journey to the salton sea
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Originally uploaded by miss da. this weekend we set out to the salton sea. i've been there a couple of times before, years ago, but i'd never explored it in depth before. when chinako told me she wanted to go there for the last day of her polaroid project, my reply was a resounding, "HELL YES." or y'know, something along those lines.
it's an interesting place full of contrasts -- beauty and desolation, nature mixed with human interference -- a strange, man-made (by mistake) lake in the middle of a desert, enjoyed for a time then abused and neglected to the point that it's now hardly populated, except by birds. the water is so salty that most fish can't survive, and at times botulism has run rampant, killing birds by the hundreds. in the summer temperatures can reach 120, but on sunday it was a beautiful day with air so clear and the most beautiful clouds. and the quiet... i have never been anywhere so silent. my day to day life is so filled with the whir of machines and the high-pitched squeal of technology, i have very little concept of what it's like to be somewhere quiet. standing in this spot, on the edge of an embankment where a yacht club once stood, the only sounds were the gentle lapping of the water on the rocks, my shoes in the dirt, and some birds in the distance. no cars, no city noise, nothing.
it's funny to be in a place that's so beautiful and so sad at the same time. people still live in salton city, and there is even a new truck stop on the highway. there are some people, but not many. (in my neighborhood of studio city, the population density is around 5500 people per square mile. in salton city, it's 45.3.) on the one hand, i didn't want to get back in the car and leave. but on the other hand, it's not a comfortable place. in a weird way, it's kind of like being in the formal living room of a family you don't really know. you are overtaken by its beauty, but at the same time you don't want to sit down or make yourself at home. it's so amazing, and yet so unfamiliar.
i will definitely be going back to the salton sea. click on the photo to see more pictures on my flickr.