The Salton Sea: The Skeleton in California's Closet

What happened to the Salton Sea in California? In my first travel documentary about this strange yet fascinating place in California's Imperial Valley, I explore the sea and surrounding communities of Bombay Beach, Slab City, East Jesus, and Salton City.
The area was also the inspiration for the fictional desert town of Sandy Shores which appears in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online. In the game, Trevor Philips acquires a small landing strip in the area which may be in reference to the Salton City airport.
I encourage you to read more about the lake’s history and the current ecological crisis it has become. You can find an interesting article written by Ian James and Sammy Roth on USA Today here: www.usatoday.c.... Thanks for watching! I hope to post more of these as I travel!
**CORRECTION** The Salton Bay Yacht Club was demolished in 2000, not the 80's.
Filmed on Panasonic GH5 with Lumix G Vario 12-60mm lens, GoPro Hero 6 and DJI Phantom 3 Pro.
Music licensed through PremiumBeat:
1) Mystery Theater: www.premiumbea...
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#ExploreAlways #SaltonSea #HistoricPlaces #ExploreCalifornia #urbex #abandoned #Travel #NeverStopExploring #travelblogging #tourism #wanderluster #inspiredtravels #exploringtheglobe #getaway #adventuretime #adventureseeker #getoutstayout
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Explore Always is produced by Frager Productions. For inquiries, please email [e-mail].
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[@ericxpenner]

Nevermind the sea potentially being toxic, I got cancer from the fucking comments on this video.

[@ExploreAlways]

Eric Penner 😂me too.

[@ericxpenner]

@@ExploreAlways Hahaha.

[@CarolynsRVLife]

Welcome to KZbin.. LOL. Great video!

[@Scpcghost]

Nice! Good spot to explore and shoot.😎

[@Hunterbiden32]

Never Stop Exploring pussie

[@YESITSWILL]

A couple of years ago I got stuck on the beach in my Jeep. After trying to dig out for two hours in 100+ degree heat, a guy showed up with a shovel, wagon, and wood and started helping me dig out. I was exhausted and told him I didn't want to keep him from doing something else. He said, I'm a bum. I don't have anything else to do. He didn't ask for anything and I didn't have any cash. A couple of times a year I send him a gift card to thank him. One of my favorite memories. EDIT (5 years later). He wasn't homeless. His house was up on the slope next to where he helped me. After we dug me out I drove to his house where he said he lived with his mother. He also let me use a hose to clean the dirt off my vehicle. None of the gift cards (16 as of 2021) were ever returned in the mail.

[@dxraaaaa]

@68Camaro RS/SS Starbucks? They just mention that all businesses closed, moved or left. Lol

[@WildsDreams45]

That was random bruh

[@jaspermartini4830]

Bullshit

[@ramonloera5337]

68Camaro RS/SS he a bitch

[@dxraaaaa]

Yeah... Cash is always King. You should've given him cash.

[@vashman01]

Thanks for documenting the areas that GTA V was based on.

[@SanJose408Alex]

Nash Potter is it really? Never looked into it

[@keithgw2777]

Trevor lives there

[@yourmom-ii8ep]

Sandy shores bro

[@Doc_Valparaiso]

@@keithgw2777 As soon as they started showing the roads I thought of Trevor.

[@slapalotbocanegra9233]

I noticed the same thing lmao 😂.....GTA V is the shit I use to wonder about that place on the game lol like it must B real lol

[@Nutmeg-]

Looks like a combination between art gallery and horror film setting.

[@MrCountrycuz]

Bianca Freismuth Yeah The hills have Bums!

[@arnoldstollar5375]

Bianca Freismuth yes

[@ramonmartinez2397]

I live here

[@FeedMeSalt]

It's amazing to see how a desert can preserve human structures. Here in Canada rural towns are taken back by the forest in less then ten years sometimes. Legit entire homes just swelled by plants when left alone.

[@ExploreAlways]

FeedMeSalt that's insane!! Thanks for watching!

[@1985bjaycat]

Yes it's fascinating to me the way nature takes these homes over!!

[@markpapenfuss1111]

Egypt, for example.

[@clandestine.thoughts1896]

@aston nex he can't. He's lying to you.

[@rexdilligam6261]

Explore Always keyword-trees

[@eadlynjune]

I really loved that art though. Nobody else really seems to be talking about it! Even if you’re not religious you have to admit that cavern is breathtaking, so many colors and flowery things, it’s like a dream or something! Even the other artists did some great stuff, like the house with eyes or the giant man/monster thingy. All of that is so cool!

[@Fluoride_Jones]

+Eadlyn June I agree, 100%. I want to visit this place one day.

[@ishikawa1338]

Looks more like Litter and graffiti and trash and chemicals dumped onto the earth

[@blackmoneymedia3587]

Only the eclectic can really appreciate it

[@Fluoride_Jones]

+Aaron Malone Well, I'm certainly that!

[@420FlowerPower]

You have the gift of appreciation, come out here you’ll definitely love it.

[@CassandrashadowcassMorrison]

When my parents and I first moved to California in 1960 you could still swim and boat and fish on the Salton Sea. This is too sad.

[@arnoldstollar5375]

Cassandra Morrison Yes.

[@brienjohnson866]

Yep,that's where I learned to ski!

[@th3azscorpio]

Coming back to this video, I just wanted to remark at how beautiful California deserts are. I always say this, but, it's like the sun just shines differently there. It's warmer, and softer.

[@Dtillma228]

This felt like something straight out of ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’, strange and intriguing.

[@ExploreAlways]

D.Tilly haha totally! Thanks for watching!

[@victoriaballard7354]

It looks like a Mad Max kinda world.

[@souljahroch2519]

Eric Ballard It is.

[@palm0607]

They had to film that movie somewhere on Earth....

[@psycomachia]

Probably the color grading

[@seanthompson8071]

Maybe Slightly Annoyed Max

[@RingoYote]

Lance Burley it was filmed in the australian desert, the second movie that had the 747 scene was actually a steel-mockup

[@Zeron18]

I was there last year to visit a friend at Palm springs. That beach wreaks of death and rotting fish corpse. The most surprising part is that the ground you stand on is not Sand. Each step have a crunch sound. It's the bones and scales of the already decayed fish corpses.

[@JodyBruchon]

The most metal beach ever.

[@matthewronson5218]

*reeks

[@Heavywall70]

Jody Bruchon Actually a heavy metal beach 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻 Mercury ,lead & whatnot

[@matthewronson5218]

@@Heavywall70 Yes, one can really "rock on" at the Heavy Metal Beach.

[@TROllingNINJA2031]

"welcome to beautiful sandy shores" -Trevor Philips

[@nahuelma97]

Lmao exactly, that's what I was thinking

[@waddupjd]

STAAP IT

[@tylerdurden8939]

I loved Trevor, very few people have the balls to truly be them selves like he does. I realize he is a game character

[@waddupjd]

@@tylerdurden8939 I hate Trevor! Why you ask?! He killed my boy Johnny!!

[@srererewds1927]

Tristan Kruger it is

[@richardmcleod5967]

And the Salton Sea is just a few miles away from Palm Springs, California with some of the wealthiest people living in the World.

[@richardmcleod5967]

It amazes me that the odor of the Salton Sea can extend down through Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City and all the other Desert cities on into Palm Springs and with such wealthy people living in the Coachella Valley area, nothing seems to ever get done to alleviate the problem. There have been times where the odor has reached into Riverside, California, over 80 miles away! Sono Bono when Mayor of Palm Springs supposedly had a "cleaning up" of the Salton Sea high on his list of "things" to get done, but nothing happened and certainly hasn't happened since his untimely death.

[@jetmechgirl9022]

I live in La Quinta and have never smelled the salton sea

[@PapajosTraders]

We were hitchhiking through Palm Springs in the 70's and a friendly cop gave us a tour of the city. (and a ride to the outskirts!)

[@frederickmuhlbauer9477]

And Jerimiah Babe of KZbin fame

[@richardmcleod5967]

@@frederickmuhlbauer9477 More expensive home developments continue to be built not so far from the Salton Sea, but the Sea itself still smells as bad and is as much of an eyesore as ever.

[@rylieriley]

My mom used to take me and my brother to the Salton Sea pretty often when I was young, back in the '60s, so I really enjoyed this video. She would spontaneously decide to go for a drive in the middle of the night, and I would fall asleep in the car. When I woke up, early in the morning, when the sun was just coming up, I would discover that we were parked at the Salton Sea. It was a lot of fun, actually. Excellent video! And great narration, too.

[@raccoon681]

I take it looked better back then

[@rylieriley]

It was a lot better back then. The last time I was there was around the mid 1980s, and it was already going downhill at that time.

[@eriklehnsherr5784]

Is that what happened to you? Because you like a dude dressed in drag.

[@rylieriley]

Well, I wouldn't want people to mistake me for a dude dressed in drag, now would I, so I fixed my KZbin channel art just for you, Erik Lehnsherr. lol

[@raccoon681]

wtf kinda comment is that?

[@UGHITSJOE]

This was beautifully put together

[@Samanthie11]

UGH IT'S JOE OMG IT’S JOE

[@dickcarpenter8947]

the very best of luck to all the creative artists who reside there.

[@justinbond558]

Unlike the actual man made sea!

[@NotJbus]

David just called for you

[@MrGG-rz3he]

I have lived in California for 29 years and never heard of this place. I have family in Riverside and never once heard of anyone mention it down there. This is some nutty stuff.

[@ExploreAlways]

Crazy!!! Thanks for watching!

[@th3azscorpio]

I lived in California for 20 years, and there are so many places that I, nor most other people have even heard of. Crazy shit, but hey; it's a big state, with a lot of nooks and crannies that have yet to be explored.

[@cup6669]

Check out the Sea something unique imo, I mean a freakin lake in the middle of the desert I didn’t believe until I checked for myself and it was well worth it

[@mroof523]

Seriously, I heard about this when I was 5

[@slappy8941]

Most people I met in California had never been more than an hour from home.

[@AntoineLavoisier]

I went to Bombay Beach last February but I missed these other locations. Thanks for making this!

[@vwr32jeep]

My grandparents lived in a trailer park community called Salton Sea Beach.. my cousin still lives in that trailer on El Centro Ave. I remember going there as a child in the very early 70’s. The lake was just starting to turn bad, but it was still a very lively place with boating and fishing on the lake, and dune buggies and 3wheel ATVs in the desert. It really was an amazing place. We went back to visit grandma in 2009... very few ppl left in the community. It looked exactly like the area in this video. Sad to see it decay like this. :(

[@mattadrev471]

man, Grandma still lives there!!!! I mean sure she likes the community but the air quality is so bad ;(

[@paulym9969]

Cool story and great memories, sounds like were about the same age. Man those just seem like the best times back then, seems like a whole different life time ago

[@vwr32jeep]

Pauly m Agreed. There was a vineyard not too far away. At the end of the picking season they’d let ppl go pick what was left. We’d get grocery bags full lol. Great place!

[@louisparkerjr6920]

I was stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA in the mid 70s and use to rent camper trailers from the rec center and pull them to the Salton sea, in the campground area they had spaces with camper hookups including water, elec, cable tv and a small bar/cafe. We would catch lots of Tilapia and throw them back but it was so much fun fishing. I am a black man and from getting in the water, i had a pure white film all over my skin. I went in the winter time once and it was about 35 degrees with a 35 to 40 mi per hr wind blowing. Ya talking about cold man we almost froze. Parts of an old night club building that had a balcony that extended out over the water and we were told that the Rat Pack (Frank, Sammy Dean) use to perform there. Sony Bono after he became a congressman worked hard to try to save and revive the sea but after his death not much was done. You could buy tracks of land that were measure off very cheap. Many people from San Diego would buy tracks and park a motor home on it to spend weekends and some retires would bring theirs and actually live out there for months at the time. Summer time temp gets up to 120 if you can handle that. Go check it out but hold your nose. lol

[@user-ir8mf7km6w]

vwr32jeep i

[@edstimator1]

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of camping and skiing at Bombay beach. My parents owned a lot at Salton City for many years before abandoning it to the tax liens. I hope that some day Salton Sea will once again rise up to at least it's former glory. But no hope of that occurring in my lifetime. Goodbye old friend!

[@patrickgragg5602]

When I was a teenager in high school at La Puente High School my dad had a lot down at the Salton Sea in the 70s, had a trailer there and a dune buggy and a boat and the place sucked then it's stunk like seaweed and dead fish all the time. The only time I like being at the Salton Sea was when I got on that dune buggy and drove out into the desert and got away from the water.

[@BeeWhistler]

Yeah, from what I heard, it was already past it's glory days by then. Shame. Even the photos from the early years look kinda lame to me... I mean, it's still flat dirt outside the water with dusty desert hotels... but it looks so sad after seeing so many people gathering there once.

[@davehester7349]

This is so sad, in the 70's I truly enjoyed this place

[@pozlock1997]

how was it like ?

[@yanni2112]

I was here in the 80's not bad then either

[@robertstockamp6992]

I was there in the 60's and it was very nice.

[@TheWolf22t]

I think the camera work was great and so was the narration

[@noherekruger3738]

Anyone else get that GTA 5 vibe from 3:45 to 3:50? All I could picture was jumping that shit on the quad. Yes, I'm aware this is probably what it was modeled after.

[@ExploreAlways]

No Here Kruger totally! Ocotillo Wells is not too far southwest of Salton Sea and is a popular spot for offroading. Maybe I'll have to go out there for a follow up video! Thanks for watching!

[@chrismartinez5163]

I'm sure that it was modeled after this area of CA. Salvation Mountain isn't far from that "jump". I love that jump with a quad

[@elviscastillo5337]

No Here Kruger I think it’s what gta based it off. Because they have the small trailer town, visitor center looks like the hospital you respawn at , the lake and debris is exactly the same , the salvation island is the alien thing , the big Molt wall in front of trailer where Trevor killed the guy in the beginning of his story. The train also.

[@dan79transam65]

Gonna say the same thing

[@briand.1694]

DEFINITELY!

[@davidmaiolo]

I just spent the entire day following your footsteps from this video. From the Salton Sea Visitor center to Salton City, I had an awesome adventures and would highly recommend this as a day trip for anyone in the area. Thanks for this awesome video and inspiration

[@ExploreAlways]

David Maiolo awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@vellarus6581]

Dude how do you not have more subscribers? Keep up the great content!

[@tiananman]

Places like the Salton sea strangely don't get mentioned when people talk about government stewardship of water resources.

[@ExploreAlways]

tiananman very true! It's a shame and a real tragedy. Thanks for watching!

[@dmfraser1444]

It is not a water resource. It was an industrial accident in building a canal to take Colorado River water to San Diego. The side was ruptured and the water poured out for over a year, partly filling a dry depression 200 feet below sea level. There is no natural water inflow or outflow. After the canal was repaired, no one bothered to try to empty the accidental lake.

[@adammcdonough3111]

just like the west virginia rivers clogged with coal waste from private ventures

[@pinkythechihuahua3156]

Its a hot topic in the Coachella Valley. It is a fly way for migrating birds. Outside of that SS is pretty much, not worth much.

[@tiananman]

Maybe you and I have different standards for what responsible resource stewardship looks like, but mine includes not creating an ecological mess as a consequence of diverting rivers. This isn't the only example of California's disasters as a result of the experiment of diverting water to unsustainable coastal population centers, but it's certainly one of the most obvious. The question is: has California improved its stewardship since the Salton sea was created? Has the state learned anything? It's still diverting fresh water through deserts in order to prop up its coastal cities and farmland. There's basically no stewardship. Water gets sold to the lowest bidder/best politically connected zip codes.

[@papaskazoo5860]

My husband and I hit up the visitors center on the way back from Palm Springs. We walked out to the beach and the smell was horrifying. There were a couple of people actually FISHING there. The whole thing was nasty, but the sea was an interesting site there in the desert. The beach being totally comprised of shells and bones was really interesting. Fun fact: did you know that the New River from Mexico runs into the sea? Raw sewage is dumped directly into the river near the border and further up and it runs north into America. At some point it hits a sewage treatment plan, but then it continues on INTO THE SALTON SEA. Yes, that is treated sewage running into the sea.

[@b92028]

Amanda Vidri so that’s what it is

[@Slipmahoney21]

The Mexicans just keep shitting on us!

[@papaskazoo5860]

Shufei I’ve never watched Fox News a day in my life.

[@steveholbrom8424]

Amanda Vidri I think he was replying to Satch Mahoney. Either way, Satch is a troll who deserves to be ignored and not satisfied with a response.

[@nadakidd]

The Salton Sea is Dowisetrepla ;)

[@kraysis]

Great cinematography

[@ExploreAlways]

Kraysis thanks for watching!

[@richierich6231]

NeverStopExploring very good.

[@alicehallam7949]

Never Stop Exploring I watch every Sea video that I find. The Sea mesmerizes me and I'd love to visit. This is definitely one of the better vids on the Sea! Still trying to figure out how much fresh water goes in there naturally from the two river inflows...the Whitewater River on the noth end and the Alamo River on the south end. Found out that Mexicali drains the city's sewage into it that's called the NEW RIVER eeeccchhh!! How can that be allowed by the U.S.? Is Imperial County being paid to take the poop/pee/etc? I've seen pictures it's basically an open trench. Hey, from Denver!! 🙋

[@ExploreAlways]

Alice Hallam awesome! Thanks for watching!!!

[@mikeperth8027]

Great mini doco, very well filmed and entertaining. Brilliant job mate.

[@Heksu99]

1. Bath in the water 2. get skin problems 3. sue 4. profit

[@ExploreAlways]

Heksu99 5. Use profit to pay for skin problems 🤣

[@420FlowerPower]

Welcome to the Hotel California. You can check in but you can never leave.

[@creativeandaliveat65]

6. Die@@ExploreAlways

[@MottyGlix]

* Bathe

[@mrfrogg46able]

to take a bath, you bathe

[@balistic565]

Hey that's the lake in gta5. Wow the trailer park looks just like it and that art thing is in the game as well

[@packersfan8107]

Where?

[@xtremegamer2218]

Sandy Shores

[@blackmoneymedia3587]

Welcome.to Sandy shores

[@oumarkoume7238]

Sandy Shores is Bombay Beach. The dead fish on the beach are there and people drive in golf carts like in real life.

[@henkkaj73]

Yeah, I was amazed at how you can clearly recognize the place and know exactly what is around the next corner. Such detail!

[@hirsch9634]

Great documentary. Nicely done! Posted the following as a response to a comment below but felt like posting it separately as well. All of which sounds just about right. So you definitely get an A+ for research! But may I add: It's also a geologic disaster waiting to happen. Or, from another perspective, a really long-term opportunity... The Salton Sea is located at the southern end of the San Andreas Fault system. However, instead of being a strike-slip fault (the Pacific Plate is sliding by the North American Plate) like the rest of the SAF, this area is spreading. Which means that the Salton basin is actually getting deeper such that one day the Gulf of California will come pouring in. Not just from a tsunami, but as a new extension of the gulf. And, of course, rising sea levels will only accelerate that process. Which kinda means that all those resorts built around an evaporating, man-made catastrophe were actually not a mistake. They were just really premature. But I believe that the engineering mistake that the narrator mentioned (and I too wish he'd expanded on...) was the actual creation of the Salton Sea itself. This happened in 1905 when an irrigation project gone wrong allowed the Colorado River to flow into the basin for a couple of years. Anyway, it's a fascinating story and a very surreal place to visit. If you want to know more there's always the interwebs. But if you have an interest in more of the meta picture of how the West got green and why water matters I strongly recommend the book "Cadillac Desert" by Marc Reisner. Prescient and a damn good read don't do it justice. Cheers!

[@SeattleScotty]

This is exactly what I came for, information about the sea itself. These human interest stories don't interest me if I don't have a solid grasp of the premise.

[@SullyGutierrez]

That's kind of scary 😧

[@arturus]

Captivating video. The music, cinematography, editing and narration all combine to create a superb piece. Oddly enough I have fond memories of fishing there with my Dad many moons ago; later, in young adulthood I went back and it was just as you described. Again, captivating and many thanks.

[@ExploreAlways]

Arthur Djahani awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@MrJay_White]

leads in with the line "150 your old engineering mistake". never mentioned engineering again. after googling, this sea is below sea level. and to the south is a massive possible flood plane that used to be the delta of the colorado river. while the sea itself is nearly 200ft below sea level, the earth barrier to the south (the ancient delta), is only 30ft above sea level in some places. easily low enough for a tsunami to over-run, should the gulf of california see an earthquake in the right place.

[@hirsch9634]

All of which sounds just about right. So you definitely get an A+ for research! But may I add: It's also a geologic disaster waiting to happen. Or, from another perspective, a really long-term opportunity... The Salton Sea is located at the southern end of the San Andreas Fault system. However, instead of being a strike-slip fault (the Pacific Plate is sliding by the North American Plate) like the rest of the SAF, this area is spreading. Which means that the Salton basin is actually getting deeper such that one day the Gulf of California will come pouring in. Not just from a tsunami, but as a new extension of the gulf. And, of course, rising sea levels will only accelerate that process. Which kinda means that all those resorts built around an evaporating, man-made oasis were actually not a mistake. They were just really premature. But I believe that the engineering mistake that the narrator mentioned (and I too wish he'd expanded on...) was the actual creation of the Salton Sea itself. This happened in 1905 when an irrigation project gone wrong allowed the Colorado River to flow into the basin for a couple of years. Anyway, it's a fascinating story and a very surreal place to visit. If you want to know more there's always the interwebs. But if you have an interest in more of the meta picture of how the West got green and why water matters I strongly recommend the book "Cadillac Desert" by Marc Reisner. Prescient and a damn good read don't do it justice. Cheers!

[@williamcoady2066]

thank you man, was wondering wtf never got back to that statement

[@kidwithahoodie6238]

@cisa93 good ghat i live on the south side of america.

[@michaelmorrison4201]

Soooo you're saying try and snatch up up some land there now... and just wait for it! We'll all look like geniuses!

[@WillWilsonII]

When I lived there I would often find little seashells. The area was very obviously under water at one time.

[@powertuber3.047]

My family and I visited The Salton Sea when I was a child in the early 1960's. I have never forgotten the smell.

[@ExploreAlways]

It definitely sticks with you. Like rotten eggs in a dirty diaper. O_o. Thanks for watching!

[@iAmiSaid]

Amazing. Thanks for sharing. I had no idea this existed. It was certainly worthy of your exploration.

[@ExploreAlways]

User nyc You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!

[@whoswho7232]

@@ExploreAlways watch the movie salten sea, how can I perchas land there cheep

[@HB-nt8xr]

I actually just went to all these locations last weekend. Amazing! The best word I can sum up is "wonder". Post apocalyptic wonder of what it was like back in the 50s. Do you have any recommendations of a nearby adventure like this to LA?

[@ExploreAlways]

Awesome! I'm glad you got a chance to check out the area for yourself. It really is fascinating! As far as places in L.A., I've been wanting to check out the "Lost Sunken City" in San Pedro...the remains of an old neighborhood that literally fell into the ocean decades ago. 500 W Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro, CA.

[@HB-nt8xr]

@@ExploreAlways Thank you! Abondoned places are so alluring to me. There is an abandoned amusement park somewhere in Pennsylvania, an abandoned entire airport in Greece (I think), abandoned entire city in China, abandoned massive freight ships anchored in the middle of the Ocean and tons of spooky mines I have seen some people explore. If you have any other suggestions of things like that driveable distance from LA I would LOVE to hear about them =). You do an AMAZING job with your videos. The best one of Salton Sea.

[@lexbeltran1354]

I've been to the Salton Sea many times. That place has always fascinated me. ☺

[@keithdantonio680]

That was really nice brother I’ve seen a few documentaries about it but I still enjoyed yours

[@ExploreAlways]

Awesome, thanks for watching!

[@Timbo868]

Reminds me of a Fallout scene! All it needs is a nuka cola machine.

[@emmanuelpanlican]

you remember fallout but this desert is literally and actually existing in gta 5 where trevor lives.

[@heyhoe168]

Nah, fallout sucks. This desert is much better scene itself.

[@NewPaulActs17]

reminded me more of the most recent max max video game

[@Robert-mx3id]

Tim yep that's it Fallout and weapon dump

[@sightlesswisdom2559]

The Hills Have EYES!!!!

[@thadesplatter5080]

I went there during spring break. Felt like I was in Fallout 4.

[@hugglescake]

In Maryland, our Salton Sea is called Baltimore.

[@robertpreskop4425]

Baltimore is the Caracas of the North.

[@savannaobregon3823]

Baltimore is really the weirdest city I've ever visited.

[@reverietapes]

In Tennessee,our Salton Sea is called memphis

[@ghostsofnormmacdonald2446]

Pure Assassino Memfrica.

[@etiennescarbinski7890]

At least the Orioles are decent

[@DiegoVuitton]

Literally took a trip to the Salton sea the other day (I live close by) I went with my best friend, he used to live there. N he was telling me all about, I voiced out how I wanna learn more about it. Fast forward to now, this video pops up on my recommendations.

[@ExploreAlways]

DiegoVuitton I'm glad you found it! But I promise I'm not listening in on your convos. 😂🤟🏼

[@michaelteeple8704]

Pretty sure the latest UT version listens in on you. Lately when i have a discussion about something and my phone is near that subject immediately comes up. Its happened too many times to be coincidental.

[@SB-ll8ow]

@@michaelteeple8704 Literally happened to me today. I was talking to a friend about how she wants to buy goats to eat up the side of her over grown property. What shows up on my recommended videos? Goats eating a propery in a time lapse of 6 days. I don't think that was a coincidence.

[@jello561]

law of attraction lol

[@kevinnoll3434]

I've watched probably over fifty KZbin videos about the Salton Sea for I live about 30 miles from it and I have to say this video has been my favorite. Good job!

[@chuckbodnar5756]

This is such a bummer of a video. I grew up in So Cal and the Salton Sea was a destination place to go in the 1950's. In 1958 I remember flying oiut to the North Shore air[port and it was a jumping place. Lots of fishing, sailing and just plane sunbathing. It was great. I remember water skiing and having a great time. My last visit was in 2000 and it was like visiting a cemitery. What a mess. Nothing but druggies and alcoholics walking around. The air stinks and there is NOTHING to do there. Just so sad!!!

[@karlbuchanan1363]

Yes it has gotten really bad with zombies

[@gautamsidbhamidipati5167]

... the gallows humor of the narration coupled with a matter of fact tone set against a current day post apocalyptic Southern California landscape makes this documentary an absolute joy and must watch.

[@vincecox8376]

WHY DID YOU LEAVE OUT ALL THE GREAT PLACES ALONG THE SALTON SEA??? ALL YOU DID WAS TRASH IT OUT

[@indiana146]

Breaks Are Optional it looks like a place that has given up on life rolled over and died

[@OutSideDeMatrix]

of course u would type that - you are as big an asshole as the guy who shot this - and his narration is like listening to dead people moaning. maybe the dead people are deeper in meaning. sheesh....white cis dudes.......gross

[@jamesbarca7229]

This video kept popping up in my recommended list. I was going to click Not Interested (the Salton Sea has been done to death and most of the vids are quite boring), but managed to click on the video instead. Turned out to be one of the most interesting vids I've seen on the subject. Good job.

[@ExploreAlways]

awesome, i'm glad you clicked on it! Thanks for watching!

[@duquesne9487]

Jejejeje.same here. It's actually really good. But I do wonder why it was recommended.

[@scottmerrow1488]

HOW do you click: "Not interested"? Is that like the FB dislike button?

[@lindalesabre]

WHY do all those oddball, off-topic videos pop-up in your KZbin 'Recommends' lists? Like an ad, they PAID for primo placement. Buying eyeballs + trawling for 'clicks.' Huge 'click' #'s means videos go viral, appearing in Popular' or 'Trending' categories. There, vids become self-sustaining + PAID placements no longer needed.

[@billyed]

This is a great video. Impressive visuals. More like this please.

[@lorewilhelm9182]

My family used to go camping there in the late 1960's. It makes me sad to see this.

[@NoWrongInBeef]

Random thought, but did anyone else get any GTA V Sandy Shores vibes from this video?

[@samplename6627]

NoWrongInChickn that's what Sandy is based off of

[@struggler875]

Yes! Now watch the movie heat with al Pacino and Robert dinero

[@mooseknuckle420]

NoWrongInChickn Sandy shores is supposed to be this lol

[@duno22133]

Yepp

[@rayjinflo]

The Alamo Sea

[@bowietwombly5951]

The phrase "skeleton in the closet" suggests something bad that is being hidden, and yet you never give any explanation about what this place is or was, what happened, or really any context at all. I don't even know where in California this place is! Including a link to someone else's work explaining crucial details is lazy at best. The camerawork was pretty, but I got no substance from this because there was no "why."

[@NFSCalex]

He did mention it was an Irrigation disaster, but you're right, he could have added some more background about its location and history.

[@sQWERTYFALIEN2011]

. . . . . You could look it up on a Map . I like to describe it as the North end of the Gulf of California ( if the Ocean level rose several feet ) "But where the Heck is the Gulf of California?!" it is the body of water between Baja California and Mexico .

[@johnnyjohnston8847]

They were building a canal and the canal wall and broke filled a low lying area! The sea became toxic because of the salt build up! Because there's no fresh water coming in and its slowly evaporating

[@oscarkorlowsky4938]

I just know it's South and one of my friends went to salvation mountain

[@landonlittrell8198]

The real story is the river keeps changing directions, then when the lake was large enough the second time, after the first time it fully dried up, they dug a canal to the ocean where it then became salt filled and when the river changed directions again back towards the ocean, it is now in its recession again

[@madelinegutierrez2910]

So glad you went. So I never do.

[@hunaru308]

its about an hour or two away from where im at, it's honestly such a weird place

[@madelinegutierrez2910]

@@hunaru308 I bet it is.. and if I were an hour away.. for a long time..I would eventually go see it. The saddest part being the ecological disaster of it. The weird people part.. that's a personal choice thing.. and a source of pics of "outsider art."

[@hunaru308]

@@madelinegutierrez2910 uh, if you do decide to go during the day lmao, and start to head back when the sun goes down, bunch of weirdos over there really all in all, i don't really recommend this place, it smells, its hot as hell and its just an eerie feeling the whole time

[@madelinegutierrez2910]

@@hunaru308 I don't think ever in my life will I be near enough, I live on the Atlantic Ocean, for long enough, I'd have to have seen and done everything within 3 hours away, to go there. So thanks for the "heads up," hopefully helpful to someone else. ;)

[@kennyc388]

A stay on San Quentins death row would be a couple pleasure notches above this wretched, hideous mess.

[@jessicamoores181]

Visually Stunning! Very Nicely Done! Gods Speed in your travels 👍🇺🇸👏

[@3therspark63]

Great little doc man!! Awesome camera angles and music! keep it up man! (theres a typo in your banner on your channel ''beuatiful'')

[@ExploreAlways]

Thanks for catching that! And thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!

[@nickp5815]

You deserve so much more subscribers, I thought I was watching a video from a big channel. This video was high quality and very well made.

[@matiasblanco4300]

I definitley agree 100 percent !

[@tinamcdermott-sicilia4846]

Absolutely ! The video was great. Not too much, not too little. In thought it was very professional. I hope he continuesndoing these. As for all the negative people with their untasteful comments, keep it up ! He gets paid more for all of your silly comments. $$.

[@nickp5815]

God damn his channel is exploding! I was here at 752 subscribers just a few days ago now he has 5k! And this video had 70k views now it has 500k!

[@Seventeen_Syllables]

I used to live in San Diego and would take the back roads to Laughlin, NV, for a break sometimes. There was a diner in Salton City that served up a great burger in what looked like a scene from an old sci-fi horror movie. They closed in the summer though, so had to make do with a date milkshake from the Arabic-sounding towns to the north. On the trip between the Salton Sea and Laughlin were other noteworthy stops like the abandoned town of Rice, and there used to be the Shoe Tree. The story behind the Shoe Tree is pretty sad. It was a joshua tree and people would put old shoes, among other things, on it. It was totally covered eventually. Then on one trip I went for my visit to see what new shoes had been added and someone had burned it down. The tree was probably hundreds of years old, perhaps over a thousand, destroyed in an instant by someone who could not understand what they were doing. California attracts some pretty horrible people.

[@Toomuchbullshitt]

And very weird people too.

[@christophermason8151]

That sucks. You should look in to the ancient giant trees that were cut down long ago. If you are in to that kind of stuff. It's very interesting.

[@plutomutt]

I'm sorry but your comment brought up a well of emotion in me. I never thought I'd find such a comment on a random video I decided to watch. The Shoe Tree was beautiful, it really was. I promise I'll remember it forever even though someone decided to destroy it for future generations,. I'll always carry it's memory with me...

[@bluesira]

Many great trees have been lost in the California wildfires.

[@bluesira]

Also I forgot about all the date plantations around the Salton Sea! Guess the salty moist air is good for matching a Mediterranean climate.

[@rcasey81]

Wow your videos are beyond amazing. I remember going to the Salton Sea as a kid in the 90s. It smelled so bad and had dead fish all over it beaches. Your video shots make this place look better than it is in person. Beautiful work!

[@thsarethbreaks]

I used to go fishing with my family when i was a kid in the late 70's. It is exactly the way you described it. BTW i'm originally from Orange County Ca.I live outside of ATL,Ga

[@freedomfighter628]

Thanks for the weird trip man. Sort of depressing though.

[@marilyn.g]

Lol I live 20 minutes away from here 😂

[@destravlr]

Why didn't you relate more of the history of the formation of the Sea? The video itself is interesting, showing many of the sights around the Sea, but you're a little snarky about the reality. Those ponds at the SSTB were part of an experiment around 2000, to see if salt could be removed from the sea by accelerated evaporation. Wasn't efficient enough to continue.

[@ExploreAlways]

Wow, interesting! I did not know that! I really do want to go back to the area soon and make a video more focused on the history of the sea. Thanks for watching!

[@destravlr]

Look up info from the U of Redlands, the Bur. of Reclamation, and A.C.E. on the SS work in late 90s and early 2000s. Lots of excellent science and engineering efforts to find ways to keep the birds, fish and humans able to use the SS. I attended several meetings, representing El Centro BLM, in La Quinta of the groups, and I was impressed with the sincerity of each group.

[@SUPER_WOLFMOON]

My thoughts exactly!!!

[@youresoakinginit2113]

NeverStopExploring, FTR your narration was spot-on, in both tone and content. However I'm now totally depressed over the whole thing! Some time back we watched the movie "The Salton Sea" (documentary) and afterwards couldn't shake that feeling, the people were so stuck. I wish the doc makers would go back and follow up with the subjects they showed on the original film. Your video-doc is very good, and i want to see more. But you've saved me from my urge to visit in person!

[@Rat-Builder]

There was/is one theory about digging a ditch from the Gulf to Salton Sea to keep the lake full of water. When it dries up completely it will be a disaster beyond anything that can be imagined for dear old L.A. There are lots of people that would cheer when Cali becomes uninhabitable, but all of those survivors, (even the icky ones), will then move to your state, and then the disease will spread.

[@chibi168]

Great video. I'm heading to Palm Springs in a few weeks and I'll make time to check it out. It reminds me: My college friends (environmental engineering students) visited the Salton Sea during the 90's for a case study.

[@MissMichSan]

Please correct me if wrong isnt Salton sea located in southern cali? You're going to travel we l to salton sea after palm springs? Soinds like an adventure 👍

[@jakubmarszaek8330]

I will retire to the Salton Sea at the age of 23

[@christinemott2878]

Ha ha ha shit been busting my ASS all these years and I could of retired in California? Damn.

[@BOTzerker]

Chris McCandless visited the Salton Sea before leaving the state on his trip to the end.

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

Skirmisher wow really? I went there in ‘65 our dad took us there. I hated it then and now as an adult I can see why.

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

Jakub Marszałek please dont

[@Gellybeanb1974]

LOL

[@idelperez5319]

Cool video. I've always wondered about this place. Its like Palm Springs forgotten Brother.

[@SamuelKristopher]

Wow, great new recommendation from KZbin, I could definitely watch more videos like this!

[@ExploreAlways]

Glad you found the channel! Thanks for watching!

[@iKnowYoureBusyBut...]

I subscribed and was all excited to watch your videos but you only have a couple 🙁 Can't wait to see what's next! The way you edit and narrate.... I would totally Netflix binge ur shows.

[@ExploreAlways]

Thank you! I promise to have some new ones soon! Thanks for watching! :)

[@derpferguson5400]

NeverStopExploring I second her statement.

[@JustChadC]

It really is a beautiful place. I was just there in December with some friends from San Francisco who haven’t been and we all saw the weird beauty in it for the first time I met a lot of the locals and had such great conversations with them. It really is a weirdly remarkable gem in a very misunderstood state

[@lavanderpham6677]

San Francisco it’s close to that same destiny.. full of shitt

[@aidanhammer6968]

Wtf are you on about?

[@ECsponger2]

I've bicycled along it's shores before, camping at the SRA. Bicycled to Niland to Slab City and through Glamis twice. One of the strangest but most interesting places in the country.

[@gnolls]

Looks like a post-apocalyptic future akin to Mad Max.

[@namekman01]

I was thinking fallout

[@nhmooytis7058]

Gnolls Mad Max Waters is one of the liberal politicians who've turned California into Hell On Earth.

[@gnolls]

chris leonard a coincidence in namesakes I think not.

[@tumarfa]

Looks like a Soviet ecological disaster area somewhat like the Aral Sea.

[@jsm530]

California is dying dude. It's become a wasteland.

[@VivaFrei]

Wow... 1400 people have never seen the Salton Sea. 😂 This was fascinating, and superbly done. I was literally down there last week for the first time ever, and made a couple of videos of my own, but nothing that compares to the quality of your video. We didn’t get down to the southern spots you hit, and travelling with three kids, I’m kind of glad we didn’t… But I’m glad I got to visit it through your video. Insta-subbed :)

[@ExploreAlways]

Awesome! Glad you got to see it for yourself! Thanks for watching. Subbed-back!

[@jeremiahlarkin1134]

Thankyou for this Fabulous Account Of The Salton Sea!! I have learned a lot! And will become a Subscriber now!!

[@KenjiMapes]

This was a nice piece that you produced. It was quite well done and I enjoyed it. The history behind the Salton Sea is both sad and an infuriating cautionary tale. The environmental ramifications are disheartening but at the same time the eeriness about it is alluringly fascinating. Same thing can be said about the people, towns, objects, etc that have propagated from it. It is just so surreal.

[@ExploreAlways]

Kenji Mapes thanks for watching!

[@shamrocky]

Urban exploring at it's finest, great video well done!

[@joemomma506]

When I lived in L.A., I had no idea of the history of the place. I think it was like 2002 I decided to ride my motorcycle to it for a nice ride. Needless to say, I was blown away when I got there and the first thing that came to mind was exactly how you described it: "A post-apocalyptic wasteland".

[@barandcross]

Very well made - editing, photography, commentary and music. Nice work!

[@PrezVeto]

Nothing about how it was accidentally created?

[@flores332]

Basically making a man made river to take drive water into farms and aciddentaly making a lake

[@maxim430]

Watch the 'that is interesting' video

[@joyced.5657]

Antonio Perales del Hierro WTF??🥱🤪

[@terrygoyan]

I know! No explanation.

[@omnipotentdwarf571]

You went there so I don't have to. Thank you.

[@mathewgrinnell7392]

there is more here around the sea that you didn't see in the video but not a lot more.

[@oRealAlieNo]

It's pretty cool

[@BattleBound]

You should still go. It's a trip to see in person. There's so much more there.

[@devilicious76]

The man who created the god hill, started working on it in the 80’s, and passed away in 2014. But his artwork will live on forever ❤️ and the people who live in slab city are probably the nicest people you’ll meet, from other videos I’ve watched. It’s their art❤️

[@of1955]

Nice work and a great video! The music works well, too when it eventually is turned wayyyyyyyyyyy down. I will be watching all of your videos.

[@ExploreAlways]

Awesome, thanks for watching!

[@privacyvalued4134]

This narrator could make a trip to the restroom interesting.

[@ExploreAlways]

Haha, thank you! And thanks for watching!

[@wistfulherbz]

I watched this video while taking a dump and found it interesting, so yes he could :P

[@profd65]

That comment can be taken in various ways, some of which are disturbing.

[@sextuspompeius1266]

@@profd65 I thought of it the disturbing way

[@Robert-mx3id]

yep, the DRONE footage is the DEAth scene of CHEMICAL WEAPONS DUMP leeching Into the SEA

[@AlexanderLennox]

A very good film made better by the orator, who has a very relaxing voice.

[@outbackeddie]

Very true. He could be a professional.

[@brandonGCHACHU]

Orator....heh heh

[@mauriciojaralopez2878]

Man i feel bad for that park ranger girl

[@stephenpowstinger733]

The idea that California spends money on the place is ludicrous. Poor girl is right. Does she have to toe the party line?

[@raedwulf61]

It's a paycheck...

[@threecreationleather6596]

I feel bad for the taxpayers who pay her !

[@turbopokey]

Bet that hospitality center doesn't even have wifi... Poor girl probably went bonkers.

[@4SCARECROWS]

She would be happy to see someone.

[@jamasters62]

Thanks for this very interesting video. I've heard of it for years but had no idea what the Salton Sea really is. As an amateur photographer, I'm naturally attracted to offbeat public art and decaying buildings, and I would now firmly believe the Salton Sea area to be a mecca for folks like myself. Thanks again, I really liked and learned a lot from your video.

[@ExploreAlways]

jamasters62 awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@RicoLen1]

This was really cool. Great video, and very weird locale. Love the narration, too. There is so much that could be said in terms of opinions towards everything shown, but less is more in this case. Every single little thing about this area, and I mean EVERYTHING screams at the top of their proverbial lungs Fallout to me. Someone needs to put up a sign that prominently states: "... but war? War never changes." I think a Nuka World theme park would be a pretty good attraction for the area. Bethesda should get on that ASAP! I'm sure the property values are quite reasonable. lol I have to share this on my facebook feed to Bethesda themselves. They have to already know this place exists, right? They had to have taken inspiration from everything they did when they made Fallout 4 especially. Sanctuary Hills looks like it should be just around the corner here.

[@buren86]

I liked your mock travel video from the State of California, talking about the dying lake as if it was the Dead Sea in Israel. The only way I see a fix to this pollution problem is that if we have another accidental overflow of the Colorado River to fill it up again with 'fresh water', or wait till it fully dries out and go in with bulldozers to scrape off layers of the contaminated lake floor; I agree it would be a huge undertaking as the Salton Sea is a very large multi-acre area. After seeing your video, I would want to visit the caverns at Salvation Mountain and take in the art. Unlike other comments, I enjoyed your fast-paced narration and drone footage.

[@themillenniumtimtam9372]

Beautiful video! Was curious what equipment you use, have always loved making home videos but even with current gen phone cameras the quality's shoddy.

[@ExploreAlways]

Thanks for watching! For this video, I used the Panasonic GH5 with the Lumix G Vario 12-60mm lens. No gimbal - the GH5 has a pretty awesome internal 5-axis stabilizer. I also used the DJI Phantom 3 Pro, GoPro Hero 6, and Behringer C-3 Condenser mic for v/o.

[@margaretadami6358]

Thanks for that! I've always been very very intrigued by the story of the Salton Sea.

[@thanhavictus]

It's a good lesson in good environmental management and pollution prevention. Ironically all idiots here criticizing CA for this place would willingly vote for policies that create irresponsible hotspots such as this. Ag runoff is destructive, and it gets worse the bigger it is.

[@thanhavictus]

@Morty Snerd you even heard of Kansas? Republicans fucking destroyed that state. In fact most red states leech more money than they bring in. They don't fucking care about their own people,because that's what happens when you put greed first. California has a massive population and the biggest ag in the nation. Scaled to how much is actually happening in the state, no other state could have competed

[@thanhavictus]

@Morty Snerd we will continue sending people to Texas to fucking fix your corrupt ass state and vote out crooks like cruz

[@Bluespicygreen]

@Morty Snerd Texas? Have you been to Texas. I have, there is literally nothing there unless you really like cows, large empty fields or bingo night and churches.

[@gpecaut1]

@Vlavitir glutginskiya you need to check your facts. Take Chicago, Baltimore, and the Las Angeles homicides out of the US totals and the US has one of the lowest homicide rates in the world. Just the number shot in Chicago was higher than the country of Iraq last year, and they were still fighting a war there then!

[@gpecaut1]

You do realize that the sea was formed by an engineering accident to begin with. It is man made. The extreem salinity comes from the ground, not pollution, and most of the pollution in the sea comes from Mexico, not farms. Farms in California can't afford to water enough to have run off.

[@focusedeye]

Nicely presented with great production value. As one voice talent to another, I tip my hat to you sir, with your excellent voice-over.

[@ExploreAlways]

Thanks for the complement and thank you for watching!

[@dkpqzm]

Pander much? Just kidding, please don't send me a hateful message

[@Sarasdad91]

I lived in Indio and worked at a Restaurant in the late 70s on the North Shore of the Salton Sea. It was North Shore Beach and Yaght Club. The sea was a nice place then. But allot of flooding from excessive rains. The sea was where the runoff went from the surrounding areas.

[@coppulor6500]

so hard to believe that there were all these flooding problems given how parched the landscape seems. I bet they would appreciate some excessive rains these days! interesting

[@swalther10]

I’m 2 years(almost 3) late, but this was a really great video. I never knew this place existed.

[@GaryFowler2906]

Even Homeless people won’t live there. That’s gotta say something

[@_Muzolf]

What would they eat, the fishbones?

[@GaryFowler2906]

Thomas Gerardi actually the climate is quite pleasant in Bombay Beach. Even in the summer it’s pretty much 90s , and drops into the 70s and even 60s in the evening.

[@GaryFowler2906]

Thomas Gerardi the reason homeless people don’t hang out in Bombay Beach is that it’s simply not a populated enough area in which to panhandle

[@GaryFowler2906]

Thomas Gerardi I guess it’s along the same principle as to why children don’t go a Trick or Treating out in the country where there are few homes

[@RayRand]

It says there's no services with free food and other goodies.

[@rcbif101]

"Salvation Mountain" had a nice cameo appearance in the movie "Into the Wild".

[@ExploreAlways]

Rcbif it did! And it was an incredible movie. Thanks for watching!

[@tstuff]

I was thinking that but I couldn't remember for sure. Didn't he stay in a trailer in the trailer park "slab something?" too?

[@christinemott2878]

Yes itbdid. I liked that movie, the book was diff a bit from the movie but thats Hellywood!

[@GypsyWitchMagick]

Great video. I loved the vintage footage at the end.

[@kevinkevin6806]

One of the better videos I’ve seen for this topic! Loved it!

[@vi0let831]

Back when I was in elementary school, we used to go on field trips to the Salton Sea pretty often. It was actually really cool, we got to climb a huge rock mountain just in time for bee and ladybug mating season. We had lunch there and we got to see all kinds of birds, even if the place was mostly dead.

[@ecomexillennial2244]

Did you live in Mecca or North Shore. I used to live there.

[@johnrogers9481]

Wow, I didn't know ladybugs could mate with bees, mate.!!

[@RockHudrock]

Why are there 999 downvotes?! This is an amazing video - well done !

[@ExploreAlways]

Who knows! Haha, thanks for watching!

[@richardbutts852]

I gave it a down vote because i can't watch the video The horrible background music is annoying

[@zebunker]

I thumbs down every video I watch. Fuck the system.

[@tommatthews9126]

Some people just don't like hearing the truth.

[@MeanOldLady]

Just tired of hearing gay people narrate videos in an obnoxious, condescending tone with fake accents. It's as creepy as everything else in the video...

[@omarijoseph3189]

very cool stuff..i guess a lot of the tourism went to places like Palm Springs or San Diego

[@ExploreAlways]

Fun fact...the Salton Sea was once pitched as a "Palm Springs with a lake" to promote tourism in the area. Thanks for watching!

[@heatherbleu5370]

NeverStopExploring, thanks for this video. I've grown up in Palm Springs, and (at a _very_ young age ;) used to fish there with my family. Wouldn't recommend doing that now tho. I hope the proposed $400 million to restore & build a barrier around the lake is approved.. There's a lot of history there, certainly worth saving.

[@philipcrow3806]

Very accurate representation of the area. Nicely done. Have visited and passed by many times.

[@theelusivewoodlandhobo5348]

Great trip! for shure on my bucket list now....what a art community....now I know were alot of the California footage from" Into The Wild " came from ....(the whole slab city and salvation hill).....what a beautiful representation of the human side of California.

[@dancooper5714]

FYI: the Salton sea is almost as low in elevaton as death valley. Visited in the 60s, the big thing was you could float in the water.

[@SorryBones]

6:45 “West Satan” lmao