What's that Smell?

In 1999 7.6 million fish (out of about 200 million in the sea) died in the annual summer kill-off. Every year at this time, you notice a funny smell all over the Coachella Valley. It's the monsoon season now, a time when southeasterly winds can carry the smell of millions of dead Tilapia, the most common fish in the sea, all over the entire valley, including Palm Springs.

The kill occurs during the summer when temperatures soar, causing the algae in the sea to die, which uses up the oxygen in the water, leaving the fish, shall we say, "breathless."  This year hasn't been so bad. The worst of the foul odors occurred about two weeks ago and has since abated.

At 200 feet below sea level, the Salton Sea is very salty because there is little inflow and outflow of water. Talipia is a kind of fish that can tolerate high-salinity water, most other kinds of fish can't.

All of this doesn't mean that the sea is unimportant. Contrary to what many believe the sea hosts a variety of wildlife including 400 species of birds. During the cooler times of the year, you can see hundreds of huge white pelicans milling around the shoreline. It's an incredible site. It is also an important wetland, one of the few left in the inland section of Southern California. Geese and other migratory birds find a home near the sea on their journeys south for the winter and north for the summer.

During the 1950s, the shoreline around the Salton Sea was a hot spot for travelers. During these glory days, the Salton Sea attracted snowbirds from all over the country. They stayed at swank motels and traveled in huge campers, making the sea a temporary home away from home.

Not far from the Salton Sea is another must-see destination--Slab City. This community is one-of-a-kind, a place where people can settle on the land for no cost. Stake it out and it's yours. If you want an end-of-the-world sensation, this is the place to go. Part of the movie Into the Wild was filmed there.

Wait...there's one gotta-go place--Salvation Mountain. It's right next to Slab City, a place to climb around a small artificial mountain that has been hand-painted by a guy who's been living there for years. The theme of the painted text and images is probably just what you expected for a place called Salvation Mountain. It's the Bible, making this the center Southern California Bible Belt.