I learned a good lesson in dedication while on vacation in California. I stopped at a little town called Niland on the eastern side of the Salton Sea. Niland is a town I might normally drive right through, a place where I'd fill up with gas and hit the road. However, on this occasion, I made it my purpose to explore further because I was on a mission to find Salvation Mountain and Slab City...
About 5 minutes from Niland is Slab City, a community of winter-time, sun-seeking snowbirds on wheels. And, immediately adjacent to Slab City is Salvation Mountain a man-made structure consisting of adobe mixed with straw which holds it all together. Salvation Mountain is the result of a lifetime of work by a man named Leonard Knight, who came to Niland some 20 odd years ago and started his quest to build a mountain in the desert for God.
I know what you are thinking... sounds crazy right? However, in spite of what you might think about Leonard and his faith, one thing you can't help but admire is Leonard's dedication. It was truly amazing to see what this man had built over the last 20 plus years and even more amazing to hear that he had done it by hand, without the aid of modern technology. It was impossible for me not to be inspired by Leonard's perseverence and dedication to his beliefs. There is something to be learned from Leonard Knight...
Here are a few pictures from my time at the Salton Sea...
Leonard (The Man, The Myth, The Legend!)
Mike (Doing god's work!)
Bill (Self proclaimed mayor of slab city)
Bill (Also the bouncer at Slab City`s outdoor concert venue `The Range`)
Bombay Beach
Bob (loves a good Tilapia)
Fish on a stick!
Check out my website to see more images from California
