So, in the nearly non-existent town that is Brawley -- there isn't much to do or see. Unless of course, this happens to be the day that Uncle Dana chooses to lift one of his tractors with one hand or that "Lee Paw" takes you out to dinner. Most of everyone's time here, I'm pretty certain, is spent A- in a field B- eating at Grandma's house (she made us about 15 meals a day while we were there) or C- At the high school (I think that simply because every walk/drive we took seemed to lead us to the high school -- once you get passed "Ryan's People" that is.)
It is hard to understand why anyone would visit Brawley (except those 15 meals a day), until you learn about the great little place just a "few" miles out of town. If you drive past approximately 99 fields, you get to what is affectionately known as "Slab City". This city is exactly what is says it is...a bunch of concrete slabs. Here resides EVERY person who has ever hoped to live in the "I Love Lucy" trailer -- every one there probably still thinks it's the 50s too. The great charm of this city is the great Salvation Mountain!
Salvation Mountain is in actuality one of the most inspired places on earth. It was created by a man who realized there was a God and he wanted the whole world to know about it. So, he traveled out to Slab City, became a squatter and created the masterpiece that follows. This mountain is made of hay and paint...and some odd trees/car doors/etc.
Every part of it looks like this AND has some kind of faith promoting message.
Nothing near this mountain is paint free...or single colored.
This is the "main" part of the mountain. The guy, Leonard, who created this, lives in a multicolored painted van and then just spends his days painting things. You can check out his website, to learn all about it.
No trip to Brawley would ever be complete without a trip to Salvation Mountain!!
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