My way cool dad was great enough to take me on a road trip to the environmental art piece "Salvation mountain" by Leonard Knight because it was on my bucket list! We decided to rent a car, since neither of cars are in any condition to drive to California, and book a three day trip!
Morning Drives are always gorgeous.
When we finally got to Salvation Mountain, alllllll the way heck out by the Salton Sea in Slab city! It was 100 degrees outside and not a single cloud in the sky (ouch). It was HOT. It made me glad we came in April and not any later!
When we were about a half mile off I got the first glimps of the mountain and I was so excited that I covered my eyes until we arrived. Don't worry, my dad was driving.
The piece is amazing in person and I couldn't even believe I was there! I've wanted to visit this piece for so long and when Leonard Knight, the artist, died of dementia last year, I was afraid that they would tear it down soon. To me, the most interesting part of an art piece, is the story behind it. Leonard Knight was bullied as a young man so he dropped out of school and worked odd jobs. One time while visiting his sister, Leonard was struck by how religious she was-but not in a good way. Then he suddenly embraced Jesus after repeating the sinner's prayer over and over again and just wasn't the same after that. "His passion...unwavering. His dedication (was) intense."
He wanted to create a hot air balloon that said "God is Love" on the front to show the world the simplicity of Christianity, but failed. Salvation was his last attempt to make a statement, although he began thinking it would be a small project. He ended up working on it for thirty years! Using over 100,000 gallons of paint! He was a dreamer and has big plans for the site before he died. He wanted to make it a museum and maybe feature other artists.
He even lived here. I honestly wish I could have met him. I believe he was one of the kindest and humble men in existence, RIP.
For more info: http://salvationmountain.us/bio.html
For more info: http://salvationmountain.us/bio.html
This mount was built out of homemade adobe and wood and car windows!
My goofy dad, thanks so much for making this dream come true!
"Dad let me take a picture of you"
"Like this?"
Nerd ^
The inside of the truck!
