As a child, I remember visiting the Salton Sea, it was so beautiful. I remember eating at Gaston's restaurant.And Harold Gaston, he was a remarkable individual. I know because he was my great uncle. He spent most of his life in Niland as a restaurant and bait shop owner. He was a sports fisherman, tour guide, and more. He passed in 2005 at age 95.
I’ve been to Salvation Mountain once. It was on the bucket list & I drove from Texas back in 2015. I only wish I could have met Leonard Knight. May he continue to rest in paradise & watch over his mountain.
This is a story for the ages. I hope someone will find this on a crusty old hard drive in a thousand years, and watch it. I'm thinking, if this were a future anthropologist's only window into the fall of our current civilization, it would pretty well cover it. Well done!
@@AJNoon Wow! You really got me. I accidentally threw in an unnecessary "a" in my 3 year old comment. I hope that you feel very proud of your accomplishment! I'll be sure to make the correction so no other person has to suffer the trauma like you did. Thanks!
I grew up in the Imperial Valley. I was born in Mexicali, Baja California in 1971, but raised in Calexico CA. I recall going on family road trips to the Salton Sea and playing on the sand banks of the Salton Sea beach. We would end our day at the Date Shack enjoying delicious thick n creamy shakes made with local dates. I recall the tropical rain storms of the mid 70's that flooded the Imperial Valley and was the doom of the Salton Sea... I enjoyed this well made documentary "Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea"...as a kid who grew up in the desert of an agriculture county, this film brought nostalgia to my childhood days...
Mine also.Grew up in San Diego,but desert raced,hunted,and rivered all my life from the 50's.Shame on the Army corps of mis-engineers.Lo Siento mucho,ahora !!
I too am from the Imperial Valley, born and raised. Our weekends were spent in our grandparents ranch by the old Juvenile Detention Center by La Humadita. I remember the Corvina and Tilapia were the best tasting.
John Waters documentary (the one you're watching now) on The Salton Sea appeared in select theaters on February 24, 2006. However, it was first shown at the Slamdance Film Festival on January 12, 2004. This documentary in 2021 is now 17 years old.
@@Vertexnine You are most welcome! I found the Salton Sea doc at my local library. I had never heard of it. I watched it and was absolutely mesmerized.
I was wondering why the area in this documentary looks so different than what most youtubers have shown, then i see your comment haha.... thanks for the info!
I'm from Berlin, Germany and first visited the Salton Sea in 1986 with my girlfriend, where I met Norman Niver and his wife Connie. He immediately invited us to go fishing on his jetty and spend the night in his house and we became good friends... By 2002, I had visited Norman and Connie 7 or 8 times and always had a great time with them and their neighbors. Both were always great hosts and Norman became one of my best friends ever. He was a great man! I still had written contact with him until shortly before his death in 2016. I can't express in writing how much I thank them both for the wonderful times we spent together. One of my highlights there: In August 1999, I fished an Orangemouth Corvina of 42 inches and 22lbs from his boat about 200m from Norman's house. Only 4 days later a heavy desert storm came up which caused the water to turn over. The day after, large areas of the lake were littered with dead fish. I found out later that there were about 8 million dead fish. That was very sad! :-( My greatest respect and thanks to Norman Niver and all Americans of his caliber! I will always remember Norman & Connie fondly. I wish I could say that the egomaniacal warlike American part of my family was anywhere near as great as Norman & Connie. Best wishes and all the best to all Americans who feel addressed. God bless you
I think this video is amazing and heartbreaking, all in one. So many years ago my family and I used to come out and picnic and camp for the week-end, sleep in sleeping bags and look at the stars and think what a great place it was, totally unique in itself, before all the mess and destruction.
This is the best documentary I have seen on the Salton Sea. Particularly the segment regarding the real residents was the best....they show and share their joy of life in a more simple lifestyle. The Leonard Knight/Salvation Mountain segment was inspirational. Very good work KQED Arts!
i love this documentary! I have watched it more times than i can count! John Waters is awesome choice to narrate, This documentary is perfection, Thank you for uploading, But on the somber, bleak side, i am sad for The Salton Sea and its inhabitants, they seem like nice people.
I’m the same as you! I watch this documentary maybe two times a year or so. I love it so much. I once watched this show that was on Netflix briefly called “Abandoned in America” and it featured the Salton Sea. It was the first I had ever heard of the sea. This was about 6 years ago. I went searching on the internet for more info about this place and stumbled upon this documentary and it’s been my favorite ever since. I love the vibe, both somber and bittersweet but also filled with lots of character and people who genuinely do love the Salton Sea and want to see it return to its former glory. I don’t know if it ever can but I hope they can repair it instead of putting bandaids on a wound. The sea needs the ability to have flowing water, rather than just the irrigation water coming in and staying there.
I went to Bombay Beach and Salvation Mountain last month (September 2023). The locals were so friendly and I really want to return - there is something about that place that really attracts me. I also met Hunky Daddy (yes, he is still alive and well). I had an amazing time there, cant wait to return!
I drove around the Salton Sea last week. It's so sad to see that 20 years ago, some of the residents still had hope it could turn around, but clearly, it has only gotten worse. I wonder how many of those people they interviewed are still alive, let alone living there, as I know health problems continue to be a huge problem for those who live in this area.
"He likes all woman..... Black, White, Red Heads, Asian, (Nine year old's.....)" Right?!??! ....just playing I actually loved this video. I'm going to suggest this to everyone I know. It really is very well put together. Honestly. Amazing job guys. All the stories all the images, fantastic!
"They real shitty out here, but other than that they cool." Pretty good doc. Wish they would have included a bit more footage of the more eccentric personalities, though.
I think it is so wild how you can look at any one place in the world, even a small almost forgotten place like the Salton Sea, and have so much intersectionality of life. Here we have an ecological disaster, that used to be a thriving leisure destination 60-70 years ago, but within that you have so much more. People live there today; people from its prime waiting for a revival, as well as new residents trying to get by as best they can. You even have a Hungarian population that migrated due to a revolution in their home country! International push and pull mechanisms are at work in this remote place. Beyond that, there is the entire environmental and political debate surrounding, having celebrity politicians re-ignite the call for change in an area that seemed to have been forgotten for 3 decades. There is history, environmentalism, politics, pop culture, and life happening in this one specific area, and that is awesome.
This cultural degradation,and deep sense of community is what has happened to small towns in Saskatchewan,, East coast and west coast, with "quick buck" business ideas, would by ecandd flip cheap properties ,& sell to any other foreigner for lots of cash, or buy up antiques,cars & collectables to sell in the cities as much ,without considerinatiin towards the hard work, dedicated livesv,and stories that development those area's schools , hospitals, rodeos,& agricultural fairs that the people provided. God help us all. Shalom
I love the salton sea area! My aunt Verleen lived in Brawley for decades. I flew around the sea in 08 in my delta wing trike and landed with my friends in front of salvation mountain.
Love the .30 cents per gallon gasoline at 11:51. It's interesting how they featured this place in GTA-5 calling it 'Sandy Shores' and they incorporated almost every detail seen here including the rooftop decks, golf carts and windmill house.
Any type of water can be converted into hydrogen gaseous fuel at $0.25 cents per gasoline gallon making ocean or polluted New River water more valuable than lithium, oil, hydro electric, wind, solar or nuclear energy using "Energetic Cavitation Impact" somewhat comparable to Prof Marc Ramsey, Vanderbilt University the 8 year old RUclips video but 5 years ago the Eirex Tech company in Canada can also provide free desalinated ocean water as exhaust of generating hydrogen fueled electricity 24/7 using cavitation impact with any type of water or contaminated waste plastic will incentivize saving the Salton Sea & Mesquite Landfill nearby. Ocean water stores 150 times more Co2 than air. In Singapore they have agreed to invest $20 million in a project to produce cement, bricks, Hydrogen gas from specific minerals contained in ocean water combined with valuable Co2 producing sustainable building materials without pollution. The added benefit of sequestering Co2 into cement and bricks qualifies for monetizing the Co2 into Carbon Trading Credits that are best secured on Blockchain with Smart Contracts on the Internet Computer Protocol for the best application unlike no other cryptocurrency project today.
I live here, been photographing the Salton Sea for decades and have seen it's many changes. The best Corvina and Tilapia came from here. I met Lenard Knight and have several videos of him being interviewed on his birthday before his death.
I just went to the Salton Sea today alot of the water dried out from when this was filmed the water is 1 mile away from were it used to be it's pretty sad looking at it today
Yesss, go off, Queen Olivia! She would NEVER pull God like that by doing drugs. You know why? Because she KNOWS her respects. And, God bless the little absolute legend - the only thing she cares about is soccer because she’s on that “ball is life” flow. Okay, but on a serious note, I hope these children were able to be granted some sort of opportunities in life because they seem sweet and like genuinely good kids. I know this documentary is old and these children are clearly grown now but I hope that they’re doing well. This is one of the only documentaries that I keep coming back to watch over and over again. There’s just something about it. Be it the oddness of the people that still live at the Salton Sea or the bizarreness of how the sea even came to be, I don’t know. But, I love this doc and it’s a good one. Please don’t ever take it down from RUclips!
Whats weird about the Salton Sea is you drive for 30 min, and suddenly you're in fancy, quickly developing, booming areas full of shopping malls, golf resorts, hotels, spas, etc. I go to school at a college about 40 min from the sea, we just went to the sea for a field trip for a course I'm taking, and it was bizarre. It doesn't smell THAT bad, and it isn't that gross tbh. There are a lot of birds that fluorish on the lake, since they don't have to worry about the oxygen in the water. Apparently the water is actually very clean apart from the oxygen defficiency, and high nitrate nutrients causing algael blooms.
Most enjoyable from a Can Snowbird. Been past the Sea many times and found it fascinating and did some research previously. This is a good documentary and enjoyed the interviews with the locals, gotta love the history and hope for the future!!
I spent every summer here with my grandparents in the early 80’s when i was a kid. We even went for Easter they did massive easter egg hunts in the desert for the kids. We would go to The Tiki Restaurant for dinner - it was kinda a dive but so much character i loved it. Motorcycles and dune buggies is how we spent most of the time. Good times way before it became a crack den.
Fascinating documentary. Great stuff! Also Les Marty, the bar owner, has a great voice. Sounds straight out of an old timey radio show or something. I would love to see a follow up on the Salton Sea after this lithium mining stuff happens.
I feel the same. I would not even know about this place if it was not for Grand Theft Auto 5. I looked up "Sandy Shores" and found out in reality, it is the Salton Sea.
I drove by three weeks ago... was like why in the heck would anyone want to live out here? Apparently they have never actually been to a nice place so they can have it, dumbies lol.
Hanoitwin. I felt that way since i saw this Doc..so i took my wife stay at Hotel in Indio and left in the AM. and i love it. Is not LA. Or Palm Springs for Sure. But it grows on U. We drove all around the lake it took us about am Hr. But we enjoyed it. Good luck
I’ve always loved California’s history and this was an amazing documentary to watch. Definitely going to donate and tell everyone I know to donate as well because this is a piece of cinematic gold and we need more like this!
it's basically an huge irrigation run off ditch filled with fertilizer and chemicals. You could have a regular lake if you just treat and clean the water coming off the farms. The Army Corps of Engineers needs to come in.
ohmusicsweetmusic as an environmental systems engineer, I can say to the best of my knowledge that this is pretty fucking big for an irrigation run off ditch
problem began with the Army being there conducting nuclear bomb weapons testing at the Salton Sea Base...if the Sea dries up the Alkaline dust will also be Radioactive...
They need to divert the farm water away and use water from the ocean. Salton is below sea level and could easily take water if you dug a tunnel from the coast.
Praise the Lord his prophecy is coming true, read revelations it will tell you what will happen and what is happening now! Praise you Lord the wind and the waters obey your command!
great doc: music is appropriate (not too loud nor anachronistic), no real narration as most of the narrations are from its citizens, great camera angles, proper conveyance of the "feeling" of wistfulness and hopelessness, includes divers perspectives/opinions, and a fair consideration of its future as may seen by the State. wow I watched it twice, prob hit it up three X's.
We used to go there as kids in the 80s. All I really remember were the piles of fish bones that made up the shoreline. And it stank. My dad said you could walk around it in a day… I always begged to do it, but of course had no idea what I was asking as a seven year old. I want to go back and see what’s become of the area now, in 2022!
lovely documentary, what a great job! salvation mountain... hope i get to see that one day. and i'll be sure to stop by the salton sea and any businesses i see down there.
@@jasonkinter9700 Nah, I was getting a strong "I have been here before" feeling. 3 years on and I can still remember it. Kinda felt like I had lived through it in a dream, or like I was the soul of someone who lived and died on the Salton Sea reincarnated, or maybe the life of someone out there came to me in a vision. Or maybe late at night this started playing in the auto-play queue after I was half asleep and I just don't remember. It's hard to tell with these kinds of things, could be any one of them
I parked and walked to the shore and it was floating with dead fish wall to wall. Second thing I noticed were giant black flies everywhere all over me. Got the hell out as fast as I could.
Unfortunately the Salton sea is facing the same problem that dangerous intersections have, someone has to actually die before they put a light in. I don't understand why the federal government doesn't get a little more involved after all wasn't this a public works project started by the bureau of land reclamation's? When and why did the state assume all the responsibility of fixing it. That said it seems very very irresponble almost criminal to do nothing for 40+ years, except putting on a bandage on a gaping wound. Could the reason be that most of the folks directly effected by this are poor hard working Hispanics and its seems far away from the big cities? Its so very sad that the birds and wildlife suffer as well because of this lack of interest in this Hispanic region. Most Californians don't realize that 90% of our winter crops come from this area. That's money that's generated here and stays here for the most part. Why can't some of the big philanthropists (like Bill Gates , Mark Zuckerberg , Warren Buffet ) in California start a fund to restore the sea. Its in their own back yard for christ sake. They contribute billions to the poor, this would be no different. If every Californian put in a dollar it could be fixed, come on people we have the power to fix this!!!! Less talk, forget the studies and ACT!!!!!!!
The current population moved there long after problems were known. Why does everyone else have to do something for them now that they have buyer's remorse? They need to move.
Move where? Some are too old and lack the energy and money. Once you get to a certain age and/or have a cardiac event or other health crisis it takes a lot out of you. You figure like it or not this is where I'll run out the clock
I first heard of Slab City in the late 90's while I was in Yuma,Az. At 33:33 "Flash" was the one whom told me about it. I did not go as I had to be in a city while fighting the VA. I won, am retired and will go to the Slabs on a camping trip someday.
TheDustysix do some research on slab city and east Jesus. There is literally nothing there except salvation mountain, squatters, and no laws. You might like it to visit...but it's wild!
@@Rock_Girl_Daze We spent a day 3 months ago. Reminded me of a place in Yuma. I will be going back west hopefully by July. Blythe is where I am thinking of going to. I'll be alone this time.
TheDustysix check out some RUclips creators....there are people there you might wNt to hook up with....idk. People say it’s deadly hot in the summer, so be prepared to be self sufficient. 😂 you probably already got this! Have a good time 😃
@@Rock_Girl_Daze Ma'am I am a 60 YO Disabled Vet USMC. My first intro to the western US was a month in the field at 29 Palms Jan./Feb 1980. Then I went to Yuma the first time. I was back again in June I think 1980. I lived and worked and loved Phoenix in the later 80's. I was a working homeless stiff in the 90's in Phoenix, Orlando, Fl. and then Phoenix and Yuma. No electric, A/C or heat for years at that time. I am an old desert rat. With current emphasis on OLD. I thank you for alerting the unwary to the extreme risks of the desert southwest. It is no place for the faint hearted or inexperienced. Trying to find a lady to join me is difficult to say the least. My experience, however valuable, is naturally accompanied with Ugly and Old grouchy guy.
I am from Georgia and come out to California from time to time and had some free time on 5/13/21 so out of curiosity I drove down from fontana on way to Yuma, AZ and thought id visit the Salton Sea and wow its huge and i didn't see one person even on the shore of this once inhabited place. The Salton is almost a deserted place a desolate place. It's a shame they can't save this lake
My other hypothesis is once enough of the residents die out, mainly a lot of the older people, someone with some money will come in and start buying up and tearing down all the property, and THEN something will be done to help the area as they will build some kind of NEW thingy or gentrify the area, ether that or some kind of corporate nonsense or factory. Ether way it might help the land but certainly not the people, hell it could even fuck it all up more.
I was sad to see that this was a very old video. Gaston Cafe closed in 1999 and Harold Gaston died in like 2003 I think. I imagine nearly all the older folks in this video have passed away..very sad..
I hope I live long enough that if the Salton dries up and the stench is blown daily into Palm Springs I would laugh and laugh and laugh at those rich people living in their own smelly disaster~~ Enjoy your golf game!
So they play sports on lush grren courses and keep their area clean and looked after whilst the Salton slum bums sit around drinking beer all day. Is it really the result of Palm Springs? Are they to blame if the good people move away and leave an above average population of slummers. You can sit drinking beer 365 days of the year watching your trash build-up.
If you're Ignorant, You Won't like Salton Sea or City. But if you're a Spiritual person, you will admire the peace and the tranquility of the city and its serenity.
James Flond It's obvious you're the Ignorant one! Only the worldly and the chaotic people don't like Salton City because their minds are occupied with the things of the world. That's Y I said, if you're Ignorant, the place is not for you, but if you're a Spiritual Enlightened person, you will admire it.
James Flond Well, I'm guessing you're a young guy who loves drama, mystery, chaos, suspense and all that lively worldly stuff. That's your preference buddy. Not everyone has the same path and interests as yours. So, quit it!
rwe1havasu I agree. I do like Salton City. I think it's a place of Reflection, Meditation, and Connection. I do feel so sorry for the pets and the residents there, but they do manage. God bless and help them all.
If your ignorant? What if you don't like the heat? If somebody doesn't agree with you or like the things you like are we all ignorant? Your the ignorant one, fool!! Spiritualist lol as Jim Royle would of said...........My Arse!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a very neat example of how Closed Captioning used to be transmitted over TV. At the top of the video, those white lines were cut off from all TV's during the day. This line was used to transmit the CC and decoded and flashed to the screen. If you pay attention, you will see that bar flash with little faded white lines between lines of dialogue, transmitting the next set of CC. Now you have more useless knowledge.
I had never heard about this place before I was asked to come stay for a work project. Driving in at night it smelled horrible, almost made me throw up. Went back and visited the boat launches on my day off, didn’t smell as bad as when I drove through but walking on the beach you are literally waking on dead fish bones. A very desolate and abandoned place. If you’re close, visit slab city, the people are very friendly and you get to see salvation mountain, strange but worth seeing in person. You’ll feel a thousand times safer than staying in Oakland, Stockton, or la. The people were great, talk to wizard in east Jesus if you get a chance.
"Everybody gets weed around here but when they ask me for some or flobear or anybody they say no, cuz we know our respectz, we know"! Yo, that little girl is a true G!!!!!
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
i dont know exactly why but im addicted to this doc. its so immersive....it almost makes me want to buy a lot. they should do a follow up 2023.
I just visited last week and uploaded a video. Have you been here yet?
I've been interested in the area for a long time...but I'm weird and like space .
I almost did when they were 5 grand about 10 years ago. I am also so interested.
As a child, I remember visiting the Salton Sea, it was so beautiful. I remember eating at Gaston's restaurant.And Harold Gaston, he was a remarkable individual. I know because he was my great uncle. He spent most of his life in Niland as a restaurant and bait shop owner. He was a sports fisherman, tour guide, and more. He passed in 2005 at age 95.
Lois Navarro what year was this documentary made?
Wow, I was in Niland the other day
Well I must say your opinion sounds a little biased ;)
Lois Navarro Very cool 😎!!
shut up liar he was my great grandad
I’ve been to Salvation Mountain once. It was on the bucket list & I drove from Texas back in 2015. I only wish I could have met Leonard Knight. May he continue to rest in paradise & watch over his mountain.
This is a story for the ages. I hope someone will find this on a crusty old hard drive in a thousand years, and watch it. I'm thinking, if this were a future anthropologist's only window into the fall of our current civilization, it would pretty well cover it. Well done!
Digital memory degrades faster then you thjnk.
This is how we will all be living if we don't get rid of Joe Biden.
@@AJNoon Wow! You really got me. I accidentally threw in an unnecessary "a" in my 3 year old comment. I hope that you feel very proud of your accomplishment! I'll be sure to make the correction so no other person has to suffer the trauma like you did. Thanks!
No. It’ll tell them how a lake came into being and eventually failed and explain the development around that lake that’s also abandoned and decaying.
Liberal politics is what happened and now we are in the final slide to the worst political condition that hits any country.
I grew up in the Imperial Valley. I was born in Mexicali, Baja California in 1971, but raised in Calexico CA. I recall going on family road trips to the Salton Sea and playing on the sand banks of the Salton Sea beach. We would end our day at the Date Shack enjoying delicious thick n creamy shakes made with local dates. I recall the tropical rain storms of the mid 70's that flooded the Imperial Valley and was the doom of the Salton Sea...
I enjoyed this well made documentary "Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea"...as a kid who grew up in the desert of an agriculture county, this film brought nostalgia to my childhood days...
+cynvenventure1 you've seen it all bro you've seen something so amazing die man I just wish I could have seen it in its glory days :/
Mine also.Grew up in San Diego,but desert raced,hunted,and rivered all my life from the 50's.Shame on the Army corps of mis-engineers.Lo Siento mucho,ahora !!
it’s quite ironic how an evaporating lake deals with flooding problems...understandable, yet ironic.
I too am from the Imperial Valley, born and raised. Our weekends were spent in our grandparents ranch by the old Juvenile Detention Center by La Humadita. I remember the Corvina and Tilapia were the best tasting.
Thanks for posting this Video, have many memories flashbacks of my Grandfather watching this
John Waters documentary (the one you're watching now) on The Salton Sea appeared in select theaters on February 24, 2006. However, it was first shown at the Slamdance Film Festival on January 12, 2004. This documentary in 2021 is now 17 years old.
Thanks! I was wondering. Fascinating doc
@@Vertexnine You are most welcome! I found the Salton Sea doc at my local library. I had never heard of it. I watched it and was absolutely mesmerized.
Why is the DVD run time listed as 1:13 but this is just like 1:01?
Also, for anyone renting the DVD, there are NO subtitles/closed captioning options.
I was wondering why the area in this documentary looks so different than what most youtubers have shown, then i see your comment haha.... thanks for the info!
@@WarsOfate Hello, my fellow fate!!
I'm from Berlin, Germany and first visited the Salton Sea in 1986 with my girlfriend, where I met Norman Niver and his wife Connie. He immediately invited us to go fishing on his jetty and spend the night in his house and we became good friends...
By 2002, I had visited Norman and Connie 7 or 8 times and always had a great time with them and their neighbors.
Both were always great hosts and Norman became one of my best friends ever. He was a great man!
I still had written contact with him until shortly before his death in 2016.
I can't express in writing how much I thank them both for the wonderful times we spent together.
One of my highlights there: In August 1999, I fished an Orangemouth Corvina of 42 inches and 22lbs from his boat about 200m from Norman's house.
Only 4 days later a heavy desert storm came up which caused the water to turn over. The day after, large areas of the lake were littered with dead fish. I found out later that there were about 8 million dead fish.
That was very sad! :-(
My greatest respect and thanks to Norman Niver and all Americans of his caliber!
I will always remember Norman & Connie fondly.
I wish I could say that the egomaniacal warlike American part of my family was anywhere near as great as Norman & Connie.
Best wishes and all the best to all Americans who feel addressed.
God bless you
I think this video is amazing and heartbreaking, all in one. So many years ago my family and I used to come out and picnic and camp for the week-end, sleep in sleeping bags and look at the stars and think what a great place it was, totally unique in itself, before all the mess and destruction.
Go brandon
@Charles sounds SO intelligent. 👌👎
You are a great narrator, melodic and calming voice.
Thankyou for this very real video 🌹♥️
The narration is by John Waters. The same man who gave us Hairspray and Crybaby.
Well Leonard sort of got his wish, thanks to RUclips people come from all over the world to see his mountain! What an amazing pice of art!!
Cheers
This is the best documentary I have seen on the Salton Sea. Particularly the segment regarding the real residents was the best....they show and share their joy of life in a more simple lifestyle. The Leonard Knight/Salvation Mountain segment was inspirational. Very good work KQED Arts!
i love this documentary! I have watched it more times than i can count! John Waters is awesome choice to narrate, This documentary is perfection, Thank you for uploading, But on the somber, bleak side, i am sad for The Salton Sea and its inhabitants, they seem like nice people.
I’m the same as you! I watch this documentary maybe two times a year or so. I love it so much. I once watched this show that was on Netflix briefly called “Abandoned in America” and it featured the Salton Sea. It was the first I had ever heard of the sea. This was about 6 years ago. I went searching on the internet for more info about this place and stumbled upon this documentary and it’s been my favorite ever since. I love the vibe, both somber and bittersweet but also filled with lots of character and people who genuinely do love the Salton Sea and want to see it return to its former glory. I don’t know if it ever can but I hope they can repair it instead of putting bandaids on a wound. The sea needs the ability to have flowing water, rather than just the irrigation water coming in and staying there.
I enjoy it a lot too. It inspired me to visit and I had a blast in Bombay Beach.
@@TCherice There is another on called " Time Beach ' you should check that one out.
I went to Bombay Beach and Salvation Mountain last month (September 2023). The locals were so friendly and I really want to return - there is something about that place that really attracts me. I also met Hunky Daddy (yes, he is still alive and well). I had an amazing time there, cant wait to return!
Just visited last week. Awesome you found Hunky Daddy! Been here a few times and finally ate at the Ski Inn.
I went a few weeks ago. Where did you see Hunk Daddy??
It's definitely an oddly interesting place. I was fascinated.
I drove around the Salton Sea last week. It's so sad to see that 20 years ago, some of the residents still had hope it could turn around, but clearly, it has only gotten worse. I wonder how many of those people they interviewed are still alive, let alone living there, as I know health problems continue to be a huge problem for those who live in this area.
I think this every time I visit. I've met people on my first visit I wish I knew where they were now.
Fxtxtxtxttxx for dad
@@lucamorellato yuyuyyyyyyyyyyyyyd
@@lucamorellato yeodyeooooydodododoosdodosoodosodoodssoossododoydysosotdoysossddsddddd
@@lucamorellato yeodyeooooydodododoosdodosoodosodoodssoossododoydysosotdoysossddsdddddd
My best part of this vintage film is 34:34 With no machinery this wonderful man build this by hand dirt scoop by dirt scoop INCREDIBLE
my grandpa used to take me fishing and camping out there as a kid. he would tell me how popular it used to be. you'd never guess from looking at it
Thank you. This was an incredible, unfiltered documentary.
I see someone was doing research for their slab city video
Danny mullen hmu when your in vegas..I live by the strip.party on garth!
Why doesn’t you’re comment not have more likes?😂
RSK
The Salson Sea is and incredible, unfiltered lake.
"He likes all woman..... Black, White, Red Heads, Asian, (Nine year old's.....)" Right?!??! ....just playing
I actually loved this video.
I'm going to suggest this to everyone I know.
It really is very well put together.
Honestly. Amazing job guys.
All the stories all the images, fantastic!
RinascitaVita guy is a legend and if he actually was a creeper the local residents would have shot him asap. Doubt he gave them beers, had to be soda.
John Waters’ voice is perfect for this.
"They real shitty out here, but other than that they cool."
Pretty good doc. Wish they would have included a bit more footage of the more eccentric personalities, though.
Right lol
I think it is so wild how you can look at any one place in the world, even a small almost forgotten place like the Salton Sea, and have so much intersectionality of life. Here we have an ecological disaster, that used to be a thriving leisure destination 60-70 years ago, but within that you have so much more. People live there today; people from its prime waiting for a revival, as well as new residents trying to get by as best they can. You even have a Hungarian population that migrated due to a revolution in their home country! International push and pull mechanisms are at work in this remote place. Beyond that, there is the entire environmental and political debate surrounding, having celebrity politicians re-ignite the call for change in an area that seemed to have been forgotten for 3 decades.
There is history, environmentalism, politics, pop culture, and life happening in this one specific area, and that is awesome.
This cultural degradation,and deep sense of community is what has happened to small towns in Saskatchewan,, East coast and west coast, with "quick buck" business ideas, would by ecandd flip cheap properties ,& sell to any other foreigner for lots of cash, or buy up antiques,cars & collectables to sell in the cities as much ,without considerinatiin towards the hard work, dedicated livesv,and stories that development those area's schools , hospitals, rodeos,& agricultural fairs that the people provided. God help us all. Shalom
"A beautiful, awful paradise." Great video! Thanks for this...🌷
I love this doc I've watched it probably 4 times and I have fallen in love with the salt on sea
And people fall for you 😉
I love the salton sea area! My aunt Verleen lived in Brawley for decades. I flew around the sea in 08 in my delta wing trike and landed with my friends in front of salvation mountain.
This is one of the best documentaries I've seen on the Salton Sea. Thanks for uploading.
Love the .30 cents per gallon gasoline at 11:51. It's interesting how they featured this place in GTA-5 calling it 'Sandy Shores' and they incorporated almost every detail seen here including the rooftop decks, golf carts and windmill house.
GTA V did a superb job of downscaling the California landscape. The team deserves an award if they never got one for that aspect alone.
Any type of water can be converted into hydrogen gaseous fuel at $0.25 cents per gasoline gallon making ocean or polluted New River water more valuable than lithium, oil, hydro electric, wind, solar or nuclear energy using "Energetic Cavitation Impact" somewhat comparable to Prof Marc Ramsey, Vanderbilt University the 8 year old RUclips video but 5 years ago the Eirex Tech company in Canada can also provide free desalinated ocean water as exhaust of generating hydrogen fueled electricity 24/7 using cavitation impact with any type of water or contaminated waste plastic will incentivize saving the Salton Sea & Mesquite Landfill nearby. Ocean water stores 150 times more Co2 than air. In Singapore they have agreed to invest $20 million in a project to produce cement, bricks, Hydrogen gas from specific minerals contained in ocean water combined with valuable Co2 producing sustainable building materials without pollution. The added benefit of sequestering Co2 into cement and bricks qualifies for monetizing the Co2 into Carbon Trading Credits that are best secured on Blockchain with Smart Contracts on the Internet Computer Protocol for the best application unlike no other cryptocurrency project today.
I live here, been photographing the Salton Sea for decades and have seen it's many changes. The best Corvina and Tilapia came from here. I met Lenard Knight and have several videos of him being interviewed on his birthday before his death.
How perfect that John Waters narrates this film about California's own little Mortville.
Really, really good documentary on the Salton Sea. Been there many times, this is the most extensive documentation I've seen so far!
I just went to the Salton Sea today alot of the water dried out from when this was filmed the water is 1 mile away from were it used to be it's pretty sad looking at it today
If the Salton Sea disappears, Palm Beach and it's $8B of taxable real estate could be next.
I had the pleasure of meeting Lenard. Great person ❤
Best docu. I will see this weekend, very intresting.
Yesss, go off, Queen Olivia! She would NEVER pull God like that by doing drugs. You know why? Because she KNOWS her respects. And, God bless the little absolute legend - the only thing she cares about is soccer because she’s on that “ball is life” flow. Okay, but on a serious note, I hope these children were able to be granted some sort of opportunities in life because they seem sweet and like genuinely good kids. I know this documentary is old and these children are clearly grown now but I hope that they’re doing well. This is one of the only documentaries that I keep coming back to watch over and over again. There’s just something about it. Be it the oddness of the people that still live at the Salton Sea or the bizarreness of how the sea even came to be, I don’t know. But, I love this doc and it’s a good one. Please don’t ever take it down from RUclips!
Congratulations on the twinning of our communities of Salton City, CA, USA with Jaywick, Essex, England UK
lol
Whats weird about the Salton Sea is you drive for 30 min, and suddenly you're in fancy, quickly developing, booming areas full of shopping malls, golf resorts, hotels, spas, etc. I go to school at a college about 40 min from the sea, we just went to the sea for a field trip for a course I'm taking, and it was bizarre. It doesn't smell THAT bad, and it isn't that gross tbh. There are a lot of birds that fluorish on the lake, since they don't have to worry about the oxygen in the water. Apparently the water is actually very clean apart from the oxygen defficiency, and high nitrate nutrients causing algael blooms.
I would love to visit the area.
Peter Ceallaigh It's pretty bizarrre, The beaches are made of nothing but deda barnacles and washed up fish
I still come back to this Great place
This is a very well done documentary. The footage, filming, editing, narration, soundtrack, etc
Informative and entertaining!
I'm an Artist-Designer, from London, I found this place a few years back, what an Amazing place
Watched this years ago, still awesome.
It's almost 20 years old. It was made while Sonny Bono was a mayor there. Another poster says the water has receded at least a mile since then...
Most enjoyable from a Can Snowbird. Been past the Sea many times and found it fascinating and did some research previously. This is a good documentary and enjoyed the interviews with the locals, gotta love the history and hope for the future!!
Thank you not posting ads on here. They are annoying as hell.
Now they are inescapable.
I spent every summer here with my grandparents in the early 80’s when i was a kid. We even went for Easter they did massive easter egg hunts in the desert for the kids. We would go to The Tiki Restaurant for dinner - it was kinda a dive but so much character i loved it. Motorcycles and dune buggies is how we spent most of the time. Good times way before it became a crack den.
Just checked it out today. Mostly abandoned now.
This is a gem, thanks for sharing
Fascinating documentary. Great stuff! Also Les Marty, the bar owner, has a great voice. Sounds straight out of an old timey radio show or something. I would love to see a follow up on the Salton Sea after this lithium mining stuff happens.
Why do I feel the need to go to this hell hole?
I feel the same. I would not even know about this place if it was not for Grand Theft Auto 5. I looked up "Sandy Shores" and found out in reality, it is the Salton Sea.
I drove through the other week, it’s a massive pile of shit.
I drove by three weeks ago... was like why in the heck would anyone want to live out here? Apparently they have never actually been to a nice place so they can have it, dumbies lol.
Hanoitwin. I felt that way since i saw this Doc..so i took my wife stay at Hotel in Indio and left in the AM.
and i love it. Is not LA. Or Palm Springs for Sure. But it grows on U.
We drove all around the lake it took us about am Hr. But we enjoyed it. Good luck
@@schlomoschwanzblaser7607 perfectly stated.
I’ve always loved California’s history and this was an amazing documentary to watch. Definitely going to donate and tell everyone I know to donate as well because this is a piece of cinematic gold and we need more like this!
Gosh that music was awesome! Loved it!
Kid's name is Flaubert.
Nature always wins.
"Some of the black kids are just delightful " lmao
Very interesting stuff.
Nothing wrong with that older Lady saying that!
Athenais LaMar you are right
She really wanted wanted to say something totally different.
"You can't take nuthin' and make anything out of nuthin'." Words to live by.
it's basically an huge irrigation run off ditch filled with fertilizer and chemicals. You could have a regular lake if you just treat and clean the water coming off the farms. The Army Corps of Engineers needs to come in.
ohmusicsweetmusic as an environmental systems engineer, I can say to the best of my knowledge that this is pretty fucking big for an irrigation run off ditch
Notoriously Irritable that is a correct statement
problem began with the Army being there conducting nuclear bomb weapons testing at the Salton Sea Base...if the Sea dries up the Alkaline dust will also be Radioactive...
They need to divert the farm water away and use water from the ocean. Salton is below sea level and could easily take water if you dug a tunnel from the coast.
Great show.. I enjoyed all the interviews.
This is what a documentary should look like.
I traveled to the Salton sea just to take photos, in 2012, it was horrific. The smell was worse than corpses that I had dealt with as a nurse!
Love the uncensored unbiased documentary, just like the one PBS did on the USS Nimitz. Good stuff.
This was before everything in life was Woke
i liked that freedom fighter dude, that loves AMERICA. GOD BLESS HIM, wherever he may be
That was great! I loved the long arc - ended perfectly. KUDOS!
This music is great. The whole project is a masterpiece.
Praise the Lord his prophecy is coming true, read revelations it will tell you what will happen and what is happening now! Praise you Lord the wind and the waters obey your command!
So glad they mentioned Owens lake.
Really enjoyed watching this. Hope it gets better in/around Salton Sea area.
I really want to visit this place
I LOVE LEONARD KNIGHT!! HE WAS THE BEST IN "INTO THE WILD" RIGHT ON! LOVE-TOTALLY!! GOD IS LOVE, EVERYTHING IS LOVE RIGHT ON PAL!!
great doc: music is appropriate (not too loud nor anachronistic), no real narration as most of the narrations are from its citizens, great camera angles, proper conveyance of the "feeling" of wistfulness and hopelessness, includes divers perspectives/opinions, and a fair consideration of its future as may seen by the State. wow I watched it twice, prob hit it up three X's.
We used to go there as kids in the 80s.
All I really remember were the piles of fish bones that made up the shoreline. And it stank.
My dad said you could walk around it in a day… I always begged to do it, but of course had no idea what I was asking as a seven year old.
I want to go back and see what’s become of the area now, in 2022!
I wish we could be more like the great generation and irrigate this place and fix it.
irrigation is to blame for the droughts. we just need to destroy all the farms in deserts, reclaim wetlands. fuck almond milk for a few years
I can't believe the people of California aren't demanding this be fixed. They are always talking about saving the planet and they won't fix this.
Some of the sharpest knives in the drawer.. Aren't in Sacramento, that's for certain-!!!😉
lovely documentary, what a great job! salvation mountain... hope i get to see that one day. and i'll be sure to stop by the salton sea and any businesses i see down there.
"Businesses"? LMFAO! That's so funny :p
Seriously... There's nothing left really :(
40:10 when the pelican has a snap at the park ranger cracked me up.
This gave me such a strong feeling of déjà vu.
ummm.... I think you are thinking of the word 'nostalgia" instead of deja vu? maybe?
@@jasonkinter9700 Nah, I was getting a strong "I have been here before" feeling. 3 years on and I can still remember it. Kinda felt like I had lived through it in a dream, or like I was the soul of someone who lived and died on the Salton Sea reincarnated, or maybe the life of someone out there came to me in a vision. Or maybe late at night this started playing in the auto-play queue after I was half asleep and I just don't remember. It's hard to tell with these kinds of things, could be any one of them
Thank you for the education on what had happened on salton sea ! Very apperiecate
I parked and walked to the shore and it was floating with dead fish wall to wall. Second thing I noticed were giant black flies everywhere all over me. Got the hell out as fast as I could.
it is sad.. can't wait to go visit. thanks for posting.
This place is sad but funny at the same time. Wouldn't mind visiting on a road trip someday.
Ayyyeee its Sandy Shores from GTA 5
Joe Trach yes. This is in fact the place that Grand theft auto 5's Sandy shores was based upon.
What do you think that big lake in the map was based on
Joe Trach 🤣🤣💯
I was hoping the Mayor would look like Trevor.
какое ауе?
Great video! I appreciate the information had never heard about this place.
Unfortunately the Salton sea is facing the same problem that dangerous intersections have, someone has to actually die before they put a light in. I don't understand why the federal government doesn't get a little more involved after all wasn't this a public works project started by the bureau of land reclamation's? When and why did the state assume all the responsibility of fixing it. That said it seems very very irresponble almost criminal to do nothing for 40+ years, except putting on a bandage on a gaping wound.
Could the reason be that most of the folks directly effected by this are poor hard working Hispanics and its seems far away from the big cities? Its so very sad that the birds and wildlife suffer as well because of this lack of interest in this Hispanic region.
Most Californians don't realize that 90% of our winter crops come from this area. That's money that's generated here and stays here for the most part.
Why can't some of the big philanthropists (like Bill Gates , Mark Zuckerberg , Warren Buffet ) in California start a fund to restore the sea. Its in their own back yard for christ sake. They contribute billions to the poor, this would be no different.
If every Californian put in a dollar it could be fixed, come on people we have the power to fix this!!!!
Less talk, forget the studies and ACT!!!!!!!
The current population moved there long after problems were known. Why does everyone else have to do something for them now that they have buyer's remorse? They need to move.
Move where? Some are too old and lack the energy and money. Once you get to a certain age and/or have a cardiac event or other health crisis it takes a lot out of you. You figure like it or not this is where I'll run out the clock
I must admit that I couldn't stop thinking about GTA 5, and Trevor's character, but this is a great video!
Navy Base at Salton Sea was used in movie "The Monster That Challenged the World" in 1957... Parachute Training, Nuclear research ...
I first heard of Slab City in the late 90's while I was in Yuma,Az. At 33:33 "Flash" was the one whom told me about it. I did not go as I had to be in a city while fighting the VA. I won, am retired and will go to the Slabs on a camping trip someday.
TheDustysix do some research on slab city and east Jesus. There is literally nothing there except salvation mountain, squatters, and no laws. You might like it to visit...but it's wild!
@@Rock_Girl_Daze We spent a day 3 months ago. Reminded me of a place in Yuma. I will be going back west hopefully by July. Blythe is where I am thinking of going to. I'll be alone this time.
@@Rock_Girl_Daze I used to be very wild. Old age sucks.
TheDustysix check out some RUclips creators....there are people there you might wNt to hook up with....idk. People say it’s deadly hot in the summer, so be prepared to be self sufficient. 😂 you probably already got this! Have a good time 😃
@@Rock_Girl_Daze Ma'am I am a 60 YO Disabled Vet USMC. My first intro to the western US was a month in the field at 29 Palms Jan./Feb 1980. Then I went to Yuma the first time. I was back again in June I think 1980. I lived and worked and loved Phoenix in the later 80's. I was a working homeless stiff in the 90's in Phoenix, Orlando, Fl. and then Phoenix and Yuma. No electric, A/C or heat for years at that time. I am an old desert rat. With current emphasis on OLD. I thank you for alerting the unwary to the extreme risks of the desert southwest. It is no place for the faint hearted or inexperienced. Trying to find a lady to join me is difficult to say the least. My experience, however valuable, is naturally accompanied with Ugly and Old grouchy guy.
Wonderful documentary thank you.
When John Waters narrates a made for TV, nonfiction documentary about politics & ethics, you know you're living in a rather surreal time.
I am from Georgia and come out to California from time to time and had some free time on 5/13/21 so out of curiosity I drove down from fontana on way to Yuma, AZ and thought id visit the Salton Sea and wow its huge and i didn't see one person even on the shore of this once inhabited place. The Salton is almost a deserted place a desolate place. It's a shame they can't save this lake
My other hypothesis is once enough of the residents die out, mainly a lot of the older people, someone with some money will come in and start buying up and tearing down all the property, and THEN something will be done to help the area as they will build some kind of NEW thingy or gentrify the area, ether that or some kind of corporate nonsense or factory. Ether way it might help the land but certainly not the people, hell it could even fuck it all up more.
I was sad to see that this was a very old video. Gaston Cafe closed in 1999 and Harold Gaston died in like 2003 I think. I imagine nearly all the older folks in this video have passed away..very sad..
Bought this on DVD was so original and being there as a kid in the 60's.
Fantastic documentary many thanks for posting 👏😊
I hope I live long enough that if the Salton dries up and the stench is blown daily into Palm Springs I would laugh and laugh and laugh at those rich people living in their own smelly disaster~~ Enjoy your golf game!
So they play sports on lush grren courses and keep their area clean and looked after whilst the Salton slum bums sit around drinking beer all day. Is it really the result of Palm Springs? Are they to blame if the good people move away and leave an above average population of slummers. You can sit drinking beer 365 days of the year watching your trash build-up.
😂
Fantastic! Makes me wanna move there.
i hope that something can be done to save this place along with all the poor wildlife that are suffering because of man's carelessness
Exactly... I wish they would stop the suffering of the poor wildlife who are voiceless, defenseless & helpless.
I am 56 and I remember going down there to Salton Sea when I was a Little kid..it was a Happening Site, always Crowded
If you're Ignorant, You Won't like Salton Sea or City. But if you're a Spiritual person, you will admire the peace and the tranquility of the city and its serenity.
James Flond It's obvious you're the Ignorant one! Only the worldly and the chaotic people don't like Salton City because their minds are occupied with the things of the world. That's Y I said, if you're Ignorant, the place is not for you, but if you're a Spiritual Enlightened person, you will admire it.
James Flond Well, I'm guessing you're a young guy who loves drama, mystery, chaos, suspense and all that lively worldly stuff. That's your preference buddy. Not everyone has the same path and interests as yours. So, quit it!
I could enjoy the peace and tranquility but not the smell.
rwe1havasu I agree. I do like Salton City. I think it's a place of Reflection, Meditation, and Connection. I do feel so sorry for the pets and the residents there, but they do manage. God bless and help them all.
If your ignorant? What if you don't like the heat? If somebody doesn't agree with you or like the things you like are we all ignorant? Your the ignorant one, fool!! Spiritualist lol as Jim Royle would of said...........My Arse!!!!!!!!!!!
Great video-great music, all around 5 star affair-Scott
This is a well made video.
I'm sure the Salton Sea could be fixed, but this is tragic, because I doubt the government will fix it.
They don't want to fix it! They obviously have ulterior motives.
They don't want to because people will have food. Very selfish the government. Shamefull
PBS ran a cool doc on Salton Sea...I hope they reshow it soon. I need to buy land there...quick. Thanks lithium.
Once the lithium extraction plants get up & running, this place will have another real estate boom.
@JJ-bm2qc OH come on Trump needs another hotel somewhere=Hotel METHICAN AMERICANS.LOL
Reminds me of the Manindi Lakes Broken Hill NSW Australia...
Township of Sunset Strip....
Good video, very enjoyable.
This is a very neat example of how Closed Captioning used to be transmitted over TV. At the top of the video, those white lines were cut off from all TV's during the day. This line was used to transmit the CC and decoded and flashed to the screen. If you pay attention, you will see that bar flash with little faded white lines between lines of dialogue, transmitting the next set of CC. Now you have more useless knowledge.
The old lady smokes King-size Filter-tip Picayunes while she drives around in her golf cart.
I had never heard about this place before I was asked to come stay for a work project. Driving in at night it smelled horrible, almost made me throw up. Went back and visited the boat launches on my day off, didn’t smell as bad as when I drove through but walking on the beach you are literally waking on dead fish bones. A very desolate and abandoned place. If you’re close, visit slab city, the people are very friendly and you get to see salvation mountain, strange but worth seeing in person. You’ll feel a thousand times safer than staying in Oakland, Stockton, or la. The people were great, talk to wizard in east Jesus if you get a chance.
"Everybody gets weed around here but when they ask me for some or flobear or anybody they say no, cuz we know our respectz, we know"! Yo, that little girl is a true G!!!!!
following the no snitch rule i see
@@starsmash7491 (lol)