Slab City: ce qu’il y a autour, comment y aller et quand venir · 2026

MIMariia Ivanovamasiavka96 · 19 déc. 2019Lire

I'll say right away that I'm not a fan of street art, but the Slab City outdoor museum won me over. The number of details, the thoughtfulness, the integrity of the images... An atmosphere of art reigns in the air. There are no guards at the museum, yet it has remained untouched for years. After exploring the entire museum, at the very end, I noticed a huge statue of a man with his hand raised. It was constructed from parts of a former TV tower. It was nothing less than a local shrine that the residents of Slab City were so proud of. I had never seen Jesus depicted like this before... However, everyone is free to choose what to believe in...

MIMariia Ivanovamasiavka96 · 19 déc. 2019Lire

As I was leaving the museum, I noticed a young guy. "What are you doing here?" I asked. He pointed to a trailer shaped like a pink flamingo. "See that van? It's our shop. We travel, sell clothes and more. Come on, I'll show you." Three friends run the shop together. And for the town residents, they opened a small cafe. The young guy I met turned out to be a musician. After saying that, he ran off like a teenager to get his guitar to show off his playing to us... (In response, I played Tsoi's "Pachka sigaret" on his guitar)) But the main attraction of their shop for us became a hummingbird that suddenly flew in. Emotions were already overflowing after everything we had seen in the town, and as a thank you, we treated the guys to apples and gave them all the canned food we had saved for our lunch. That was the end of our visit to Slab City, where we just cracked open a window into an unknown world of freedom. This city is like no other. And it's hard to even call it a city... Slab City wasn't the last stop on our road trip, but it was the brightest. I know we will return to visit our new friends, but as I drive across the states, I now understand Americans who, even with enough earnings from a modest job to travel the world, don't do it. Flying through time zones, the scenery outside the car window constantly changed. Forests gave way to deserts, deserts to subtropical palms, and then the entire horizon was swallowed by mountains. I think every American understands how huge and diverse their country is, and that's why the American dream is most often not a dream of visiting Paris, but a desire to rent a car with a trailer to travel all over America.

MIMariia Ivanovamasiavka96 · 18 déc. 2019Lire

As we moved deeper into the settlement, various structures began to appear along the road. One dwelling caught our eye. A brightly painted wall, spray cans—it all drew us in, and we couldn't just walk past. Engrossed in looking, we didn't notice a woman approaching us. It was the owner of the shack. After asking where we were from, she offered to let us leave a message on the wall as a keepsake. We gladly agreed and decided to find out what it's like to live in Slab City. The resident told us she is happy with the lifestyle she chose, and the only thing she worries about is not always having enough money for cat food for the cat she rescued. Most of the town's residents live on unemployment benefits. Those who aren't as lucky create things with their own hands and sell them to visiting tourists or residents of the nearest town, Niland, located 8-10 km from Slab City. Besides the critically high summer temperatures, another problem for residents is the river flooding, which often inundates those living near it. But those who have lived in Slab City for many years try to build their homes in the valley, far from the river. As for our new acquaintance, she spends her days walking through the desert in search of beautiful glass, shells, bones, or stones to create incredibly beautiful jewelry. Having grown fond of the owner, we couldn't refuse to buy something as a souvenir. Life in the town is not as boring as it might seem at first glance. Slab City has a church, a library, and even a skate park. And every week, music concerts are held here, where everything is equipped to the highest standard—a stage, a bar, VIP rows with soft sofas, and lighting. Spend a week here, and you might not want to leave this town. While we were looking around, an elderly man who was driving stakes into the ground on his plot called us over. He offered to show us his dwelling. Without saying much, the man turned out to be a genius. He isn't bothered by the fact that there is no electricity in the desert. In his "house," a refrigerator, a washing machine, and even a stove work, and vegetables grow on the infertile land. He lives in Slab City with his daughters. When we asked if he communicates with his neighbors, he said that there are motion sensors and cameras all over the plot, and just in case, for special hospitality, he keeps a shotgun. Perhaps life in the town isn't a resort, but in the middle of our friend's dwelling, there is a pool, and he doesn't worry at all about the lack of clean water, as he created a three-level water filtration system. In short, you can't forbid living beautifully... However, when the conversation turned to enlightenment, it was time for us to leave immediately. Throughout our walk, all the residents kept saying in one voice that we absolutely had to visit their outdoor museum, located in the heart of the city, so that's where we headed.

MIMariia Ivanovamasiavka96 · 14 déc. 2019Lire

Morning. I open my eyes. Still alive. The guys are alive. Someone is talking outside. I look out the car window; my friends are already having a lively conversation with a passing biker. The atmosphere is friendly, and the fear is gradually fading away. It is time to bring you up to speed. Slab City is a settlement in the middle of the Colorado Desert in California, which gained popularity among young people thanks to the American film "Into the Wild." After the film's release, crowds of young Americans rushed to taste the life of real men far from civilization in the town of Slab City. As the locals say, "A case of beer and there is always a place for you here." During World War II, there was an American military base here, of which only ruins and concrete slabs remained, which served as the name for the city. According to Americans, this is the last place of freedom in the USA, and for people who have rejected the system, hippies, artists, criminals, and those who cannot afford to live in apartments due to financial circumstances, this place has become home. There is no electricity or running water in the town. However, many retirees enthusiastically set off to live out their final years in Slab City, and a school bus picks up the children on schedule. In summer, there is unbearable heat in the desert, so my advice is to stock up on bottles of water and a case of beer when heading to Slab City. Those who cannot leave the city in the summer will be infinitely grateful to you. Every year, people die of thirst in Slab City. The population in the summer months is only 150-200 people. Only when the weather gets colder do the "snowbirds" (as the locals call them) return to the town, and then the population fluctuates around 2,000. Our visit took place in October. The main heat had already subsided, but we brought a few bottles of beer with us to win the favor of the locals. From afar, we caught sight of one of the main local attractions – Salvation Mountain. It was built by a local resident, Leonard, with his bare hands out of clay, straw, and whatever he could find. However, we did not manage to meet Leonard himself. He left this world back in 2014. The mountain is covered with quotes from the Gospel or phrases expressing the faith of the local residents in God and love. As a prayer, the locals broadcast the inscription left on the rock: "Repeat: 'Jesus, I am a sinner, visit my body and enter my soul.'" People from all over the world come to see Salvation Mountain, and to this day, the locals remember Leonard, who left them, with respect and gratitude...

MIMariia Ivanovamasiavka96 · 11 déc. 2019Lire

California. Twilight was gathering outside the car window; night was approaching. I asked my fellow travelers where we would spend the night. The answer was Slab City. "Slab City? What's that?" I asked. "Haha, you'll love it. It's the only city in the USA where there are no laws, and the police don't see the need to visit." "Great," I thought, recalling every prayer I knew, since there was nowhere else to go. We decided not to deviate from the route because we were already behind schedule. As we approached the city, the car started bouncing like a roller coaster. There was no trace left of those polished roads that crisscross all of America. Arriving at the entrance to the city, we saw that the road ahead had washed out. Deciding that getting stuck in a place where we didn't know what to expect was the worst thing that could happen to us, the guys backed the car up, locked me inside, and stayed outside to sleep in a tent.

MIMariia Ivanovamasiavka96 · 11 déc. 2019Lire

California. Twilight was gathering outside the car window, and night was approaching. I asked my fellow travelers where we would spend the night. The answer was Slab City. "Slab City? What's that?" I asked. "Haha, you'll love it. It's the only city in the USA where there are no laws, and the police don't see the need to visit." "Great," I thought, recalling every prayer I knew, since there was nowhere else to go. We decided not to deviate from the route because we were already behind schedule. As we approached the city, the car started bouncing like a roller coaster. There was no trace left of those polished roads that crisscross all of America. Arriving at the entrance to the city, we saw that the road ahead had washed out. Deciding that getting stuck in a place where we didn't know what to expect was the worst thing that could happen to us, the guys rolled the car back, locked me inside, and stayed to sleep outside in a tent.