Imperial County
Imperial County is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. From the vast expanses of desert to the shimmering waters of the Salton Sea, this region offers a unique blend of natural beauty and cultural richness. Explore the historic streets of downtown El Centro, where Spanish colonial architecture and vibrant murals tell the story of the area's rich heritage. Immerse yourself in the agricultural heartland of the Imperial Valley, where lush fields stretch as far as the eye can see, yielding a bounty of fresh produce year-round. For outdoor enthusiasts, the recreational opportunities are endless, from off-roading in the dunes of Glamis to birdwatching at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge.
Desert View tower 📸🚗⭐
I had to drive through magical fog that just wouldn’t vanish for most of my drive from San Diego to the desert tower. It was a grueling experience. I don’t know if the area is always covered in magical fog or what, but this was a mission.
The desert tower itself is run by a young man named John who is a wealth of knowledge for the general area of this location and beyond. The place is a boulder park and I guess museum within the tower. John’s got a bunch of dogs there and well, I almost left because I thought the dogs would attack, but I found out later they were pretty chill. I share the story on Day 3 of my Most Epic Southern Cali trip. This is a DOPE location, as is the surrounding area. You should go here! Check out the video!
Coyote's Flying Saucer Retrieval and Repair Service 📸🚗
Before reaching the tower, there is a lot of junk and abandoned cars and buildings. I like checking that stuff out. Just FYI.
Calexcio ❤️🏠
I have been to Mexico hella times, but never seen the fence. I was going to go to a State Park at the border of San Diego County and Mexico, but it was closed, so I wanted to find a place to see the wall. Calxico was not planned, but I ended up going. After driving through the desert, we ended up in Calexico. The first thing I saw was a huge mural of anime from Sailor Moon, Evenagelion, to Ranma ½. I’ve been a huge Japanese Anime fan since childhood with Robotech: Macross and still going strong! I had to stop and take photos. I did see an X3 tag as well, so I figure they may have some Surenos there, but I didn’t see any.
Calexico is hella Mexican, like 98% Mexican. NOT Latino, but Mexican. I liked it here because everything is conducted in Spanish and gave me an opportunity to practice.. Mexicans are pretty warm people, so I enjoyed my stay here. I saw the wall which was under construction, so there were sections of nothing. I could have literally walked across and got some tortas, or stingray tacos. I don’t think there is much here, personally, so I liked it more for personal reasons.
Center of the world ❤️🏠🚗
By law, this place is the center of the world. It’s an interesting museum, super close to Yuma, Arizona. I go on a huge rant about this place on Day 3 of my Epic Cali video. There are talks that this place is part of the occult, and you sell your soul to the devil by making a wish in the pyramid, which I did. I found the research amusing after I explored this place. Check out the video for the long rant.
Yuma, Arizona ❤️🏠📸⭐
I only spent a late afternoon and evening here, but it was either drive 2 hours in the dark to Slab city, or drive 10 minutes to Yuma, Arizona. I chose the latter. Yuma got movies, like 3-10 to Yuma. I like Westerns, so I had to check it out. I wish I had more time here as it was beautiful and quiet.
Yuma East Wetland ❤️🏠
I came here to explore. It's got a river and some trails. Basically a nice park with trails.
Yuma West Wetland ❤️🏠
I wanted to see the sunset, so came here after Yuma East. This was more park friendly than trails. They had a little lake with benches, and super dope castle playground and probably some trails. I just hung out for the sunset. Like, I said, wish I spent more time here.
Historic Downtown Yuma Gateway ❤️🏠
Downtown Yuma on a weeknight was pretty dead. Not much happening, but they had a nice Italian restaurant with gluten free pizza and pasta. It’s a very small downtown you can walk its entirety in 15 minutes.
Salvation Mountain ❤️🏠📸🚗⭐
This art installation beckons you before actually entering Slab City. It’s pretty damn impressive and there is a lot of art around here from the huge mountain itself and art made with cars. Quite a few tourists around here checking it out too.
Slab City 📸🚗
I didn’t know what to expect here. I wasn’t sure if this place was dangerous or not, but I heard about it and did some research, but in the end you got to go to locations yourself to truly get a feel. Slab city is a community of people who want an alternative lifestyle. I’m sure everyone has their reasons. Maybe some don’t like modern society, maybe some don’t want to be found, whatever the reason, people come and lie here. I only had 2 negative experiences here. One with dogs, and one was maybe some couple yelling at me while in their trailer. Other than that, I had an awesome time here. They have stores, restaurants, themed nights, cafes, and more. Plus I met some amazing and interesting people. If you are interested in learning more about my experience, check Day 4 of my Epic Cali trip.
East Jesus 📸🚗⭐
This location is just a Slab City hood. I met an artist name Dot here, who showed me her home and art, and the homey Squish, who checked out my car, because I thought it was damaged. This was all free. Good people here!
Bombay Beach Ruins 📸🚗
Woah! This place! I was like Woah! I wanted to see the Salton Sea, so I decided to hit Bombay beach. This place is like Mad Max meets Gummo. This place was straight weird and I thought it was just a ruined village, but nope, people live here. What do they do? I can guess, but yeah….The beach itself has a bunch of art installations that are pretty cool to check. I actually really liked this place for its weirdness.