A kaleidoscope of upcycled stuff
People have reported on this desert city and dramatized it. So, curiosity struck, and I had to see Slab City for myself.
In a remote area in Niland, California, artists and other residents call this place home. I spoke to some friendly folks on my short visit.
When entering the area, the signs will greet you. You’ll know you’re in the right place.
We arrived in the early evening, so it had cooled down since earlier in the day. But the sun still shined fiercely in the parched desert.
Note we went in the spring… and…
The heat topped out at 95 degrees! It felt much hotter with the sun rays bouncing off everything they touched.
But we traveled in a van and had air conditioning.
Salvation Mountain
We came across the first point of interest, Salvation Mountain. The colorful mountain with Jesus’ name all over it awed me.
Wow! This must have taken forever!
How many cans of paint did they use to color this mountain? And who kept it up?
While thinking about this, the first resident greeted us.
He wore a hat and sat outside a blue house beside the mountain. Behind his fence, a brown spotted cat pranced off in the distance.
“Hello! Welcome,” he said. I could barely hear him from where he sat. But I knew he was speaking to me.
“Hi! Thanks, it’s hot out here…”
“Yeah… I’ll be able to work in a little bit… once the sun goes down. I have an art project I’m working on.”
“Yeah, be careful with the heat out here!”
“I learned my lesson… Now I wait ’til evening before I do any work.”
“Smart,” I said, reaching for my camera phone.
Who started Salvation Mountain?
I had to take pictures of this mountain in its colorful glory. This had to be years in the making. The blood, sweat, and tears…
I didn’t know where to start. And who came up with this idea?
As I walked around, a plaque stood in honor of Leonard Knight. He came to Niland seeking a simple religion and wrote his message for the world to see.
In 1984, he created Salvation Mountain with things he found at the dump. People also donated items as well.
That’s pretty creative!
East Jesus
After looking at Salvation Mountain, we drove down the road toward East Jesus. At the end, turn right to get to the library. Turn left to get to East Jesus.
There’s also a skater park, but we didn’t go there.
You go to East Jesus to see some cool exhibits made of upcycled stuff.
Just a head’s up…
Driving through the neighborhood, I saw warning signs posted about ‘no trespassing’ and ‘do not take pictures.’
We didn’t see many people hanging around outside. Then again, the heat more likely kept them inside.
A man walked barefoot on the side of the road, munching on a family-sized bag of chips. He was just minding his own business—nothing scary.
A little parking lot sat outside of East Jesus. I recommend parking only in the designated areas.
The signs will tell you where to go and where not to go.
When we arrived, two other visitors walked around taking pictures with a professional camera. Then, they disappeared down a path.
Later, I realized they went in a ‘no trespassing’ area. Not a good idea…
The wind picked up, and the lonely sounds of windmills chimed in the wind. Other than that, the desert was quiet.
We walked around the artistic exhibits that sent messages about politics, religion, society, and race.
East Jesus had a lot of stuff.
House of Dots
When we exited out of East Jesus, the owner of House of Dots greeted us from across the way. “Hello there!”
“Oh, hi…” I said.
“You’re welcome to come over here and check out my place, House of Dots.” She waved us over.
“Oh! I saw the sign way back there…” I pointed to somewhere behind me.
“Come and walk around,” she smiled. Holding her arm as if saluting, she shielded her eyes from the sun’s rays.
In the few minutes we chatted, Dot told me how she ended up at Slab City. A few years ago, she traveled around and found this place.
An adorable black cat with beautiful turquoise eyes entered the scene. Dot said that this fur baby belonged to her neighbors.
They had left weeks ago, and she had been caring for the cat ever since. Known as ‘the cat lady’ around these parts, she will foster up to three cats at a time.
Is Slab City dangerous?
Dot asked me if I had heard bad news about Slab City. I admitted to watching some YouTube videos of people visiting with both good and bad experiences.
Some painted it as a dangerous place.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head, saying it wasn’t as bad as people claimed. Many Slabbers, or residents, attend Burning Man and come from all walks of life, Dot said.
She knew she wanted to stay when she first arrived in this off-the-grid community.
“I love it here!” Dot yelled, with her arms outstretched as if hugging the whole desert.
Hundreds of artists have created the exhibits at East Jesus. They always encourage new projects, and anyone is welcome to submit ideas, Dot said.
After we chatted, I checked out House of Dots. Pretty impressive…
On my walkthrough, I wondered how long it took her to collect all the items for her exhibits.
When the images you see on social media and the Internet come alive in person…
It’s elusive.
Maybe you’ll end up visiting for yourself. Perhaps, you too, will fall in love with the place and end up staying there like Dot.
We didn’t stay around to find out if the city became more alive at night. We just drove through, doing the tourist thing.
Taking it all in…
As the sun dipped lower on the horizon, we departed Slab City. And although we found the art exhibits very interesting, we left before sunset.
Updated: November 19, 2024
