God is Love

Leonard Knight and his mountain

Thumbs up!

Leonard again

My Mom at the entrance

My Mom is visiting from Wisconsin. I took her to Salvation Mountain because I thought she would like it and it seems like a good things to do on Christmas Eve. Lo and behold, Leonard was there! He gave us some postcards and a DVD about the mountain and we chatted for a bit. We went to the Mud Volcanoes first and almost got her (aptly named) rental Borrego stuck in the mud. A truly unforgettable holiday!

Wistful Winter

Hellhole Canyon

70s in December? I surely am in uncharted territory. My first winter outside of the Midwest. I had never foreseen being a bit wistful for the Wisconsin iciness. In fact, I’ve always cursed it until today. Nostalgia tugs at me with memories of: frosty windows, icicles, colossal heaps of white fluff, the soothing apple cider warming my esophagus, creamy-bready-cheesy comfort food and cozy wool sweaters… Alas, there’s still day trips to the mountains and May in King Salmon to look forward to. It’s nice to pick and choose my snow days…and you’ll never hear me complain about hiking scarf and mitten free below the palm trees.

Great Underdevelopment

the Salton Sea near Niland, CA

I live in one of the few great underdeveloped places left in California. This is where the Wild West mentality still exists. The proportions are just right: the city is just small enough and the backcountry is overwhelmingly huge enough. The people are still interesting, eccentric, meddling and friendly. I selfishly hope the Salton Sea never fully revives. For if it does; the end of this frontier freedom is nigh. May these tiny pockets of individualism exist forever!