Salton Sea, California [Archive]

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Stew_Matthews

05-20-2008, 12:33 PM

I have been on a business trip to Los Angeles and had a couple of free days. I didn’t have anything planned but have been working on some photographs for something I was invited to contribute to in Chicago. I need to submit some photographs on the theme of age/decay. So I headed down interstate 10 to Salton Sea, a place I had visited some years ago. For non Californians and maybe non Americans it may be worth just mentioning some history about the place. It was created in the early 20th century as a result of flooding and became one of the largest lakes (not sure why it is called a sea) in the US. At one time it was home to an incredible ecosystem and hotels/towns were built around it. However, over the years, the salt content of the water has increased to such an extent that a lot of the fish have died and therefore the wildlife that lived on the fish have disappeared too. This has meant that the tourist industry has fallen off and there are many disused hotels/building around the Sea. There still are some beautiful areas left but I was setting out to capture some of the decaying structures. So if you are planning a day out – it really doesn’t look like this everywhere. I’ll probably use a couple of these photographs in a black and white version, but these will give you a sense of what I saw. It was interesting for me because I wouldn’t normally photograph this sort of thing. Hopefully one or two of you may find these interesting. (10 pics in this post - 6 in the next)

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt31.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt33.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt64.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt130.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt68.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt78.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt94.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt95.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt109.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt111.jpg

Stew_Matthews

05-20-2008, 12:34 PM

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt124.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt53.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt50.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt47.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt14.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt9.jpg

Beachwood Mac

05-20-2008, 02:33 PM

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s50/stewmatthews/Salton%20Sea/salt109.jpg

You always take such stunning photos. They all tell a story. Did you at least fill up your tank while you were there? $1.57...wow!

GoldDustOrphan

05-20-2008, 02:49 PM

Drowning In The Sea of Love

<a href="http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i156/rickdunn101/?action=view&current=salt94.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i156/rickdunn101/salt94.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Have You Any Dreams You'd Like to Sell

<a href="http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i156/rickdunn101/?action=view&current=salt111.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i156/rickdunn101/salt111.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Sheryl Crow's Tour Bus

<a href="http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i156/rickdunn101/?action=view&current=salt78.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i156/rickdunn101/salt78.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Phoenix

05-20-2008, 03:15 PM

Sheryl Crow's Tour Bus
<a href="http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i156/rickdunn101/?action=view&current=salt78.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i156/rickdunn101/salt78.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

:laugh::thumbsup:

These are amazing photos. The whole thing reminds me of Terminator 2:Judgement day. I expected Arnoldd and linda hamilton to run through at any minute.

GODDESS6

05-20-2008, 03:25 PM

great photos!!!:thumbsup:~

Stew_Matthews

05-20-2008, 04:32 PM

Did you at least fill up your tank while you were there? $1.57...wow!

I burst out laughing when I saw that sign as it was so like the one BretonBanquet had in his sig during that classic fuel price thread many months ago. It was the one where Irishgrl thought that because a dollar was worth two British pounds that gas was half as expensive in the UK. It still makes me laugh today when I think about it.

Sheryl Crow's Tour Bus

:laugh:

mylittledemon

05-20-2008, 08:38 PM

It's very apocalyptic. Beautiful in a way, but eerie.

jr2280

05-20-2008, 10:16 PM

Wow I was just browsing thru Google Earth and was looking at this place on there just before I saw this thread. weird

DavidMn

05-21-2008, 12:18 AM

:laugh::thumbsup:

These are amazing photos. The whole thing reminds me of Terminator 2:Judgement day. I expected Arnoldd and linda hamilton to run through at any minute.I can just hear Arnold now:

I NEED A VACATION!!!!!!!

Phoenix

05-21-2008, 02:13 AM

I can just hear Arnold now:

I NEED A VACATION!!!!!!!

:laugh: Or better yet, you know how now he does those adds like where him and Maria Are like "COME TO CALIFORNIA!!!" they should totally pose at this place:lol:

David

05-21-2008, 01:19 PM

Beautiful pics, Wil! The Salton Sea region is the cradle of the southernmost end of the San Andreas fault zone, & yet I haven't explored the area since I was about 5 years old (when I did a great deal of my seismological exploration).

Did you guys ever see THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD? An earthquake in the Salton Sea unleashes a horde of prehistoric mollusk monsters, which get into the canal system in the Imperial Valley & terrorize the residents.

The film is a masterpiece, & I do not use that honorific lightly & carelessly or even faddishly.

GoldDustOrphan

05-21-2008, 01:37 PM

chiliD

05-21-2008, 01:58 PM

However, over the years, the salt content of the water has increased to such an extent that a lot of the fish have died and therefore the wildlife that lived on the fish have disappeared too.

You missed a point...the salt content has risen because the lake/sea is evaporating and the water level has receded to the point of sodium toxicity.

Stew_Matthews

05-21-2008, 02:45 PM

It's very apocalyptic. Beautiful in a way, but eerie.

Or better yet, you know how now he does those adds like where him and Maria Are like "COME TO CALIFORNIA!!!" they should totally pose at this place

I feel a bit bad now that I have made California look like something from a Mad Max film:laugh:. Some places were really beautiful - honest!

You missed a point...the salt content has risen because the lake/sea is evaporating and the water level has receded to the point of sodium toxicity.

Thanks for making that point. The reasons for the problem seemed a bit conflicting from what I had read. Some environmentalists were saying that the Sea is fed by water that has 'run off' argricultural land and because of the use of chemicals on the land, it had been washed into the sea, killing the fish. Your point makes much more sense.

Gypsy-Rhiannon

05-21-2008, 02:48 PM

Amazing pictures as always!

vivfox

05-21-2008, 09:48 PM

I thought the pictures were beautiful. Looking at them made me feel peaceful, apocolyptic and interested all at the same time.

vivfox

05-21-2008, 09:55 PM