Salvation Mountain

The last weekend I spent in Los angeles I decided to make a roadtrip to Niland to see the legendary Salvation Mountain. who never heard of it, Salvation Mountain is an art installation covering a hill in the Colorado Desert.

I rented a car at enterprice and started my trip… it took me about 3 hours, only the drive there is worth it to go, such a beautiful landscapes, a feeling of freedom and happines, its a true fun drive… the road was mine.

I passed the salton lake, where I made a stop… I walked barfood towards the water, took my cam and made some shots… I walked on white shells ( I thougt) and when I stepped closer to the water, I saw something that lookes like jellyfishes, when I looked closer I saw dead fishes all over! I jumped back, realising that I was not walking on beautiful little shells, I was standing on a field of fishbones broken into 1000 of pieces… ya, I left as quick as I could!

I finally arrived Salvation Mountain… I climbed up and sat there in the sun for a while. It was truly magical, sitting on all those beautiful colors and patterns. thinking of all the passion and work the local resident creator Leonard Knight (1931–2014) put in there to spread the message “god loves us all”…

The artwork is made from adobe, straw, and thousands of gallons of paint . It encompasses numerous murals and areas painted with sayings and Bible verses. he also lived there with no running water and electricity.Concern has been raised for the future of the site, which requires constant maintenance due to the harsh surrounding environment. Many visitors bring paint to donate to the project, and a group of volunteers has been working to protect and maintain the site.

I think it speaks to people from all kinds of religions or non religion, its a visual and sensual experience, go there with an open mind and just enjoy the beautiful creation and love this man brought into this dry landscape.

There was a little cave where people write down their wishes and prayers…

I was really fascinated by his dedication to this mountain and the message he wanted to spread… really inspiring.I can recommand everyone who lives in California or is visiting, to go there… its a jewel for the eye and a beautiful memory for live

~Noemi