Slab City
Posted by SCC on Monday, October 26th, 2009.Imperial, California
On our day off Bruce from the Imperial Irrigation district took our crew on a grand tour of Imperial County, for about 5 hours we drove from hot spot to hot spot. He was very knowledgeable and was able to answer all of my questions about the native plants and animals, agricultural practices, and history of the county and area where we were working.
Stops on the tour included salvation mountain, a 28 year old monument in the making to a simple teaching, LOVE ONE ANOTHER! Leonard Knight has been a member of the community for almost three decades, and is an amazing human being. So kind, humble and excited to give visitors a tour of his creation. His work was featured in the movie, “Into the Wild” and he told our crew that visitation had sky rocketed since that move cam out. He is full of joy that he has world wide attention and gets to spread the good message of love to so many people.
Next on the tour was the Sultan Sea, which was formed after an irrigation accident in the 1930’s left a large basin in the Imperial Valley. Many species of births and fish live there now. In the 1950’s the Sultan Sea was a premier hangout spot for Californians. Now, most of the boom town’s that sprung up are in shambles and as the sea recedes the wild life is finding the area less hospitable. There are repeated fish die offs in the sea. This leaves a lot of dead fish on the coast; not an all too pleasant sight or smell. But that didn’t stop one of our crew members from swimming in the briny waters.
Last on the tour was the mud pots; a place were CO2 and sulfur gases bubble up through mud and form small, ever changing mud piles. The sounds and sights were bizarre and intriguing, and evidence of the sub surface geothermal activity along the San Andreas Fault. On our drive back we got to see the geo thermal power plants that dot the Imperial Valley landscape along the San Andreas fault lines. Between fields of alfalfa and tomato fields these towering plants spew steam into the air and provide cheap and affordable energy to the masses.
The tour was definitely the high point of the hitch. Having an expert be able to answer my questions definitely expanded my horizons not only of an American place, but shined light on the history and significance of the conservation work SCC is doing in Imperial California.
Cheers,
Andrew Schreiber, SCC Crew Member Crew 108-Sonoran Desert Branch
