Brilliant Bisbee Part I -> Cool Hikes & Funky Street Art

Free street art on the BIsbee 1000…AWESOME!

And the art extends to RV’s too…!

We’ve landed in Bisbee, AZ and I am in love!  Squeezed into a narrow gulch of the Mule Mountains in SE Arizona this ‘ol mining town has a European feel, a wild west flare and a hippy slant. Looking for a cute, artsy place with awesome food? Want to explore twisty, narrow roads that will challenge the width of your car mirrors? Like wandering around Victorian homes with a history of mining, local beer brewing and masses of surprising street-art? Well, this is your place honey! There ain’t nothing quite like it in Arizona and this is the authentic deal. If you’re just a wee bit bohemian you might never leave.

A funky town deserves a funky panorama shot

Hiking the narrow streets of Bisbee

I probably would never even have considered coming here if it hadn’t been for Bayfield Bunch who’ve blogged about this place for years. Because of Al & Kelly we made it part of our tour this winter and I am overjoyed we did. We’ve squeezed into the local RV park and, despite the close quarters, we are having a total ball being right next to downtown. I don’t think words can completely describe how funky & cool this place is, but I’m going to give it the good ‘ol college try. Here’s my take in 2 clean parts…stay alert now…

1/ Cool DownTown Hikes

You never know what you’ll find around the corner here

The unique geology of this little town makes it a naturally cool hiking spot. Bisbee winds it way through a narrow gulch and the city stretches precariously up the hillsides with an array of super-narrow streets, twisted curves and staircases. This makes for tons of interesting walks, two of which are “must do’s” if you’re in the area:

a) Bisbee 1000

Tackling staircase #9

One of the first things you’ll notice in Bisbee is that there are no end of staircases. This is a city of steps and if you want to do it like a local you’ll follow the pretty wall paintings and do the Bisbee 1000. It’s an official 5K run (step?) that’s held every Oct, but it doubles as an outstanding way to see the city.

We hooked up doggie and tackled the walk right from the RV park yesterday morning. The staircases are all marked by gorgeous paintings & if you follow the entire route you’ll take in the full gamut of interesting back-streets, stunning views and local sights….oh and a hard-core thigh burn too….wowzie! Since we started at the park and decided to throw in the “Iceman” our final tally was  actually 1,426 steps (or 1,234 uphill and a mere 192 down). Oh yeah, thighs of STEEL baby! Totally awesome hike!!

The official Bisbee 1000 Trail Map

b) Bisbee Hill & “The Shrine”

Yours truly poses for a pic at the top of Bisbee Hill

Paul poses at The Shrine

Everyone who comes to Bisbee will notice a white “B” and a rather interesting set of crosses that watch over town on a big red hill. Known as Bisbee Hill or Chihuahua Hill, the story goes that in 1980 Adolfo Vasquez promised God he’d build a shrine if God would save his eyesight. Apparently God did, and so Adolfo did too. Since that time the shrine has evolved and grown so not only are there now several crosses, but there are also smaller alcoves, lots of interesting statues & offerings and even a Buddhist corner. The hike is caught at the very end of OK street and scrambles around and up the mountain. It’s about 2 miles total to the top from the RV park and the best description of how to follow it is HERE. Once at the shrine you’ll get gorgeous views of Bisbee and if you’re feeling adventurous you can walk onwards to the “B” and down the other side…a fabulous walk & pooch-friendly too!

2/ Funky Street Art

Entrance to the “dog park”…yup, it’s art!

Just another gorgeous wall painting

I LOVE street art. There’s a free expression and honesty to street art that you just don’t get in other forms. Street art is unique, crazy, wonderful and invites everyone in to participate. Whether you love it or hate it, street art is a free gift and Bisbee is simply bursting with the stuff! In this town there is not a corner, not a road, not a building that doesn’t reveal some kind of art-form….and this is not staged stuff…it’s the real deal. You could create a photo-gallery just of Bisbee doors, and even the “dog park” (a home-made deal just down Brewery Avenue) is an art installation!! People seem to revel in creativity here and decorate their walls, their cars, their houses and their doors with their own vision. The town holds an official downtown art walk the 2nd Saturday of every month from 5-8PM, but you’ll actually get a better feel of the real street stuff just walking around town. We discovered a ton of hidden gems during our Bisbee 1000 walk (yet another reason to do it), but we found even more on the side-streets and talking to locals. Even if you just come to Bisbee to gawk at the street art, it’s totally worth it!

Look who’s in town! Yup, best buddy Lewis!

But these two things are not the end of our adventures here. We’ve been joined in Bisbee by none other than the Big White Beluga and have extended our stay at the RV park by another day because of…chocolate (and this despite 4 days of already chock-filled gastronomical exploration)! The food here has us drooling like Great Danes and deserves it’s very own blog post so it can be properly worshipped. So don’t go away…part II is coming soon.

The beginning of the Bisbee 1000…

Early AM view from OK Street

Glass wall installation

The Hilary Car…only in Bisbee!

On the Shrine Hike

Another gorgeous wall art

Bye Bye Borrego Springs…Or Rather Adieu

Adieu dear trail, till we meet again…

So sadly we’ve come to the end of our time at Borrego Springs. This is the third time we’ve been here and everytime we come I always wonder why we don’t stay longer. It’s one of the nicest boondocking spots I know with a really cool little town next door, a cute Friday farmer’s market and literally thousands of places & trails to explore.

Just another great sunset

A dragonfly takes a break right outside our rig

There’s Ghost Mountain & the Story of Marshall South , the most excellent Slot Canyons, fabulous Monster Art In The Desert, and that’s really just touching the surface! What about the Wind Caves, the Badlands, the Pumpkin Patch and other intriguing spots? If you really want to dive into how much there is to do here just check out The Bayfield Bunch and some of the many blog posts of the area that they’ve done over the years (just search “Anza Borrego” on their blog). Al and Kelly probably know more about Borrego Springs than almost any other boondocker and I often refer back to their old posts for ideas on interesting places to see.

Yeah, it’s a pretty nice back yard….

But this year we’ve been lazy…..veeeery lazy. I knew it up-front as soon as we got into our spot. It was just sooooo nice, soooo very relaxing that we whiled away most of our time simply gawking at the view and hanging around the RV with the 12 paws. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you. The glory of nature can be appreciated just as well from your back yard, especially when the yard is as attractive as this one. And given we are mere slaves to our kitties, if the feline queens want to spend the day sunning in our chairs we stay put! Or, that’s my excuse anyway.

I’m going to miss those little wiggly butts…and RV Sue too

And then there’s been the socializing, and you just know I’m a social gal. Put me in the boonies with a view to a rig and my curiosity will eventually drag me over to start a conversation. With RV Sue And Her Canine Crew practically right next door I got into the habit of rambling down with Polly for a lazy afternoon chat. There’s nothing quite like the happy wiggly butt greeting of two little doggies to capture your heart and Spike and Bridget definitely wound their way in there. Plus it’s always fun to chin-wag about life with interesting folks.

How’d you like to travel the world in this rig?

We also spent several doggie afternoons with Sue & Dave, got a visit from other blog readers and even managed to bump into friends of mutual friends. Our last morning in the desert we saw a rugged off-road beast park a ways down from our site. Interestingly enough we’d heard about this very rig from some friends of ours and when the couple came walking by I jumped in to ask if they knew our buddies. Indeed they did and five minutes later we were chatting and learning about their plans to travel the world in their new super-rig. Pretty cool!

Glorious afternoon glow

But our travels have moved us on. As we drove off we wove goodbye to RV Sue and our new friends and motored the hills towards the ocean. We’re back in San Diego for a month and seeing our first day of rain since summer. It’s strangely odd to be in an RV park again. I love the boonies and feel so very in touch with nature when I’m out there, but I also enjoy civilization. It’s the two opposing sides of my personality and I’m thankful RVing gives me both of them. Adieu, my dear Borrego….we will definitely meet again.

A cat’s view

One more sunset

Hanging at the wash

Taggart says we’re staying put

Day-Trippin’ To Salvation Mountain – Slab City, CA

Almost there!!

I had 2 reasons for going on my day-trip that day. The first was a “bucket list” item to see iconic Salvation Mountain, and the second was to meet-up with RV travelers Live.Work.Dream. Both were something that had been on my “list” for a while and it just so happened that both were at The Slabs. A two-in-one deal! Leaving Paul and the pets behind I loaded up the toad and got on the road for a day of meet and adventure.

Fabulous Salvation Mountain

It lies~ 3 miles east of Niland, CA on Beal Road and locals call it “the last free place on earth”. A place where people from all tracts of life can make their own statement, where the land is free, access is open and creativity has no bounds. That’s the theory anyway. Ironically it’s an old military installation, the Camp Dunlap Marine Training Facility. It was abandoned in 1946 and completely dismantled by 1961 leaving only the original cement foundations == “the slabs”.

One of the many colorful vans around Salvation Mountain

Somehow the absence created a draw and pulled in a whole new crowd with a whole new agenda. Initially it was mostly an RVers destination, at one point hosting over 5,000 snowbird rigs each winter, but then it changed. The artists moved in, then the free-wheelers, and then a vision of God that (literally) changed the landscape. It became a mish-mash of culture with literally every sort on one spot and for that reason alone it’s a fascinating place. This is “Slab City” and, no matter what you might think of the place, it’s like nowhere else on earth.

Paint cans invite you to add you own touch to the Mountain

I’d scheduled to meet Jim & René at their boondocking site in the Slabs sometime that noon. The trip from Borrego Springs is ~75 miles, the first 30 of which is a pretty drive through badlands, followed by a decent and drive around the great wide, flat and (often) odiferous Salton Sea. It was a hazy, but sunny day and I was in fine spirits as I approached the run-down town of Niland. Taking the bumpy road east out of town I got my first glimpse of color and my first taste of the Slabs. Salvation Mountain was shining like a rainbow beacon several miles ahead it expanded and glowed to fill my vision as I drove closer. This was a moment I wanted for myself so I stopped the car at the sculpture and got out to admire the view.

One of the many rooms & tunnels inside Salvation Mountain

Salvation Mountain was the inspiration of Leonard Knight. In 1967 he had a powerful vision from God. The vision took over his life and travels until his trip to The Slabs in 1984 where he planned to stay for “just a week” to build a small monument with a bag of cement. Weeks turned into months and 25 years later he had created a towering mountain with a core message of LOVE for the inspiration of anyone who wanted to visit. It’s a monumental structure -> at over 50 feet tall and 150-feet wide you can literally drive your car to the top, and the bottom sections are tunneled with life-size rooms, tunnels, branches and a chapel. Everywhere you look there are interesting visual details from minute carvings to large, bold paintings.

Another of the Salvation Mountain vans

The outside section also has several interesting decorated cars and a massive selection of paint-buckets which welcome you to add your own touch. Leonard himself tended this structure daily and greeted visitors for most of his life, but sadly entered a nursing home just last year, leaving the future of his creation in question (I heard a volunteer group is gathering to take over care of the mountain). No matter what your background you can’t help but be impressed. I spent a good 20 minutes climbing around and through the structure enjoying the moment and taking a slew of interesting angle shots.

Jim, Rene and doggie Wyatt in front of their rig

Having satisfied my bucket item I took the drive on through the main heart of the slabs to meet Jim & René. They’re a techno-travelling young couple that I first discovered through their wonderful website Tripawds, dedicated to 3-legged doggies. They also maintain an RV travel blog and a business site. And of course they have their own 3-legged wonder, Wyatt, a rumbunctous, smart and endearingly cute German Shephard. We spent the first hour bonding and chatting about life on the road, dogs, family and business before they took me off on a whirlwind “local” tour of the Slabs.

The “Definition of a grievance”, a mammoth sculpture of blown-out tires in East Jesus art garden

"The Range" caters to free music

You'll see a bit of everything at The Slabs

So HOW can I sum it all up? WHAT are the slabs? WHO is there? It’s almost impossible to put into words and even more difficult to squeeze into a single blog post. The slabs are everything and every facet of society all-in-one. They are normal people, creative people and weird people all tucked together. They are the ultimate ratatouille of the desert and we tasted just about every aspect of it within a few hours of walking around:

• There are the snowbirders who boondock peacefully on the flats -> everything from young travelers to old-timers, colorful campers to high-end rigs and seasoned regulars. We met the Travel n’Pals, a Slab City RV group of old-timers who’ve been coming to the place for years and boast a flush toilet, small library, mail service and weekly meals. The most experienced of the lot had come to the slabs for over 29 years and could tell ALL the stories of how the place has changed over the years. We also met young travelers, friends of Jim & Rene’s who just enjoy the ability to camp for free and absorb the spirit of the place.
• Then there are the artists -> a mish-mash of spontaneous and semi-organized collaborators who’ve staked their spot in the Slabs. The largest installation is at East Jesus and we were given a personal tour by one of the local artists explaining the origin of each of the sculptures as well as the free-spirited community they live in. The sculptures are all fabulous creations from junk and are lit-up to a gorgeous show at night. There are several other spots around the place that showcase art, as well as music venues that host free entertainment on a semi-regular basis.
• Then there’s the locals -> many of which have created semi-permanent homes and a mini-section of which actually stay at the Slabs all year
• And finally the trash and the homeless -> people living outside of the arms of regular society, sometimes in ramshackle old trailers and surrounded by years of accumulated junk.

"The Television Will Not Be Revolutionized". Another of the installations in East Jesus.

It’s ALL there, every aspect of it and ALL together in one. If you’re open to the experience it’s an interesting and incredibly varied spot, and most folks you meet are friendly and chatty. If you let the wierdities of the place get to you, you probably won’t enjoy it at all. Me? I LOVED it! It’s life experience all wrapped up in one, and beyond the run-down bits there are TONS of fascinating stories which could easily take many blog posts to fill up.

The "bottle wall" at East Jesus is lit up at night for a colorful display

But the place is changing. From the time the film Into the Wild featured the place in 2007 it’s attracted more and more media interest. René told me there’s been several film crews in the area, and more news stories are cropping up on the place (mostly focused on the seedier side). In a way it’s probably a natural evolution of change in a place that was really never there to begin with, but it’s also attracting more “day lookers”, tourists and even real money. Who know what the future of this place will be? In any case I was incredibly happy with my experience and take with me the impressions of a spot that is truely like nowhere else on earth.

Our toad contemplates the mountain and the message of love

Another of the decorated cars at Salvation Mountain

A local artist at East Jesus demonstrates water music on one of the installations

One of the decorated cars in East Jesus. It's a "chick magnet"

A memorial to Chris Russell, founder of East Jesus who passed last year

Yet another fabulous junk art installation

Shooting The Breeze – Borrego Springs, CA

“You should come over and try our bed” offered the husband, most generously I thought. I glanced over at Paul who was nodding in sensible agreement.
“Oh yes, in fact both of you should” added the wife enthusiastically
“We are most definitely taking you up on that offer” I concluded, to the happy endorsement of all

Hanging with our new buddies at their boondocking spot in Borrego Springs

We had just met two of our blog readers and an instant bond had been formed on the topic of beds. Or, rather more specifically the Sleep Number bed. I’ve had a hate-hate (did I mention hate?) relationship with this thing since we got the rig and our new friends (who also own a 40PDQ) were instantly in agreement.

Richard and Ginger's rig is beautifully silhouetted in the desert

Libby is a cutie

The lovely couple was Richard and Ginger (with doggie Libby) who just happened to be boondocking around Borrego Springs with their friends and had managed to hook up with us through the net. It’s another of those fabulous impromptu connections that form on the road and, as always happens with folks who travel and enjoy the same kind of lifestyle, we had an instant connection. Paul and I went for an afternoon drink, met the whole gang and…yes…went to lie on their bed which is a super-comfy memory foam mattress that they installed right after throwing out the old bed. A relaxing a lovely afternoon with food for thought on the mattress….thanks, guys!

One of the local shops selling arts and pottery

But that’s not the only lounging we’ve been doing here in Borrego Springs. This tiny community of ~2,700 people is a quirky desert town completely surrounded by the beauty of 600,000 acre Anza Borrego State Park (in fact if you look on the map, Borrego Springs is literally a hole in the middle of the State Park). It was California’s first “dark sky community” (the nearest stop-light is ~50 miles away) and the place stays true to that image by keeping things rustic and simple. A tiny downtown with a few key shops, a single grassy circle (aptly called Christmas Circle, because honestly the lush green grass is such a gift in the arid desert) and a few RV parks.

Christmas Circle is an oasis of green in the middle of town

But it’s got its little surprises too. There is a rather ritzy golf course, a couple of spas and a whole wealth of hidden art. Besides the fabulous Galetta Meadows, the town hosts multiple excellent events at its tiny Performing Arts Center, offers Art Walks and has other impromptu performances throughout the year (one of my favorite is the annual Peg Leg Liar’s Contest that we managed to tag our first year here).

The fabulous Friday morning farmer's market

And then there’s the farmer’s market. Every Friday morning from Nov-June, twenty or so vendors set-up in Christmas Circle and offer their wares. For such a small market it’s got just about everything you could want from organic vegetables to grass-fed meats, raw honey, fresh breads, food and crafts. If you’re here it’s a not-to-be-missed event!

Even the cats love it here!

This time of year is literally the PERFECT time to be here. Moderate temperatures, long sunny days and plenty of open and gorgeous spots for boondocking. There are people who come here every year simply to soak in the fabulous serenity of it all, and having spent a week here already I can totally see how you get hooked. Not a bad spot to shoot the breeze….and think about beds….

Paul sinks lovingly into the bed in Richard & Ginger's rig

The friends' pooch Lexie poses beautifully for the camera

Fresh honey at the market...yum!

Afternoon shadows at our boondocking spot

Monster Art In The Desert -> The Metal Wonders Of Galleta Meadows

She's so darn lifelike!! A raptor braces her teeth for the kill

Sometime in 2007, Dennis Avery had a vision. In fact it was more than a vision, it was a towering image that rose right before his eyes and gripped him in a way he wasn’t expecting. The life-changing visual was a 20-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex sculpted out of metal by an unemployed construction worker in Perris, CA. Dennis saw the beauty from the freeway and suddenly his mind expanded. He imagined a whole creation of these creatures roaming his land in Borrego Springs, bringing back the prehistoric to the present…and free for all to see. It was a genius vision!

Our car is dwarfed by the mammoths

The wild horse installations. These are some of my personal favs

It may not have happened exactly like that, but the story is pretty darn close to true. Dennis actually saw that T-Rex and contracted Ricardo Breceda to create his dream in the desert. The result was a partnership that continues to create and inspire to this day. Welcome to the metal wonders of Galleta Meadows!

Paul and I first saw these beauties ~2 years ago. In fact anyone entering Borrego Springs can’t help but see them. The massive welded metal sculptures erupt on both sides of Borrego Springs Road just south of town and sprinkle the landscape for miles going north, offering giant-size visuals of prehistoric animals, wild horses, birds, camels, pigs and a slew of other creations, most of which are based on actual animals that roamed the land in Borrego Springs. There are huge mammoths, giant dinosaurs, a 30-foot eagle and…the latest masterpiece…a 350-foot serpent.

The spendid serpent...oh she speaks to me, oh yes she does! (see our car in the back?)

This latest baby is quite the special girl. She was just installed in July, 2011 and snakes her way under the road with one segment and a massive tail showing on the other side of the road from her monstrous front. She took 4 months and $40,000 to create and is the biggest, most impressive sculpture to date. She creates an overwhelming impression and it’s easy to lose the exceptional detail of the work unless you look closely.

Half of the serpent stretches past the road

Paul and I spent a couple of hours driving around in the desert (most of it on dirt roads) exploring the installation map. Apparently there are ~130 sculptures out here, all of it on Dennis’s private land and all of it completely free to the public. You can even boondock (3-day limit) out here and completely immerse yourself in the art. The harsh desert sun ages many of the sculptures to beautiful shades of brown, and there’s a special piece that speaks to everyone. Few would have had the inspiration to see a vision like this, but Dennis and Ricardo have sculpted a creation that is truely a wonder for everyone to see. I thank you deeply, maestri!

The majestic mammoth

A dinosaur reaches for the sky

Paul attempts escape! Will he make it?

Lounging on the tail of the serpent

Another dinosaur beauty!

The camels