This one is the best; one of the reasons this blog was created.
Located a few miles from Slab City— a wasteland near the infamous Salton Sea— Salvation Mountain is an art installation piece born from the intense passions of one single man, and boy is it a sight to see. I mean, look at it. LOOK AT IT! JUST FUCKING LOOK AT IT! This is visual wonderland.
Meticulously sculpted out of adobe and straw, and fueled by a few thousand gallons of paint, Salvation Mountain is truly a colorful blast of inspiration. There are giant hearts, religious crosses, multi colored swirls, love messages and inspirational bible verses spattered all over. In fact, there isn't a single patch left blank here, and the mountain radiates from a mile away.
Aesthetics aside, this mound really is the size of an actual mountain. It's enormous, and inside contains a plethora of caverns and crevices, where visitors can bounce around like a rabid gang of spider monkey's and explore.
To round it out, there's also an entire catacomb dedicated to random mementos and messages of inspiration left by wary visitors, which I found pretty heartwarming. Amongst a collection of library cards, personalized notes and drivers licenses (?!?) I opted to leave an NYC metro card for future generations to discover.
Despite the fact that praise for Jesus and his teachings are plastered all over this, you really don't have to be religious to enjoy the wonderful sights here. "Jesus is love" is normally a turn off for me, but this place is all about positivity, having a love for life and marveling at what a single man can accomplish.
As a bonus, there are several cars around the area that adorn the same exotic flare as their mountainous older brother.
I strongly encourage anyone who dares to make the pilgrimage to the Salton Sea to stop by and soak in the glorious vibes of Salvation Mountain.
HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?
Salvation Mountain was born from an origin story as inspiration as the Mountain itself.
The project started as a true labor of love for local resident Leonard Knight, a man determined to spread the message that "God is love" to all. Born on November 1, 1931, Leonard grew up on a farm, joined the army and quickly got lost in the shuffle. In adulthood, he would travel the Country, working odd jobs and trying to find the meaning of this whole "life" thing.
In 1967, things would turn around for old Leonard, when a visit to his bible thumping sister in San Diego inspired him to finally accept Jesus in his heart. Leonard was instantly hooked on the teachings, and spreading the messages became an obsession. What followed was an intense few years of crossing the Country, visiting churches and preaching to anyone who would listen to his passionate rants.
Then, in 1970, a hot air balloon passed over Burlington, VT, a town he’d been living in at the time. Inspired by its ability to be seen by so many at one time, Leonard decided to launch his own air born diversion, painting "God is love” across. However, after 10 years of collecting materials and attempting to get the balloon project off the ground, it would ultimately lead to another failed idea.
Discouraged, but still as fiery and passionate as ever, Leonard finally settled down in Slab City. It was here where he realized a concrete monument of some kind might be the outlet he'd been looking for.
Starting with a single bag of cement, Leonard would would eventually build a monument (albeit, with a few structural setbacks) into the 50 foot high, 150 foot wide behemoth you see today.
Unfortunately, Leonard would pass away in 2014, but his spirit certainly lives on through the Mountain. Now preserved and maintained by local volunteers, a public charity, Salvation Mountain, Inc., was established to support the project and keep its legacy alive. All hail Leonard Knight!
