The Salton Sea – Salvation Mountain

Any of you that have known me for a while, know that I have wanted to visit the Salton Sea for years. As such, I made sure to do so before moving back to London. The pictures of the Salton Sea and the surrounding area will come soon, but I felt that one place in particular deserved its own post: Salvation Mountain…

Salvation Mountain has always had something of an underground fan base, but has started to trickle into popular culture as well now (making an appearance on Sean Penn’s recent film Into The Wild to cite just one example).

Salvation Mountain is made from adobe, straw, and an estimated 100,000 gallons of paint. It was created by Leonard Knight to convey the message that “God Loves Everyone”.

Leonard Knight lives at the site (at least when I visited) in a small cabin mounted on the rear of a 1930s-vintage Chevrolet two-ton truck. Like Salvation Mountain, Knight’s “Salvation Truck” and an assortment of other vehicles and machinery are entirely covered with paint and Biblical quotes as well.

Look, I’m an atheist, but I’m telling you that you can’t miss this place if you’re in the area. It’s an incredible display of folk art and it’s fun to visit Leonard.