Trip Notes - Salvation Mountain
Sharing God's message is 'why', the 'how' will amaze you
Nov 2010
If you're in this area, you'll want to catch several must-see attractions (like Holtville Springs, mud pots in Calipatria, Slab City). If you can only get one attraction in? It should be Salvation Mountain. We first caught a glimpse of this mountain in the film "Into the Wild" which also featured scenes from Slab City, actually next door. The impression that the movie clips left on us was enough to motivate us to find out more, then add a few hundred miles to our tour to be able to 'drop in' & see it for ourselves. We're glad we did.
It's like the paint train ran head on into the Folk Art train in the middle of the sandy, drab desert and the resulting explosion left a mark that will be remembered for decades once the artist is done. That artist, a humble, dedicated man named Leonard Knight has been hard at work here for over 20 years. He ended up at this spot when his previous 14 year project- a hot air balloon proclaiming Gods love for you, failed to get into the air. That balloon is now entombed in the depths of Salvation Mountain, but the spirit of sharing the gospel is more in your face than ever. The message from God by way of Leonard's paint is loud, bold, in-your-face and unavoidable- but it seems from the deepest part of his heart as he gives new visitors the impression that he is truly pleased to meet every person that steps onto this lawless land. That in itself is a feat, considering that one of his tender caretakers Kevin, estimated for us that 1,500 people visit every week. Fortunately for Leonard, Kevin says that most of the work is done on this monument to God, just don't tell Leonard- who still gets a few hours of work in each day. Leonard isn't allowed to drive any longer (Kevin drives him to breakfast in nearby Niland every morning), he still lives in his truck on-site (Kevin says lunch is planned day by day- and Kevin prepares dinner and brings it by Leonards in the evening). Some afternoons are spent treating old body parts with the undeniable effects of a geothermal spring, and cooling for the 120+ degree summer days in the nearby canal. But through it all, someone is always putting another coat of paint on the old paint- to the tune of hundreds of thousand of gallons.
It would appear that if it isn't moving, it's going to become part of the tribute- and then join the display. You'll find not only the mountain, but a collection of intricately decorated vehicles that Leonard has at one time driven- including the truck that first carried him, here. Look behind the museum and you'll see the General Sherman stump replica, the apparatus that he used to inflate his balloon attempt, and all of his adobe making gear in between parts destined for future improvements.
Searching for Salvation Mountain on the web will gather evidence of worldwide
acclaim for his art style, and the man- but there's no need to check out
this destination- it's a sure thing, must-see- visit at least once in
your life. Before we visited Salvation Mountain, a local had encouraged us to slip Leonard a $5 when we met him, along with other words of encouragement about why we should visit. We did offer him a donation- and would encourage you to, to offset the cost of the important message he is delivering with enthusiasm. Before we left, we were carrying a few mementos from the site- postcard, magnet, even a video of the life of this busy man. Our impression is that he shares with every guest some item that they can take with them. Of course, there's no official policy about gifts for visitors, but it's impressive that he's not content with just building a mountainous tribute- and spends his money on inspirational trinkets for the visitors without asking for a dime. Perhaps he missed the memo to the world that we were supposed to make a buck on every opportunity that came our way? Good for him.
Salvation Mountain could be just that. An event that makes a non believer wonder 'What's all the hubbub about God, anyways"? Then, Leonard will have succeed with the mission that has dominated his life. If you walk away impressed with his work ethic or confused about how a guy could devote his life to this- you'll be thinking about it again. Leonard said that this isn't his work, but Gods hand that created this. He also doesn't preach, and you'll immediately like this man, and look at him in amazement.
We did.
From Interstate 8, take Highway 111 North. Niland is about 32 miles. Turn east on Main Street (turns
into Beal Road) and go a little over 3 miles to Salvation Mountain. There is no admission charge, and we didn't notice any hours- but since the man lives on site you might consider during bankers hours. Visit the Salvation Mountain website here.
Want to learn more about RVing?
Read our Trip Notes and learn from our experiences- good & bad.
Trip Notes Index (click here)