Comments on: Strange Geographies: The Salton Sea

By: Ron

Ron — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:41:00 +0000

He forgot to mention 2 major features of the Salton Sea.
(1) It is below sea level
(2) It is man made…. by accident.

By: uvas

uvas — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:06:46 +0000

Hi,

Just want to compliment you on your awesome “Strange Geographies” series. I totally read most of them.

One quick question: can you divulge your camera gear setup? I love these photographs and want to find out what lens(es) you use.

Happy shooting!

By: Shannon

Shannon — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 06:02:21 +0000

There sure seems to be a lot of different takes on the Salton Sea here. I swam in it in the mid-70s. I know that prior to the early 1900s it was dry and may have been the lowest elevation point in North America. When the Colorado River flooded and a dike gave away on the All American Canal the water flowed downhill through the Alamagordo Dunes and created the Salton Sea that we have come to know. The Water created it’s own ecosystem and has existed for more than a century now. I have never heard of the “New River” that is mentioned here. I also do not understand how pollution can flow into it from Mexico without first traversing either the westward flowing All American Canal or the south flowing Colorado River. As for the state cleaning up a “man made” creation, I don’t think it ranks anywhere near protecting and cleaning up “natural” areas.

By: Jayden

Jayden — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:30:44 +0000

Excellent article, and beautiful photos!

I have been to the Salton Sea several times. It’s quite sad California is so broke that they can’t afford to make this into a recreational area once again.

By: Joan Czapalay

Joan Czapalay — Mon, 31 May 2010 14:59:34 +0000

But the birds! I finally got to visit the Salton Sea in March ( and it was hot then) and there were dead fish washed up along the shores, but the birding was fantastic. I didn’t get a good look at the Yellow-footed Gull so will have to return when it is later in the spring ( and hotter).

By: Cali41

Cali41 — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:10:03 +0000

I have many fond memories of fishing and camping out at Salton Sea. Despite, my recollection of the swarms of flies which would cover every inch of your body as well as your food. I will always cherish the memories of being on the water in my grampa’s rickety little boat.

By: sailbus mark

sailbus mark — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:47:02 +0000

OH MY GOD!!!
oh my god was the name of a beutiful hot spring on the west shore of the salton sea when the powers that be blew up the hot springs in 1994 the magic was gone.
this whole area is enchanted and dont let the ghost town pics scare you
this is a sacred place and should be treated as such.
read louie lamoures last novel it is all about what really happens out there!

By: delta arif

delta arif — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:52:47 +0000

I have just posted an article about â€œthe river under seaâ€â€¦http://mathforex.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/the-river-under-sea/

By: Eruadan

Eruadan — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:07:40 +0000

I used to live in the Imperial Valley during the late 1950′s and early 1960′s. At that time, the Salton Sea was still a semi-resort area, although you could already see the signs of impending decay.

If one looks to the mountains on either side of the SS, the water-line from the prehistoric lake can still be seen. This if more visible on the west side, north of I-8, just as the hiway starts to go uphill toward Jacumba.

The existing SS was created when the Colorado Rv. changed it’s course in 1905. I believe that water flowed for about 3 weeks before engineers managed to get the river back to its old channel. I’ve been told that if you fly over the lake, you can see an old train under water. It was part of the effort to stop the water.

The area was originally called the “Salton Sink”. There was a salt mine there, which is why the water became so salty.

Also, I remember several childhood visits to the “Mudpots” near the southern end of the SS. Those were created by geothermally heated gas bubling through pools of mud — much like one would expect to see in Yellowstone.

Thanks for the memories.

By: Bill Alongi

Bill Alongi — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:21:27 +0000

About 10 yrs. ago after traveling around the US I stopped for the night in slab city ,as i was at the end of my touring the US and had heard so much about ” slab city”i had to stop .One night turned into 6 months.If you are the type of person who enjoys meeting people of all different sorts and adventures ,i recommend this adventure. If you are the type of person which cannot handle what some parts of life are like ,dont go. posted by Bill on 11-22-2009 P.S. I recomend visiting Via motor home.