Yesterday, Debbie packed another delicious lunch and we headed south from Indio on Rt 111 to visit the Salton Sea. Debbie told me that TripAdvisor had mixed reviews on visiting the lake, but after a short tour through the Visitor Center, we were glad that we came. Upon arrival at the front entrance to the park off of Rt 111, we were greeted by a park volunteer from British Columbia. She was very enthusiastic about the park, and had been volunteering there for nearly 18 years! Not quite sure why the Border Patrol had not arrested her yet, but that's a different story. We soon discovered that there was no fee for us to enter the park, but if we wanted to take the car in, it was going to cost us $4, after our $1 off for being senior citizens! She didn't ask my age, and I didn't offer.
Two of the most amazing factoids we learned after visiting with the California State Park Volunteer inside the Visitor Center, is that the Salton Sea is actually California's largest lake. It is completely surrounded by mountains, and is essentially a landlocked extension of the Gulf of Colorado. And it is situated 226 feet below sea level. Venturing out on the beach we discovered that the beach is actually made up of crushed sea shells.
The Salton Sea was cut out millions of years ago by the Colorado River flowing south from the Rockies. When the Colorado would flood, the Sea would fill up, and at other times the lake would actually dry up and disappear. At times, the gulf waters would flow into the basin, thus leaving huge deposits of salt when the lake dried. In 1905, the Colorado River flooded, and broke through an irrigation canal that had been built to bring fresh water into the Imperial Valley. It flowed non stop for 16 months, thus creating the present day Salton Sea. In the 1950's , there were boat launches 15 cars wide, and a professional golf course, as campers and fishermen flocked to the water.
Over time, after multiple floods. the area's popularity vanished. Since the salinity of the water is twice that of the Pacific Ocean, the only surviving fish is the Tilapia, and numbers are estimated into the millions. There is presently no limit on the number of Tilapia fishermen can catch per day.
There are several state campgrounds along the shores of the Salton Sea, and the Campground Hosts we spoke with, indicated that they are pretty busy on the weekends during the winter months. This particular campground had 4 sites with full hookups for trailers and RV's, so they recommended making reservations early.
There were multiple sites with full hookups near the Visitor's Center, and most of them were full this day.
At the present time, it looks like the Salton Sea is living on borrowed time. California water shortages are forcing San Diego to divert the water presently flowing into the Salton Sea, and should that happen, the lake will dry up in just a few years. Evaporations is it's biggest enemy. So we were fortunate to have stopped and paid the area a visit. The Salton Sea is situated along a migratory flyway, and since there are plenty of fish, there are masses of wintering birds, including herons, egrets and kingfishers. Fields along the Sea support migrating snow geese, ducks, and the state's largest population of burrowing owls.
Continuing south on 111, we soon found signs pointing us to several private RV parks. The largest sign was for the
Fountain of Youth Spa & RV Resort. In 1938, construction workers discovered mineral hot springs underground, and in the 1950's people from all over the country were coming to the area to enjoy the pools. The well at this RV Park produces 250 gallons of water per minute @ 137 degrees. We took a quick tour around that park and were amazed to find a park with over 600 sites. It was a little too desolate for us, but if someone was looking for a quiet spot with wonderful winter weather, this area has definite possibilities. Not sure how that "Fountain of Youth" is working out though.
No comments:
Post a Comment