Tag United States of America

Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is an interesting example of when humans take water away, give it back again, and then take it away, yet again. The sea was a long standing body of water until the Colorado River was redirected. When a levy failed, the redirected river returned to it's original path, replenishing the Sea for years while the levy was being rebuilt. It experienced a golden age as a recreational destination for Los Angeles's cramped denizens...until it started to sink. As more water evaporates per year than is replenished into the Sea, the Salton Sea retains little other than salt, farm runoff, and the resulting dead fish. Rent is pretty low.

Lexi Goforth
January 13, 2016

Joshua Tree

While we had already enjoyed a short hike with friends while staying in Palm Springs, we decided to circle back to for a night of camping after we bid the crew adieu. After an awesome hike, we settled in to a small camp site, set up our newly acquired inflatable glamping* chairs on the roof of the van to eat Bahn Mi and drink wine, and watched the sun set. Unfortunately, we, yet again, forgot to consider the elevation we were camping at and quickly retreated into the van as soon as the light show was over.

Lexi Goforth
January 12, 2016

Wonderland Ranch

Joshua Tree may be a National Park today, but, back in the day, cattle roamed the scrub brush and miners wandered in search of gold. This history remains in arrested decay along the Wall Street Mill trail in the Wonderland of Rocks.

Lexi Goforth
January 10, 2016

Desert Christ Park

Desert Christ Park is an early foray into biblically themed parks. It's not nearly to the state of gems you might find in Kentucky, but it has it's own charm as it attempts some earnest Greco-Roman styling in plaster and rebar. While it may not constitute very fine art, it's scale makes for some great group pictures.

Lexi Goforth
January 10, 2016

Noah Purifoy’s Outdoor Desert Art Museum

Noah Purifoy's Outdoor Desert Art Museum fills ten acres of "environmental statues" outside of Joshua Tree, California. Visitors wander down a dirt road to the yard of towering sculptures of found art. Toilets, bowling balls, hooks, rope, and scrap metal find their place in 3D collages and weird structures.

Lexi Goforth
January 10, 2016

Krblin Jihn Kabin

The Kabin may be part of the Kcymaerxthaere series of pieces by Eames Demetrios but it certainly stands on its own in drawing your attention into an alternate world. This dilapidated "Kabin" on the outskirts of a housing development in Joshua Tree, California feels as if we had crossed into an alternate timeline. The Krblin Jihn Kabin is a faux-historic preserve where religious dissidents were exiled. It is complete with explanatory panels and plaques outlining the historic context and traditions.

Lexi Goforth
January 10, 2016

Robolights

Robolights has been the continuing project of Kenny Irwin Jr. since 1986. What was intended as a dystopian Christmas display of robots and found objects has become a block spanning marvel for visitors any day of the year. We happened to come by in January and were not disappointed.

Lexi Goforth
January 9, 2016

Palm Springs

Get ready to be jealous, because we are in Palm Springs. We are renting a house with a pool in the back. Thus, the first thing we attended to was cooling off in the water as the sun set. Along with the conventional walks through town, we spiced up out visit with attractions gathered from the Atlas Obscura. We visited a memorial structure preserved from the fictional civil war between north and south California. We trudged through a series of outdoor sculptures on the outskirts of a Joshua Tree suburb. And we enjoyed the crumbling remains of an early attempt at a biblical attraction with sculptures depicting religious scenes with heavy roman aesthetic.

Lexi Goforth
January 8, 2016

The Cabazon Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs mean a lot of different things to different people. To children, they are awesome monsters and rubber toys. To the movie buff, they mean Jurassic Park and apocalyptic fears of science. To Young Earth creationists, they are the embodiment of biblical monsters that roamed the earth beside humans for the 6,000 years that the world existed.

Lexi Goforth
January 7, 2016

Huntington Gardens

Though we do live in an old van under a bridge, we do—on very rare occasion—take a shower and do something cultured. For our annual show, we decided to celebrate by visiting the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, CA. It is one of the most beautifully composed gardens we have visited. It boasts vistas one can just sit...muse...or have our version of business meetings. We have the best business meetings.

Lexi Goforth
January 6, 2016