I was looking to make an easy drive to relax the nerves. In southern California it can be tough to find an area with minimal traffic. My go to is Palm Desert/Springs as the large retirement communities make for a slower way of life. It was on my way out that I realized I had never made a voyage out to the Salton Sea. With my new landmark in place, I inched my way through the Anza-Borrego.I approached from the western side of the lake.
There’s not much out there apart from the main road, Highway 86, and some smaller areas. I took a pit stop in Salton City, the only populous area of which has some stores, houses, and restaurants. While run down, it still shows signs of life with people and light traffic. And then…the cars of the Salton Sea.
For those of you who don’t know the story of the lake, I’ll try to create a quick summary. During the early 20th century, the Colorado River was redirected to Imperial Valley, an area which had previously been a dry lake bed/basin. This was to the benefit of the farmers in the area as it was an area with fertile soil and lots of unpopulated land. When water began drying up, more water was introduced creating the lake. Many run-offs ran into the lake, and being a terminal spot, it doesn’t flow downstream as the Colorado does.
This influx of water created wealth in the agricultural industry, and the large lake full of fresh river water made for a beautiful destination brimming with wildlife. During the 1950s and 1960s, it became a resort destination close to Palm Springs that didn’t require crossing the San Jacinto mountains to reach the Pacific. Tourism boomed and areas popped up around the lake.
Just as quickly as it popped up, however, it started to fall into dire straits. Water quality started declining without an outlet and contamination entered the lake, further causing issues. Without extra water intakes due to the Hoover Dam being built, the water became more concentrated killing off the fish and birds. Storms led to floods and landslides that damaged properties offshore, and the dying wildlife left foul odors that killed off what tourism was left. As it sits, the lake evaporates every year becoming smaller and more concentrated.
Why is this important? It leads to the reason behind these abandoned vehicles. With what was left of the area, it became a hot spot for those who seek alternative lifestyles. Close to Coachella, the lake attracts those seeking purpose, art, or illicit items. While some cars appear to be abandoned because of the lack of regulation, others were placed there with a purpose. This post is an ode to the latter.
Heading north on a round-trip circling the lake, I headed out of Salton City and passed nurseries. There are areas to the north of the lake that have palm trees, citrus, and other trees that grow in the desolate heat of the desert. Passing that, there is a variety of small areas off Highway 111 that show some life. There were a couple of cars that I saw left seemingly abandoned, although none were worth stopping my voyage towards Bombay Beach.
Bombay Beach is home to a number of art attractions including the Drive-In. I tried to picture all of the cars, although not everything was done in detail. The cars have been there ranging from years to decades, and like anything left in the open, parts go missing. While I tried my best to identify them, I did have to visit other websites to see older images of the cars where they had more bodywork.
At the entrance on the left-hand side, we can see a row of cars containing a 1970-1972 Ford Maverick, a Volkswagen Beetle, and a 1961 Oldsmobile 88. In front of those is a row with our first Nash Metropolitan (Series I), a 1977-1979 Ford Ranchero, and a 2001-2007 Dodge Grand Caravan. I believe that Dodge Grand Caravan was the newest car on the site:
The front row on the left side ended with a 1968 Ford LTD Coupe, 1991-1996 Ford Escort Wagon, and a GMT400 Chevy/GMC Suburban. What caught my eye that I honestly didn’t even notice while there was the package vehicle off to the left side of the screen. It appears to be some sort of Chevy package van. I couldn’t find a good match on Google, but my best guess would be something like a Dubl-Duti…
Working our way from back to front on the right-hand side of the aisle, we start with a row containing a 1949-1952 Chevy Deluxe, a 1955 Nash Rambler Deluxe Sedan, and a Volkswagen Type 2 (T2). These were notable as they had stickers that said “Bombay Beach Rally” on them. I had hopes that meant they had some cars running at some point in the recent past, but an Instagram account leads me to believe it was a road rally that ended at that site. Perhaps they used the cars for an actual drive-in movie night? After all, many have seats placed in them:
Up next is our second Nash Metropolitan, this time a Series III by the looks of it, followed by a 1975-1978 Toyota Corolla Coupe, and a D21 Nissan Hardbody. It’s always a shame to see one of them in as scrap, but I’m sure it had lived a long life on the road. They seem to be becoming scarce at a quicker rate than its contemporary rival the Toyota Pickup:
Finally, we have our last two rows. These include a 1966 Plymouth Valiant and 1986-1991 Mercedes SEC, while the front row has an AMC Pacer, and a caged Porsche 944. An interesting selection to say the least. None of them had full interiors or engines leaving these with less to vandalize or steal. It also would make them easier to move and manage assuming someone is the true curator of this piece:
In case you are wondering about the cars in the background that aren’t in the lot, those were other visitors to the town. While I didn’t intend to line this up, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was happening at the same time. Naturally, those in the area decided to give this area a visit. Some people do live here, although many park up RVs in the area for temporary residence. Why pay for a pricey hotel when you can park somewhere for free I suppose?
After seeing what relics Bombay had to offer, I headed south-east to Slab City. This is another iconic area around the Salton Sea with history. A man named Leonard Knight dedicated a large portion of his life to creating an area to spread the word of God; this became known as Salvation Mountain. He invited others out to help him decorate the monument, and in turn amassed more for display. In addition to the mountain, a number of cars were dedicated to the cause including the Jeep Wagoneer (72-73), Ford Pinto Wagon (79-80), and 1993 Toyota Corolla Wagon. A Yamaha BWS moped even made it on it.
While an unusual adventure, it was interesting to see what people were willing to leave and how well some of them have held up. It makes for both a testament to the cars, in addition to how the desert can provide a rust-free haven for the art they provide. As the years go on, people tend to pick away at their parts but the shell remains. I just wonder if they will ever be replaced in the future, or if their remnants serve as a placeholder for their final resting place.
If I was a better writer I could use this area and these cars as a metaphor for various aspects of modern life… but I will leave that to someone with more talent than I have.
Very nice writeup! This is an area I’ve been curious about ever since I read about it in Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, where the main character, Alex Supertramp, stayed for a stint while hitchhiking. At that time, the early 90s, the place was largely an abandoned, toxic husk.
Apparently, it was recently discovered that the Salton Sea region contains the fifth largest lithium deposit in the world, so there cold be some radical redevelopment in the wings; glad you got to capture and document its oddball charm before it inevitably changes.
Thanks Allan for the great write-up of yet another “art brut” site. I’ve long been fascinated (and often equally repelled) by these places that crop up around the country. I’ve talked about them in pieces here about art cars, as well as another rich vein of this sort of stuff in upstate NY ( https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/car-art/curbside-art-brut/ )
There’s just something about America – probably it’s our wealth of vast open spaces – that seems to encourage these sorts of things. That, and the fact that some folks are just driven (so to speak) to self-express by filling in empty spots on the landscape with whatever they can create from whatever they have at hand. That’s the part that fascinates me. There are just so many of these things around the country…one could spend a lifetime just traveling from one to the other.
I’d love to go see the Salton Sea area in-person. Until then, thanks again for this photo preview!
Don’t go in the summer!! Late fall and early spring are better. It’s hot and desolate. If you check out Anza Borrego… between there and little towns like Julian (an apple pie Mecca), there are windy back roads favored by car and motorcycle enthusiasts. On one trip, we passed a group of Mercedes 300 sl gullwings on a drive. They were Carrera Panamerica cars. Wow! Just Wow!
Used to make the drive through Julian to Cuyamaca Ranch State Park to hike there almost every Sunday my first winter in SD (’75-’76). And explored Anza Borrego often in my ’68 Dodge van with snow tires on the back. Beautiful part of the world, and a lot fewer people back then.
Went there back in ’75-’76 after first arriving in San Diego. Went through again in 2003 on the way back from Baja in our ’77 Dodge Chinook. Spent the night at a resort/RV park called The Fountain of Youth, a throwback to the ’40s and ’50s. It was actually very nice, and almost full. Great pools and hot tubs (it was winter).
Years ago on TV I saw a very obscure c.1955 crime drama (forgot the name) filmed in the Salton Sea area… the thing that stood out for me in the film was that the 1955 Plymouth police car shown had *factory* air – conditioning (you could see the fresh air intakes on the rear fenders for the trunk – mounted part of the system)… I thought, “Wow, it must be *really* hot there!”, as A/C on police cars was virtually unknown in that era… and the “take rate” on Plymouth factory A/C in 1955 (first year offered on a Plymouth) was surely one percent or less…
[ This flick had a “Highway Patrol” vibe, but it was definitely a movie, I cannot find anything about it so far via Google…]
It’s Highway Dragnet, filmed in 1954.You can watch it on archive.org and other sites for free. I’m going to watch it right now!
Hmmm… thanks, interesting!
I’ve cruised through quite a few similar Western communities, usually populated with more abandoned and/or “art” cars than people, but have only driven past the Salton Sea area. Thanks for a great post which motivates me to check it out. But wait for late Fall or Winter. Today’s forecast for Salton City is for a high of 102°F.
Fascinating place, Bombay Beach. We probably still own land around the Salton Sea my in-laws bought way back when it was supposed to be the next big thing. Maybe I should start searching for the paperwork if lithium mining becomes a thing there…
Visited there last year, a real dump, but some friendly and interesting people living there.
Slab city on the other hand is a dump.
The Salton Sea area is a very unusual and somewhat bizarre place. In this case the word bizarre is not a mis-nomer. Bombay Beach has the Drive In, but some of the buildings are set up as weird art displays and there’s an airplane fuselage set up as an art piece. It’s an unnerving place. We took a family trip out there a couple of years ago.There is a good visitors center near the Sea itself. If memory serves, the Sea was initially created when an irrigation canal broke and water began spilling out, filling up a large depression. From what I recollect, it took a couple of years to fix the breach, and then the lake became an active and popular attraction. It is brutally hot out there in the Summer, take appropriate precautions. Also, don’t pass up the opportunity to sample a Date Shake as you pass through the Palm Springs area.
I’ve been there twice, both times more than two decades ago.
There is the Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge. At the time, they were very concerned about brown pelicans being “sick”. We saw one, reported it to the rangers. SWMBO is a “birder”; I saw my first skimmer there–along with several other “firsts” for her “life list”.
The Salton Sea is more salty than ocean water. The big debate was whether to add more water to preserve and enhance the area; or to let nature take it’s course since the “sea” is artificial to begin with, the result of an “accident” (on purpose?)
Another concern is that if the Salton Sea dries-up, there’s gonna be a lot of salt and dust blowing northward into populated areas; and they’re not going to appreciate the air pollution.
Once upon a time–1960s, I guess–there were significant boat races on the Salton Sea. I’d like to see that come back; pretty sure it’s never going to happen.
That Beetle has a cool Baja kit on it.
The “Oldsmobile” looks a lot like a 1962 Ford to me .
I first visited the Salton Sea in the Summer of 1969, at that time it was a happening place, loads of collector cars & trucks in incredibly good condition, many were daily drivers .
Sad it’s so far gone now .
-Nate
I was in the Salton Sea area in 2023 just north of a Niland. The reason I went was to participate in a few retriever field trials. It’s the strangest thing but back in the 1980’s retriever enthusiasts bought land in this desert region and dug lots of intricately shaped ponds to train their field trial retrievers. Lots of Canadians and people from Washington and Oregon wind up living in the area and training their dogs. One time I was out there and right by the mountain range where the ponds are at and a real life training war broke out including bombs being dropped and automatic weapons being fired for a good 30 min. It turns out the Navy Seals train right by where we were training dogs. Also when you drive by the Salton Sea it seriously stinks to high heaven. But it was certainly a unique experience complete with a multitude of earthquakes occurring in the middle of the night one night I was there.
I remember when I was a kid in the mid 60s my parents would take me there in the summer time. It was hot but the Salton sea was beautiful. We would swim in it with out any worries. I remeber seeing people catch fish. Then one day in the 80s I drove out there. It was desolate, smelly and dead fish everywhere. All I could think about is why it ended up that way and not maintained the way it used to be.
Thank you for this – I’ve often been curious about the Salton Sea just because it’s such an oddity – though I have heard of the stench that Mark mentions above. Still, as someone who enjoys geographic oddities, it’s somewhere I’d like to at least drive by some day.