Back in December of 2007, we went to the Salton Sea. We had seen the documentary, The Plagues and Pleasures of the Salton Sea, and because we're susceptible to John Waters' influence (he narrated the film), we had to go check it out for ourselves.
We started out on our journey by stopping for lunch in Cathedral City at El Gallito. We didn't take a picture, but I was happy to find this one on the web. They only take cash, but they have an ATM. Plus, they don't serve alcohol unless you eat, which is pretty cool. The food was really excellent--I don't remember what D had, but I had the carne asada tacos with some grilled jalapenos on the side.
Off we headed to the Salton Sea! If you don't know about this lovely tourist destination, I highly recommend a visit to the documentary site linked above. The jist of it is that the sea was formed by the overflow of the Colorado River into the Salton Sink in 1905. Sometime in the 1950s, folks decided to make use of the sea as a resort community, with boating and fishing galore. The problem? The water is incredibly salty (due to farm run off). Then there was the massive Tilapia die off, resulting in a lovely aroma. So, the prices of land plummeted, and the resort went belly up like the fish.
We still had to go. And for some reason, there's still a little part of me that thinks, what a wonderful place to live, if for no other reason than the history of the place. I'm not sure there's any other reason (other than the cheap cost of land, but you do get what you pay for). I had some Salton Sea silt in my shoes for several days, which will be plenty for me I think.
We stopped on the way home at Shields Date Farm--we're suckers for a big knight by the side of the road.
Hospitable folks, aren't they?
The Marina: We did find a gas station/restaurant area where something seemed to be going on, but we didn't want to interrupt the gathering.
Tiki huts and picnic tables.
Birds on the water. They've got it pretty good, what with all the tilapia.
Dead Fish at Salton Sea