Description
The Salton Sea was never supposed to exist.
In 1905, a failed irrigation project diverted the Colorado River into a basin 230 feet below sea level — creating what was once called a miracle in the desert. Resorts followed. Celebrities came. Communities were built.
And then it all unraveled.
In this episode of the JaYoe Tri-A-Bike trip, we walk through Bombay Beach, the Salton Sea shoreline, Slab City, and Salvation Mountain — exploring what happens when ambition outpaces planning, and when time is allowed to finish its work.
This ride-adjacent stop was made possible during our Palm Springs visit with Tri-A-Bike.
🔗 Tri-A-Bike website: https://triabike.com
🔗 Tri-A-Bike Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/triabike
This isn’t a travel guide.
It’s a meditation on impermanence.
🗺️ Follow the journey:
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Facebook: / JaYoeLife
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Patreon: / JaYoe
🚴 Ride by AZUB:
https://azub.eu @azubrecumbents
00:00 – The accidental birth of the Salton Sea
00:28 – A basin below sea level
01:12 – America sees opportunity
01:46 – Miracle → resort culture
02:12 – Fish, birds, ecosystem
02:46 – Evaporation & rising salinity
03:41 – Collapse of the dream
04:01 – Bombay Beach today
05:14 – Tracks, nomads & artists
06:09 – Found objects & quiet tragedy
06:43 – Time as the real force
07:16 – From nothing → something → nothing
07:40 – Talking scale with Harry
08:11 – Community church & remnants
09:23 – Ruins & intention
10:31 – “Lakefront property isn’t forever”
10:50 – The flying fish plane
11:28 – Salvation Mountain & Leonard Knight
13:36 – Slab City & radical freedom
15:24 – Would you live here?
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