Mentone Beach - Highland California

Today I was looking for an old bridge in the "Inland Empire" area of Southern California. This is clearly not desert, but it is certainly not urban, or even suburban either. It is on the fringe of a town. The fringes are where the most interesting places and people are usually found. 

For a few reasons, this might be my favorite finds. Those of you have been following my articles for a while know that I've been to a ton of odd and/or interesting places, so saying that this might be my favorite, is no small thing.

The bridge I was looking for is somewhere in the distance on the left side of the photo. When I saw this though, I immediately pulled over to take a couple of photos. I was just about to climb back into the jeep, when the gate opened and a guy walked out. We said hello, and I told him that I love places like this. He introduced himself and invited me in! I was so happy!

A giant chicken, the Statue of Liberty, and some very old outboard boat motors.  

Muffler Man! This version is of course Paul Bunyan. To show you how big this guy is, look at the door between his legs. 

On each side of Paul Bunyan is an ornate ship smokestack. I didn't think much of that fact until the owner (Pete) told me they were from a "paddle wheeler" that used to be moored in Newport Harbor. It was refitted to be a floating restaurant, and served in that capacity for many years. I live maybe 20 miles from there, and ate in there a couple of times. The name of the ship was the Ruben E. Lee.

There is an airplane on the roof of his house. It isn't just any airplane though. It was used in the movie 1941, starring John Belushi.

Just look at all the stuff in this photo! It looks like something you might see on the TV show American Pickers. Guess what? You will see it on American Pickers, because they were recently there filming!

You are looking into the back of a 1956 Ford F100 pickup. This model was only produced for four years. I have a 1953 F100. Very few of these trucks have this large rear window. They were built in 1956. I have to admit, that I was a little jealous. 

 Nice legs...

The owner and resident artist!  

So much to love in this photo. A 1937 Plymouth pickup truck, vintage trailers, and an airplane! Oh yeah, don't miss the porthole utilized as a rear window in the truck. 

 Art Deco meets Steam Punk

An outdoor water bed. I wish I had more photos of the amazing deck areas that are under a giant California Pepper tree, that Pete planted about 35 years ago. It is so shady and comfortable there. This is where you'd find me on a hot "inland empire" day. (not necessarily in the bed, but under the tree).

 Folk art dragon

 I think this lady had been on the horse awhile, because she looked very tired.

Pete showing me the inside of a really large tee-pee. It had a large fire ring inside of it, with plenty of flat rocks to sit on. A nice spot to spend a cold evening.

Nice sunroof! 

 Another plane!

 Piano guts

 Hybrid

 An old Harley Davidson that burned in a wildfire.

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It's no secret that I love this stuff, and this kind of place. Further, I really connected with the owner. Pete and I are just about the same age, from the same generation, both Vietnam Vets, and from the same area. I enjoyed our conversation just as much as I did his place. I spend quite a bit of time in this area, and for sure I'm going to be going back.


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Chloride Arizona Ghost Town - Back Streets

In my last post, I was ranting against some of the "cheesy" things that are presented in some ghost towns. In truth, the places that hold staged "gun fights" are really not quite ghost towns yet. There are people still living and working in these places. I also said that my next article would be related to what I love about them. If you get off the main street, you will see that they are very much alive. Alive, with history, interesting people that are only found in the desert, and an amazing mix of creativity and art.  Chloride is one of these towns.

The Back Streets of Chloride Arizona

Bowling balls

Industrial whimsy

Scales?

Not necessarily historical, but I love the old RV. 

Cowboy boots as yard art

Many of the homes on these streets have some kind of display, either along the road, or in their yard

At first glance, it may just look like a bunch of rocks and junk. Upon closer examination, there are some really cool items and displays in there. A cross between folk and yard art.

This house has some bottle trees. Some bottles were old and some were a bit newer. 

Certainly not art, but pretty odd that these two boats were just sitting there. This is pure high desert and there is no place in the area to use them.

Stuff...

Motorcycle parts

More stuff

New house and sculpture

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Some folks might not like this stuff at all. To me, it is quirky, whimsical, and very creative. There is a lot more, but I wanted to keep this post reasonably short.


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Salvation Mountain - Desert Folk Art or OCD?

Salvation Mountain

I recently made some posts relating to Slab City, dry land Sea Serpents, and assorted other desert oddities. Today's post, may just be the weirdest most impressive of the lot.  A guy named Leonard Knight started on this little bit of folk art in 1984. After more than 20 years of work obsession, and Mr. Knight in the "hospital" no longer on the premises, we are left with his life's work; Salvation Mountain. It's pretty clear that his theme was "God is Love."  Agree or disagree with that as you will. Everyone will have to admit that this guy was committed to what he was doing.

Talk about in the middle of nowhere. The closest civilization to what you are about to see is (drum roll please), none other than the modern day metropolis of (that's right folks!) Slab City!

Here's the main part of Salvation Mountain. It's made of hay bails, logs, paint, and anything else the guy could find. To add some scale to the place, please note the person standing between the "O" and "D: the right of the cross.

This structure is made up of cave like rooms and atrium like areas. 

Of all the things I saw there, I think I liked this tree the best.  I would have loved to been able to move the home made bench and shade from the photo.

One of the "atrium" like areas. This one must have been 30 feet high.

One of several old cars and trucks. Of course they all were adorned with the artists "theme." 

Considering that it was made of junk and old tree limbs, this was pretty cool looking.

This photo was taken from the top of the "mountain." In the background, is the road to Slab City. I guess this makes Salvation Mountain a suburb of Slab City.

That's a lot of work to show off your bowling trophies.

Just an alternate view of the same stuff.

A walkway or hall through the structure. Yes, that's an automobile door in the background. 

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This place was given a national award as one of the premier examples of folk art in the United States. I wonder how many awards it received for being maybe the biggest example EVER of  massive obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
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We've been at home for about three weeks and moss is starting to grow on us.  So, it's time to hit the road again. On Friday we are once again heading for the desert. Not this desert though. This time we'll be heading for the mighty Mojave Desert. We'll be staying (in our RV) near a town called Needles. Needles is very often the hottest spot in the United States. I can't say we'll be spending any time at all in the actual town though. There is much to see in this area. Our side trips should take us into Arizona and Nevada also. 

UPDATE:
Leonard Knight, the creator of this giant work of desert folk art, passed away on February 10, 2014. Think what you will about his art, but you can't deny the man's dedication.

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