California is a wonderful state. It has endless beaches, mountains, deserts, national parks, spectacular waterfalls and tall magnificent trees. It is also a state of extreme weirdness.If Hollywood and Venice Beach aren’t weird enough try the Winchester House or one of the many roadside attractions. This year we took an exploration into the weirdness with the first stop being the Salton Sea.

The Salton Sea is about 15 miles by 35 miles with an estimated surface area of 343 square miles making it the largest “lake” in California. It also has a higher salinity than the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans and is similar to the Great Salt Lake. The “sea” also expands and contracts. It is much larger than it was in the 1920″s but has begun a cycle of contraction again a few years ago. It is not a great tourist spot. Sometimes dead fish litter the shores. There are a number of State maintained beaches and it has become somewhat of a Mecca for people wanting to live off the grid.

There was a documentary film made in 2014 about Bombay Beach discussing the residents of the ghost world along the Salton Sea. The people living along Bombay beach and the other beaches are not completely off the grid. There is the possibility of electricity and fresh water. As we traveled further down the road towards Slab City and East Jesus, the Salton Sea seemed less desolate on our return trip.

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Bombay Beach