title California Desert 2: The Salton Sea and Anza-Borrego to Julian, California, US - 24th September 2005 intro Part two of a grand tour of the desert of Southern California (well, 380 miles of it), goes from El Centro north up to the strange and deserted Salton City, by the edge of the Salton Sea. The sea, which has come and gone over thousands of years, is the largest lake in California and is 227 feet below sea-level. It was last filled by accident from a breach in the Colorado River around 1907, but has been drying out since, although opinions vary on whether the sea is dying a slow death or is a thriving oasis of sea-life. Whichever, after a bit of a searching, Nosher drove to the water's edge expecting it to be a bustling port with boats and stuff. Instead, the place is utterly deserted - silence hangs heavy in the air, interupted only occasionally by the cry of one of the pelicans nearby as it takes listlessly to flight. The sea is 25% saltier than the Pacific, and the smell is similarly more concentrated - dead fish litter the beach, which is made from countless millions of small shells. Nearby, a salt crust covers a small pool. Throughout the entire city, there's barely a sign of life - maybe that's just the season, as it was very hot - apart from another passing visitor who seems somewhat staggered to find a British tourist in the area. Even after chatting for a few minutes he thought I must be from Arizona. Leaving Salton, driving through the Anza-Borrega badlands, it was back to the town of Julian and the familiar drive down Route 79 to re-join the I-8. The Salton Sea remains, to-date, one of the weirdest, and yet most memorable places, ever visited. imgp1200 The serene slipway leading out to Salton Sea. imgp1201 The top of the pier imgp1204 The surface conceals the reddish colour of the water imgp1207 A dead Tilapia fish, which litter the shell beach imgp1212 Some sort of navigation aid imgp1213 A water-safety sign preaches to no-one imgp1215 The pier in black and white imgp1221 pelicans wait on stumps for passing fish imgp1226 A salt crust imgp1229 West Shores RV Park and Johnson's Landing café imgp1232 Vanishing-point road, in the Carrizo Badlands imgp1236 An example of gently-tilted sedimentary geology imgp1239 Some desert scrub imgp1242 An RV camp out in the desert imgp1244 Moonscape in the badlands imgp1248 The desert road disappears off in to the mountains imgp1250 Desert foliage - an Ocotillo plant imgp1252 Close-up of prickly spines imgp1260 Some nice clouds which look like dots on dice imgp1267 An abandoned golf shop in Borrego Springs imgp1269 Another nearby derelict building imgp1271 Old sign and palm trees on S22, Borrego Springs imgp1272 Cute fluffy-looking cacti near Julian, Route 78 imgp1278 Aloe plants and mountains, Route 78 imgp1279 Rays of the setting sun picked out in the haze imgp1289 Julian's post office imgp1290 The mountains of Cuyamaca State Park