Hello, In our family files, old photos depict a similar scene that happened almost every summer for my wife’s young family. As the Summer was coming to an end and the “family vacation” time together had not happened all year, one last gathering prior to school starting in September was almost an annual thing. From hot temperature Buena Park family house location near Knott’s Berry Farm in So Cal to a hotter area in South-Western portion of California was the standard thing. The hot, usually empty semi desert location at the Salton Sea shoreline beckoned those that wanted something different than the cool ocean air and solitude along the coastline. The famous Salton Sea was known as the saltiest inland lake in the USA and folks did put it on their “to go visit” lists. Why? Well, it was salty, a large inland lake and drivability from any So Cal location took a few hours. But, it was the solitude of a normally quiet lake just sitting out in an empty desert location… a little eerie for some folks. Jnaki Breakfast at the Salton Sea in the Southwest So Cal desert 1959-60. It was a come as you are, pick your empty spot along the water’s edge and set up the family enclave for a week’s long vacation in the open space. Some brought their fishing equipment, while others brought a variety of towable boats and camping gear. Canvas peak dome tent, Green Coleman stove, gas pumping handle cook top, and the famous Green/White Coleman Cooler with plenty of ice for the whole week or however long it lasted, in the hot temperatures. Solitude was the key way out here in the empty spaces… Note: A warning: Recently studies have shown that the Salton Sea has gotten its share of pollution from all types of sources. So, it is not the best place for a week long water immersion family vacation. Fertilizer from neighboring fields, to just “stuff” drifting in the area, as well as polluting, local sources is usually the problem. But, be warned… In the next discovery, commercially processed lithium is a key component of electric vehicles, smart phones and myriad other products, and the north end of the county sits atop a huge underground reserve of the whitish substance and other minerals. The Salton Sea area is ripe for a new processing plant, coming soon… YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
