke out there onetime. I was in a fishing frenzy and had a cooler full of ice and drinks, another cooler full of ice for the fish and a big beverage cooler full of ice and my homemade bug juice that is full of electrolytes keeping me going. I got a case of the craps and had to hit one of those nasty porta pottys. It was probably 140 degrees in that thing and it was the fastest crap I had ever taken in my life but when I got out I was feeling faint and the humidity had gotten so bad that there was literally steam in the air and visibility was down to a couple hundred yards. I dumped some ice water from the cooler on myself, packed up my gear and decide to leave. I had an older truck back then with no AC but felt better while wet with the ice water and I headed over to the ranger station area to use the fish cleaning station to clean my fish figuring the water out of the tap there would be cool. No way that water was scalding and would likely cook my fish. I just left them in the cooler and headed home. No rangers in sight either. Their vehicles were parked at their hut and their AC unit was chugging away full blast.
I came through that area once. I didn't have air conditioning so l rolled the windows down and was pouring water on my head The salt from my sweat stained my seat.🥸
Cool video. With all the wild weather this year I wonder if the water will come up some. The Great Salt Lake is rising and the Bonneville salt flats are under water.
@@YourName-jm7lz I could repopulate all the ghost towns around Salton Sea with people who have easy solutions for Salton Sea, LOL. My favorite is, "Just pump in the Pacific Ocean!" Holy moly.
Thanks so much, Steve, this is on my bucket list and your trip was a good preview. The "quite a few palm trees" you passed was obviously a date farm as those were date palms.
Blast from the past. I did a motorcycle tour with a buddy around the Salton Sea back in '76. I was 21. I lived in San Marcos near Palomar College back then. SoCal was my stomping grounds back then. It sure looks different now...
When your driving across the desert, miles away from anything you start driving through farm land, then in the distance what looks like an odd mirage. The closer you come is what finally appears to be a giant body of water in the middle of nowhere. At negative elevation. It's really a crazy thing to see. A lot a produce in the off season comes from here.
I was stationed at NAF EL Centro 1979-81 just a few miles down the road south of Salton sea.. it’s nice that you have video Imperial valley.. brings back some memories...
Thanks for this video and commentary. I am planning a road trip to southern California and had Salton Sea on my itinerary but I think I'll pass. As it is, we will be in the desert for a couple of weeks but "we can't see everything." I appreciate how you cover the small, yet historical and interesting back-road and almost-forgotten places. Thanks.
I recall going with my family on many occasions to Salton Sea with our boat in the late 50's. The Yacht Club was very posh and we launched there, then took the boat down the beach a bit, and set up camp for the day. I also recall going back home in the Pasadena area sunburned like cooked lobsters....oh man, how that hurt.
Hi Steve. I realize this is an older video, but I had to take another look. I live on the other side of the country, so your travels have always been informative & entertaining! This was done during the pandemic. I'm hoping you take another look now that things are open again. Historically, I know that this area played a big part of the Manhattan Project as they used to drop dummy atomic bombs at a tower in the middle of the lake. Supposedly, there's a number of crashed planes in the lake from those days, also! Anyway, love your videos!! Safe travels to you!!👍🙏
love it . thank you for taking us along 👍🏼 I met the man that made salvation mountain a few times. Very interesting man. I also lived in a park on the east side of the salton sea for a couple of winters. i loved it 👍🏼 bring from the gray , wet northwest. it was such a nice change 😎. so sad to see the water continue to Recede. it must have been fun in by its heyday 👍🏼
From what I am seeing on this video, the lake has receded more than when I use to pass it ten years ago...sad. Thanks for showing this (an update for me).
i drove around the salton sea on my motorcycle and it was a very spooky run. Slab City is a must if you are in the area!. Also Anza Borrego not far from it another interesting destination. Thx for sharing!
I was in college 1982 and drove past it at night to catch our train in Mexico for an Easter break vacation. I never knew about it and I grew up in So Cal. I was astonished by how hugh it was, it went on and on.
Just watched a not so great 50's film noir movie that ended at the Salton Sea. Curios, I ended up here. Your video was much better. My gosh, if they ever need to do another mad max type movie I think we both know where to film.
thanks for the video i use to fished there when i was a kid that's been 25 years ago. they have a fish there its called corvina they get about 30 pounds and a crocker too they are fun fishing. I have a video on VHS when i get it put on a hard drive i will put on my channel thanks for the video brings back memory
Corvina was a species of fish native to the African continent that can live in highly saline waters. The salinity is now so high that Corvina couldn't possibly survive any more.
I used to pass by that area in early 90s it was depressed then. Sometimes l would stop in Niland at the café l can't remember the name, it was a Spanish name. l had friends in Calipatria.
I enjoyed your video, I actually did the same trip 2 days after you. I went there out of curiosity, and it turned out to be quite an interesting place to visit, this is one of the few places I've visited that is truly apocalyptic. I'm from the mid-west and the Salton Sea area is in worse shape than East St Louis, Detroit or Gary, Indiana, other places I've been to that have seen better days.
I wasThere nearly 50 years ago when people believed it was going to be the next Palm Springs. It was a hell hole then. Of course, that may have had something to do with the crazy uncle we stayed with. Also, i was there in the summer which was a huge mistake. I just remember how ugly it all was.
I have a relative that bought A Lot there in mid 60's because it was supposed to be the next Las Vegas. The most he has ever been offered is $2700 and that was before the 08 crash. Some as low as $200 though!
Your relative said Vegas and mine Palm Springs. At least your relative just bought a lot. My uncle sold a nice place in San Diego and dumped the money into building a new house next to sea. The salt water destroyed the siding in just a year or two.@@mooseymoo1328
Good one Steve. It’s been 3 years so please consider a redo with more emphasis on slab city( you could reference the inclusion in Sean Penns movie “into the wild”. Also a visit to a geothermal plant would be interesting. Also I think I read that under the Salton Sea large lithium deposits have been discovered. Love THIS channel.
I had a plan to do something out there not too long ago that I think is a cool story that very few people know about and more access to places has been restricted, so I couldn't do it. I'll definitely visit Slab City again in the future though.
I used to work at the hospital in Indio and remember one day I got to work and thought there was a sewage leak or something. Then someone told me it’s just the salton sea. You can smell it in Palm Springs as well. I just can’t imagine being anywhere near it in August.
nicely done. i was there in august of 2019 and i do believe the smell gets even worse as the temp rises. you are right that it is a place everyone should see, including sal mtn and slab city. it is really eye opening. i found it ... interesting that bombay beach had a brand new fire truck. its clearly worth more than the whole town. i think i saw about 10 people, though 2 drove in ahead of me visiting someone, i guess
My ex-wifes family started wintering near Bombay Beach in the 80s. She started taking me there every winter around 2013. The lake was much higher then than it is now. I was last there a year ago, and the water level has dropped at least 6 feet. The shoreline is a quarter mile or more farther out than it was then. As the level dropped, the water became even saltier. All the Talapia that once died in summer and washed ashore are all gone now, and so is the stink. And so are the birds that once feasted there. I love Bombay Beach, Slab City, Niland, and my old digs at Bashfords RV park on Hot Mineral Spa Rd. Most of all, I love the Sonoran Desert, the Chocolate Mts, and the Bradshaw Trail.
If you google 'california money for salton sea' you will see the future. The State of California has promised massive amounts of money to make improvements, and the federal government has also. There are plans for several well thought-out wildlife areas to provide habitat and good water to help the fish and the birds. And, of course, population pressures will be increasing the population as the area is very affordable, especially for California. I am very impressed with this video and all of the smart questions that viewers are asking. People who live in the area are dedicated to making the Salton Sea the beautiful area that it once was.
I have played countless hours of GTA V and had heard that the location of Sandy Shores in the game was based on the area around the Salton Sea, but watching this video makes me realize which specific place they mostly got their inspiration from.
You did a great job with this. I especially appreciated the way you weaved bits of history into it. I went cross country ten years ago in a Model A Ford and one of my few disappointments was not taking a ride out to the Salton Sea. Maybe I will do so yet. One thing I wondering though, what's the gas station situation there? How far apart are they?
There aren't any long stretches where gas isn't available. On our last visit gas was actually cheaper on the Reservation on the west side than it was in the El Centro area where we filled up earlier in the day.
Sorry you didn’t get any farther north. I grew up in the Oasis/Thermal/Mecca area. Learned to swim in the Salton Sea around 1940. Did you know that there were no barnacles in the sea until the 1940s when the Navy operated a sea plane training site on the southeast end of the sea? The barnacles came in I’m the hulls of the sea planes. Coachella Valley provides date for most of the world, not just the U.S.
Recently went to Bombay Beach. The sculptures are more numerous and more organized now. And the smell wasn’t bad. I think it depends on the season you are there. You missed several sights, so you’ll have to do some research and go back.
Last I heard the was trying to shut down slab city and evict people just because of the crime that goes on there.. it was described as the new version of the wild west.. everything and anything goes..
The Salton Sea is my backyard. Growing up smelling the dead fish from the sea in the 80’s was horrible. We didnt go outside to play. But the State and the Imperial Irrigation District as well as Coachella Valley Water District have had wars as to who should take care of the dying Sea. In the mean time every year it dries more and more and soon there wont be a Saltin Sea 😞
I was wondering if it's quite a walk from where you can park and the art installations at Bombay beach? I'm planning a visit soon but I have some physical limitations
I've always proposed a canal system from the gulf of Mexico that helps keep the Salton Sea at the appropriate level. The Mexicans should have no problem with allowing this because of the migratory birds that both countries depend on. It should be a money maker also. The water would be flowing downhill about 140 feet which could generate electricity. It could also possibly be a money maker in that the gulf of Mexico would provide better water that might increase the quality of the Salton Sea, making it a tourist attraction again where people want to play and live.
It will never happen unfortunately, not enough people care about it and most Californians don’t even know it’s there. Back in the mid sixties and early seventies I spent lots of time there with my grandparents . They had friends that owned a boat rental and bait shop at Salton bay marina, it was owned by Baal and Vi Beck really nice people. The sea was always busy with fishing , water skiing you name it if you could do it was being done there. Fun times. But this was on the north west side of the sea. So all that’s left now are memories and a few pictures packed away somewhere in the garage..
The place is radioactive. The military used to test atomic bombs there. While the bombs were duds, they used depleted uranium as ballast weight for the test bombs.
Any such canal (flowing downhill and inland) would only increase the salinity. The salty water flows in, the water evaporates but leaves the salt behind. Its the same issue killing the Salton Sea now.
Looks like it would be a nice place, but you got to look at the history of that place. Ever since the forties and fiftys they've dumped hundreds of thousands of bombs that there that were made with depleted uranium, which still leaves the area highly Radioactive in certain areas. The military also lost an actual nuclear bomb that had plutonium in it, accidentally got dropped and it's never been found.th-cam.com/video/b3AIYWROQkE/w-d-xo.html
My family used to go to the Salton Sea in the 1960’s. It was a beautiful place then and I still remember the sensation of floating on the water. I visited a couple years ago and was a little depressed by the sights. I want to go back now and see the wildlife refuge.
I used to live in Desert Shores. My Grandma worked at the service station and we lived right next door.
I remeber walking down to the salton sea and there were all these dead fish every where. The airalways had a funny smell and it was hot in summer. I loved living there though it was so peaceful and the sunsets were amazing bouncing offf the sand stone mountain. Miss my NINI too.
Do you remember Camp-Run-A-Muck store and bar? I went there several times in 2001 and stayed overnight several times at the Sea & Sun Motel. It was a fun get away from the hustle and bustle of San Diego.
It's sad how the Salton Sea is dying, however I've read that over the last ten thousand years it has filled and dried up several times. I remember as a child that we camped there when it was still a nice place. It was the first time I ever saw so many stars in the night sky.
🌺💐🌻🌸🏵🌹🌻💐🌺
Our Dead Sea is also dying... quickly! 😪🤢🤧
By the way, most of the scenes in this video look like the region around the Dead Sea!... Believe it or not!
His other video states Salton Sea was created (by accident) in 1900's. It was desert ten thousand years ago
please, google the salton sea
@@tttyuhbbb9823
"View everything through a car window "
Thanks for making the video. I started going there with my husband there over 40 years ago. We used to have dirt bikes and Baja bugs and then we ended up having sand rails. I have many wonderful memories of Salton city. There are some great washes and incredible scenery if you head off of Highway 86 and S22. We used to be one of the very few people that were out on the trails but unfortunately that’s not the case anymore. Too many weekend yahoos that don’t know what they’re doing are tearing up the desert with their four wheel drives. I remember going to the yacht club and dancing and having a wonderful primary dinner. My husband participated in many treasure trails weekends that was put on by Helen. It is hard to believe that the sea used to be a beautiful blue and we used to water ski too. If you’re lucky you can see the blue Angels practice over the desert. It is a remarkable place and I hope that they can save Salton Sea.
sorry to be off topic but does anybody know a method to get back into an Instagram account..?
I was stupid lost the login password. I appreciate any tricks you can offer me
@Kai Ramon thanks so much for your reply. I found the site thru google and im in the hacking process atm.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Kai Ramon It worked and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thank you so much you really help me out !
@Valentino Austin no problem =)
Thanks for the tour, my friend. I lived in California for over 34 years and didn’t know we had all these places to visit.
My dad and I used to waterski and fish in the Salton Sea, in the 1960s. We even ate the fish (corvina). We would launch our boat from Red Hill, after buying a carton of mud suckers from the bait shop there. The fish ranged up to about 20 pounds, and on a good day we would catch a limit in about an hour.
Those rows and rows of palm trees are date palms. Most if not all the dates produced in the U.S. come from the California desert.
I used to buy fresh dates from the stores in Borrego Springs, then I would go to Desert Shores and play pool with the Mexican date pickers and drink beer all night at Camp-Run-A-Muck. That was in 2001.
Date shakes are the best.
Arizona too ❤
Yuma, AZ and Bard, CA across the Colorado River from Yuma produce lots of Date Palms and dates
As a side note: it takes 100 days of at least 100 degrees to bear fruit.
I grew up in SoCal. I never knew how much I didn't know about California till I happened upon your channel. I love it!
Awesome! Thank you!
I remember being a small child in the 1970's and camping with my parents, aunt and uncle and cousins ay Salton Sea. It was such great fun. I've not been there as an adult. Maybe next time Im visiting California. Your channel is great and I really enjoy the videos. Thanks for all you do with this channel.
The "Date Shake Capital" east of the Mississippi is in Cairo, Egypt. It's centrally located between the Nile and the Great Pyramid. You should go and try and make the comparison.
FYI, the Nile is also toxic.
You have the most very nice and simple pro review for Salton sea. I like the history of Salton Sea and thank you. Be safe while traveling
Much appreciated! Thank you.
A few years ago, we were camping in Anza Borego and took a day drive to the Salton Sea. It was so smelly we didn't even get out of the van!
I remember the Salton Sea from when it was the place to be. Summer of 68 I learn how to water ski here it's so sad to see it now the way it is and knowing the problem could be fix if not for all the red tape bs and the money be allocated from the state to start repairs.
How would you propose to reduce the salinity in the water? What "red tape" inhibits that?
@@MrShobarThe question right now is will California finally fulfill its promise to fix the Salton Sea. In order to “fix” the sea, government agencies, led by the state, will need to flood, plough or plant tens of thousands of acres to control dust and rebuild habitat. As of right now California is poised to begin the first major restoration project at the Salton Sea.
The state is investing more than $200 million in a project that will create flooded ponds and other habitats on the exposed lakebed at the southern edge of the lake and from what I have read the work should be complete the work over the next two-and-a-half years, I believe completing the project in 2023
@@petebradt Prove what ? that it can be fixed if so it's been know for year that there a fixed for it but no one will put up the money to get job done.
@davidwang1326Hard to tell how many of us are left and if there is any connections.
If you want the money spent to fix it, write to your politicians and ask them to raise your taxes.
Then they could over develop it and turn it into downtown San Bernardino.
Or you could simply enjoy the quiet and solitude of the place.
The dead fish season is during the Summer usually. I've participated on an avian botulism patrol with the FWS on the Salton Sea on an air boat. You really get the smell.
I remember in the early 1960s my grandparents wound take me to the Salton Sea to go fishing. Corvina was the trophy fish in the Salton Sea and I have photos of my grandparents holding up their catches. The beaches were fun to play on. My grandfather once told me when the area flooded as you mentioned there already an existing railroad line and underwater there is a locomotive and a few box cars. If the winds were blowing hard and the waves were high enough in between the waves you could see the smoke stack of the locomotive.
I really appreciate how Sidetrack Adventures brings out the positive, and little known, of every place they showcase. Along with the music background, the aerial photography, and Steve's understated dry sense of humor.
My best friend actually lives near Salton City in one of the more recently built housing 'tracts' that was built on the old pre-planned neighborhoods from the 50s/60s that were never actually built west of the 86. He really is only there on the weekends as he works all around the LA/Riverside area during the week. None the less, It's an interesting area and I've explored all around the Salton Sea with him in our Jeeps and I absolutely love going out there.
This was a great video, loved the voice over and detailed explanations, well done
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I'll be there next week. Sky Inn is a must go place @ Bombay Beach. I camp a little further north, supper cool at night. Last year we were at the Slabs and saw a burned down trailer and asked "what happened"? "We didn't like that guy". good to know, LOL.I do night photography and will also be at Borrego Springs for a new moon next week. Nice job buddy!
Dude! Great job all-around on this!
That used to be one of my favorite fishing spots in So. Cal back when I had decent money coming in and time to recreate. The fish there don't bite until after the temperatures get so high that everyone else who came there earlier in the day have split. Then the fishing is phenomenal. You can catch tilapia on every cast with just worms. I liked to tie a small hook on the end of my line, bait it with a couple of kernels of canned corn and tie a larger bare hook just above it. I would catch a sargo on the small hook with corn and leave it there to struggle then typically an orange mouth corvina would hit the sargo and hopefully get caught on the big hook and I would real him in. I caught a 9 pounder there doing that on one trip. Funny I would go there in the morning during the summer and people would be all over the place trying to fish, boat and recreate. By noon they would all be gone and it was just me and the fish. Imagine hell with 95% humidity, sulfur stank from the geothermal plant, dead fish stank and flies so thick you have to wear a mosquito net over your head to breath. Even the rangers there thought I was nuts, would check on me from their air conditioned SUVs then scurry off to their air conditioned huts to hide out for the rest of the afternoon. I almost got heat stroke out there onetime. I was in a fishing frenzy and had a cooler full of ice and drinks, another cooler full of ice for the fish and a big beverage cooler full of ice and my homemade bug juice that is full of electrolytes keeping me going. I got a case of the craps and had to hit one of those nasty porta pottys. It was probably 140 degrees in that thing and it was the fastest crap I had ever taken in my life but when I got out I was feeling faint and the humidity had gotten so bad that there was literally steam in the air and visibility was down to a couple hundred yards. I dumped some ice water from the cooler on myself, packed up my gear and decide to leave. I had an older truck back then with no AC but felt better while wet with the ice water and I headed over to the ranger station area to use the fish cleaning station to clean my fish figuring the water out of the tap there would be cool. No way that water was scalding and would likely cook my fish. I just left them in the cooler and headed home. No rangers in sight either. Their vehicles were parked at their hut and their AC unit was chugging away full blast.
Cool story
Sounds like ' Fear and Loathing'.
The old man and the sea
I came through that area once. I didn't have air conditioning so l rolled the windows down and was pouring water on my head
The salt from my sweat stained my seat.🥸
You won't catch any Tilapia there now, my friend. On the plus side, the place don't stink anymore.
Oddly attractive area that I visit often online.Great vid!
Cool video. With all the wild weather this year I wonder if the water will come up some. The Great Salt Lake is rising and the Bonneville salt flats are under water.
I went there for a day adventure 20 years ago and it had that creepy type ghost town vibe. Great places there for a hermit type person(s).
For what we spend on a few months in the ME wars, this lake could be cleaned up and made into a luxury resort area.
Yeah. A luxury resort area. Lol. Did your parents buy a house there in the 50s and you’re still holding onto it?
@@justmeeagainn Yes! Still worth less than paid too!
Luxury for who? Last chanced out meth heads?
@@YourName-jm7lz I could repopulate all the ghost towns around Salton Sea with people who have easy solutions for Salton Sea, LOL. My favorite is, "Just pump in the Pacific Ocean!" Holy moly.
@@classiclife7204 Wouldn't need a pump, just a float valve to save the residents as gravity would do the filling.
Thanks so much, Steve, this is on my bucket list and your trip was a good preview. The "quite a few palm trees" you passed was obviously a date farm as those were date palms.
Blast from the past. I did a motorcycle tour with a buddy around the Salton Sea back in '76. I was 21. I lived in San Marcos near Palomar College back then. SoCal was my stomping grounds back then. It sure looks different now...
You had me at “portapotty on a warm day.”
The Drive-in is so appropriate ! Love it. 👍
When your driving across the desert, miles away from anything you start driving through farm land, then in the distance what looks like an odd mirage. The closer you come is what finally appears to be a giant body of water in the middle of nowhere. At negative elevation. It's really a crazy thing to see. A lot a produce in the off season comes from here.
I was stationed at NAF EL Centro 1979-81 just a few miles down the road south of Salton sea.. it’s nice that you have video Imperial valley.. brings back some memories...
Thank you. It smelled rotten in 1967 when I first visited.
Thanks for this video and commentary. I am planning a road trip to southern California and had Salton Sea on my itinerary but I think I'll pass. As it is, we will be in the desert for a couple of weeks but "we can't see everything." I appreciate how you cover the small, yet historical and interesting back-road and almost-forgotten places. Thanks.
Seen about 20 some videos of this learned,& seen more on this then others well done!
Cool locations to see, looks like a good area to fly a drone. Wow that is a very flat area for miles... We enjoyed your video, thank you for sharing
My husband and I went there during the covid stuff and it is exactly as you said. We visited later and got to go to the visitor's center.
Hi Steve. I hope you consider another visit to the Salton Sea. I'd like to see what couldn't be seen on your last visit.
Back in the early 1970’s we spent weekends at the north shore yacht club. We did skiing and fishing. Salton Sea was a big part of my childhood.
I recall going with my family on many occasions to Salton Sea with our boat in the late 50's. The Yacht Club was very posh and we launched there, then took the boat down the beach a bit, and set up camp for the day. I also recall going back home in the Pasadena area sunburned like cooked lobsters....oh man, how that hurt.
I’ve been wanting to visit this area for quite some time. Thank you for the info!
Any time! Thank you for watching.
Just watch out for Trevor .
Your work is really nice. Thank you.
Thank you.
I went back in March when it was raining and some of the streets were flooded.
Hi Steve. I realize this is an older video, but I had to take another look. I live on the other side of the country, so your travels have always been informative & entertaining! This was done during the pandemic. I'm hoping you take another look now that things are open again. Historically, I know that this area played a big part of the Manhattan Project as they used to drop dummy atomic bombs at a tower in the middle of the lake. Supposedly, there's a number of crashed planes in the lake from those days, also! Anyway, love your videos!! Safe travels to you!!👍🙏
My oldest brother and sister were born in Westmoreland in late 30s.
love it . thank you for taking us along 👍🏼 I met the man that made salvation mountain a few times. Very interesting man. I also lived in a park on the east side of the salton sea for a couple of winters. i loved it 👍🏼 bring from the gray , wet northwest. it was such a nice change 😎. so sad to see the water continue to Recede. it must have been fun in by its heyday 👍🏼
Have you been to the ‘mud pots’? Geothermal holes of bubbling mud. It’s near Sonny Bono’s wildlife reserve.
you need to go back! check out the obsidian buttes and the mud pots!
From what I am seeing on this video, the lake has receded more than when I use to pass it ten years ago...sad.
Thanks for showing this (an update for me).
Great video love the scenery!!!
Thanks for the video. This place is weird and fascinating at the same time
i drove around the salton sea on my motorcycle and it was a very spooky run. Slab City is a must if you are in the area!. Also Anza Borrego not far from it another interesting destination. Thx for sharing!
Great video. Thank you
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.
4:00 - look back shows location of Trevor's trailer in GTA5.
1:45 😄😆😂🤣😂 I don't think I would get out of the car either.
I love Salton Sea… my profile picture was actually taken out at Bombay Beach about a year ago. The swing is completely out of the water now.
I was in college 1982 and drove past it at night to catch our train in Mexico for an Easter break vacation. I never knew about it and I grew up in So Cal. I was astonished by how hugh it was, it went on and on.
South end of it is a lava dome complex called Salton Buttes Volcanic Field. The most likely to erupt in California along with the Mono-Inyo Craters.
Time to go back to visit
Just watched a not so great 50's film noir movie that ended at the Salton Sea. Curios, I ended up here. Your video was much better. My gosh, if they ever need to do another mad max type movie I think we both know where to film.
Than you. Yeah, Hollywood could save a lot of money just filming there.
very cool. On my bucket list.
thanks for the video i use to fished there when i was a kid that's been 25 years ago. they have a fish there its called corvina they get about 30 pounds and a crocker too they are fun fishing. I have a video on VHS when i get it put on a hard drive i will put on my channel thanks for the video brings back memory
Corvina was a species of fish native to the African continent that can live in highly saline waters. The salinity is now so high that Corvina couldn't possibly survive any more.
One of my favorite places at Sonny Bono NWP are the volcanos. I'm a little surprised you didn'y point out the geothermal energy plants in the area.
I used to pass by that area in early 90s it was depressed then. Sometimes l would stop in Niland at the café l can't remember the name, it was a Spanish name. l had friends in Calipatria.
Always a fascinating place with an amazing history.
I enjoyed your video, I actually did the same trip 2 days after you. I went there out of curiosity, and it turned out to be quite an interesting place to visit, this is one of the few places I've visited that is truly apocalyptic. I'm from the mid-west and the Salton Sea area is in worse shape than East St Louis, Detroit or Gary, Indiana, other places I've been to that have seen better days.
Yeah, it could easily be used for a post apocalyptic movie filming location with almost no change.
Thanks for sharing this location ..need more improvement , renovation for tourist spot..it’s nice to relax..
Some of the people did their best tweaking there.
I wasThere nearly 50 years ago when people believed it was going to be the next Palm Springs. It was a hell hole then. Of course, that may have had something to do with the crazy uncle we stayed with. Also, i was there in the summer which was a huge mistake. I just remember how ugly it all was.
I have a relative that bought A Lot there in mid 60's because it was supposed to be the next Las Vegas. The most he has ever been offered is $2700 and that was before the 08 crash. Some as low as $200 though!
All the old pics look sort of barren and awful. I never understood it
Your relative said Vegas and mine Palm Springs. At least your relative just bought a lot. My uncle sold a nice place in San Diego and dumped the money into building a new house next to sea. The salt water destroyed the siding in just a year or two.@@mooseymoo1328
Good one Steve. It’s been 3 years so please consider a redo with more emphasis on slab city( you could reference the inclusion in Sean Penns movie “into the wild”. Also a visit to a geothermal plant would be interesting. Also I think I read that under the Salton Sea large lithium deposits have been discovered. Love THIS channel.
I had a plan to do something out there not too long ago that I think is a cool story that very few people know about and more access to places has been restricted, so I couldn't do it. I'll definitely visit Slab City again in the future though.
Was there in the 60's as a kid. Was surprised at cutting my feet when I got in...real sharp in areas.
Never been, nice to go with you.
I used to work at the hospital in Indio and remember one day I got to work and thought there was a sewage leak or something. Then someone told me it’s just the salton sea. You can smell it in Palm Springs as well. I just can’t imagine being anywhere near it in August.
Looking at this whole video I’m amazed as to how good was this area depicted on GTA5, it’s spot imo.
nicely done. i was there in august of 2019 and i do believe the smell gets even worse as the temp rises. you are right that it is a place everyone should see, including sal mtn and slab city. it is really eye opening. i found it ... interesting that bombay beach had a brand new fire truck. its clearly worth more than the whole town. i think i saw about 10 people, though 2 drove in ahead of me visiting someone, i guess
There’s a pretty cool abandoned Navy base south of Salton City. Need 4x4 to get to it.
There is another art display in Slab City called East Jesus. It's mainly large scale assemblage art but it's pretty neat.
We visited the Salton Sea, purely off the back of watching the Val Kilmer movie. What a surreal and wondrous place.
Did you happen to explore the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club area and see the Aces and Spades?
Unfortunately no. Its one of the places I want to check out next time we are in the area.
My ex-wifes family started wintering near Bombay Beach in the 80s. She started taking me there every winter around 2013. The lake was much higher then than it is now. I was last there a year ago, and the water level has dropped at least 6 feet. The shoreline is a quarter mile or more farther out than it was then. As the level dropped, the water became even saltier. All the Talapia that once died in summer and washed ashore are all gone now, and so is the stink. And so are the birds that once feasted there. I love Bombay Beach, Slab City, Niland, and my old digs at Bashfords RV park on Hot Mineral Spa Rd. Most of all, I love the Sonoran Desert, the Chocolate Mts, and the Bradshaw Trail.
If you google 'california money for salton sea' you will see the future. The State of California has promised massive amounts of money to make improvements, and the federal government has also. There are plans for several well thought-out wildlife areas to provide habitat and good water to help the fish and the birds. And, of course, population pressures will be increasing the population as the area is very affordable, especially for California.
I am very impressed with this video and all of the smart questions that viewers are asking. People who live in the area are dedicated to making the Salton Sea the beautiful area that it once was.
Mud pots make such funny sounds...bloop, blip, blop, glip, glop, gloop, glorp, gleep, buh-whip, buh-wheep, etc.
Cool film ... fantastic soundtrack. What's the music ?
"Porto-Potty on a warm day" - great descriptor!
I have played countless hours of GTA V and had heard that the location of Sandy Shores in the game was based on the area around the Salton Sea, but watching this video makes me realize which specific place they mostly got their inspiration from.
Imperial BEACH was going to have a wonderful marina put in , where the bird sanctuary is now . . .
You did a great job with this. I especially appreciated the way you weaved bits of history into it. I went cross country ten years ago in a Model A Ford and one of my few disappointments was not taking a ride out to the Salton Sea. Maybe I will do so yet. One thing I wondering though, what's the gas station situation there? How far apart are they?
There aren't any long stretches where gas isn't available. On our last visit gas was actually cheaper on the Reservation on the west side than it was in the El Centro area where we filled up earlier in the day.
@@SidetrackAdventures Thanks for the info. I subscribed and am looking forward to watching more of your videos.
It’s drying up and wind blowing makes dust clouds.
Sorry you didn’t get any farther north. I grew up in the Oasis/Thermal/Mecca area. Learned to swim in the Salton Sea around 1940. Did you know that there were no barnacles in the sea until the 1940s when the Navy operated a sea plane training site on the southeast end of the sea? The barnacles came in I’m the hulls of the sea planes. Coachella Valley provides date for most of the world, not just the U.S.
11:20 I'm expecting baby Moses to go floating by. It looks like the Nile.
Recently went to Bombay Beach. The sculptures are more numerous and more organized now. And the smell wasn’t bad. I think it depends on the season you are there.
You missed several sights, so you’ll have to do some research and go back.
Will be back in Bombay Beach soon.
@@SidetrackAdventures We went to the Old Mud Pots south of Niland also. Cool place.
What was the music playing during your narration? Great vid.
Thank you. The music was from the TH-cam audio library but I don't recall the name. Sorry.
@@SidetrackAdventures Any info appreciated...
Probably not a bad idea to stay in your car with the windows up when you’re driving through Slab City, whether there’s a pandemic or not.
Just avoid it. People their are desperate their. God bless them.
I seen a video about the the person who ran it,owner? and a friend murdered someone.
Last I heard the was trying to shut down slab city and evict people just because of the crime that goes on there.. it was described as the new version of the wild west.. everything and anything goes..
The Salton Sea is my backyard. Growing up smelling the dead fish from the sea in the 80’s was horrible. We didnt go outside to play. But the State and the Imperial Irrigation District as well as Coachella Valley Water District have had wars as to who should take care of the dying Sea. In the mean time every year it dries more and more and soon there wont be a Saltin Sea 😞
Florida gets algae blooms periodically and with all the canals and channels and other waterways the smell was everywhere
I was a bit bummed you did not stop at the North Shore Marina… that was the most popular spot on the Sea in the 60s and 70s.
I was wondering if it's quite a walk from where you can park and the art installations at Bombay beach? I'm planning a visit soon but I have some physical limitations
Its not very far at all, maybe 100 feet or so. You could even see them from the parking area.
Sidetrack Adventures awesome, thank you!
That is pretty sad at 10:00, when I was last there, about a decade ago, the water was much higher, that little hill was a peninsula into the lake.
Back in the wayback (4 years ago) machine Professor Steve
You missed the mud pots near Niland
now these are some ... sandy shores
Are there any plans to add fresh water to the lake to combat the smell and salinity ?
I've always proposed a canal system from the gulf of Mexico that helps keep the Salton Sea at the appropriate level.
The Mexicans should have no problem with allowing this because of the migratory birds that both countries depend on.
It should be a money maker also. The water would be flowing downhill about 140 feet which could generate electricity.
It could also possibly be a money maker in that the gulf of Mexico would provide better water that might increase the quality of the Salton Sea, making it a tourist attraction again where people want to play and live.
You must be referring to the Gulf of California. Texas is on the The Gulf of Mexico.
It will never happen unfortunately, not enough people care about it and most Californians don’t even know it’s there.
Back in the mid sixties and early seventies I spent lots of time there with my grandparents . They had friends that owned a boat rental and bait shop at Salton bay marina, it was owned by Baal and Vi Beck really nice people.
The sea was always busy with fishing , water skiing you name it if you could do it was being done there. Fun times.
But this was on the north west side of the sea. So all that’s left now are memories and a few pictures packed away somewhere in the garage..
The place is radioactive. The military used to test atomic bombs there. While the bombs were duds, they used depleted uranium as ballast weight for the test bombs.
Any such canal (flowing downhill and inland) would only increase the salinity. The salty water flows in, the water evaporates but leaves the salt behind. Its the same issue killing the Salton Sea now.
Looks like it would be a nice place, but you got to look at the history of that place. Ever since the forties and fiftys they've dumped hundreds of thousands of bombs that there that were made with depleted uranium, which still leaves the area highly Radioactive in certain areas. The military also lost an actual nuclear bomb that had plutonium in it, accidentally got dropped and it's never been found.th-cam.com/video/b3AIYWROQkE/w-d-xo.html