I saw the second half of a documentary once.  About a place in the desert of California called Salton Sea where rising salt levels causes fish to die and wash up onto the shore and which essentially leveled nearby communities and resorts, relegating them to ghost town status.

I made a mental note: if I’m ever out near there, I’ll stop by.

I was and did.

And then I drove to nearby Salvation Mountain (which was seen in “Into the Wild”, the Chris McCandless story – clip below) and Slab City, a strange spot which a wikipedia entry describes as such: “The site is both decommissioned and uncontrolled.  It has no official electricity, running water, sewers, toilets or trash pickup service. Many residents use generators or solar panels to generate electricity.  The closest body of civilization with proper law enforcement is approximately four miles southwest of Slab City in Niland where the residents often go to do basic shopping.  As a result, the site is described by its inhabitants and news outlets as a miniature de facto enclave of anarchy.”  So yeah, there’s that.

I didn’t have much time at Salton Sea, Salvation Mountain or Slab City.  Then again, I didn’t need much.