Salton Sea story’s

[guest hs]

Today I finally got to visit the Salton Sea. My great grandparents had a place at Bombay Beach wow what a shit hole it is today. Heard many story’s about this place from my Dad and Uncle. My Uncle said today it was about 55 years ago when they would boat down there. My grandma told me a story once that their boat which was a Cracker Box named the Party Pooper caught on fire at the beach in front of their parents place at at Bombay Beach. Mr Grandma said the boat was so bad she told my Grandpa to
Pull the plug and let it sink. He was attainment about saving the Flathead Ford engine that was in it, so they got it back on the trailer and my grandma made my grandpa wrap the boat up in sheets to tow it back to Rosemead. She was so embarrassed. My grandpa pulled the engine and took the boat to the dump. Today as I was pulling out of Bombay Beach and on to the 111. I was imaging the somber felling my grandpa must have felt on that long drive home with his pride and joy burnt to Smithers. Sure miss the story’s my family use to tell me about their boat adventures before I was born. Latter on my Grandparents left Salton Sea and got their own place in Lake Elsinore and my Grandpa ended up buying the very first brand new fiberglass Lavey Craft built out of Al Lavey’s garage.

 

[guest hs]

There was an old thread on here about the Salton Sea a few years ago. I can’t find it now

 

[stokerwhore]

a lot of the artsy stuff around Bombay it lit up at night. strange awesome.

 

[rmarion]

I stopped by on my return from El Centro.... it was my 1st time.... I was SUPRISED how close it was to Coachella Valley/Palm Springs....
My FIL used to ski there in the 60's.... he taught me how to Ski in 75...

 

[highvoltagehands]

Sounds like your grandfather had great sense and good taste buying the first Laveycraft....Was he “Lavey for Life” from that day forward?????

 

[Rondog4405]

There's a great salton sea documentary on prime.. full on history..alot of early interesting stuff

 

[SoCalZero]

I drove all the way around it last year. Did not think it was that big. Would have been cool if it didn’t go to shit.

 

[C-2]

There's a great salton sea documentary on prime.. full on history..alot of early interesting stuff

Right on, will check that out.

I only went to Salton Sea twice. Both times it was hotter than hell and the stench of the water was pretty bad. Caught tons of Tilapia, but never hooked a Corvina.

 

[stokerwhore]

i rode my dirt bike out this place to snoop around. kinda neat

Salton Sea Test Base Abandoned Naval Station | DesertUSA

www.desertusa.com

 

[FreeBird236]

Learned to ski there in 1962, always wore tennis shoes in the water because of the coral. Don't remember the year, but sure was nice when the state park opened with the showers. Caught a few corvina there, usually on ski trips because it was too hot to sleep, more often than not the planned fishing trips were a bust.

 

[fmo24]

We used to go when I was a kid. About twenty families camping at salton sea beach. At night the parents would ride their motorcycles to a bar called “Helens“. Usually one or two of the Mom‘s would stay behind to keep an eye on all the kids. We ski all day and if it got too windy go ride our motorcycles.
was a great time before all the agriculture runoff pretty much killed the sea.

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

We used to go when I was a kid. About twenty families camping at salton sea beach. At night the parents would ride their motorcycles to a bar called “Helens“. Usually one or two of the Mom‘s would stay behind to keep an eye on all the kids. We ski all day and if it got too windy go ride our motorcycles.
was a great time before all the agriculture runoff pretty much killed the sea.

Same here we went to a beach Niland state beach 6-7 mile east of BB beach go south at Border checkpoint there was a bar right there “ The Corner “ and an RV park gone now FYI do not drive on the beach you will sink up to your ass and take for ever to get out

 

[guest hs]

Anyone know how to find the old thread?

 

[guest hs]

Sounds like your grandfather had great sense and good taste buying the first Laveycraft....Was he “Lavey for Life” from that day forward?????

He had bought the boat in around 61 I was born in 71 and it was gone by then. I know he did a lot of drag racing with it and my grandma would ski race behind it. They were members of some boat club in So Cal. The amount of trophy’s those two had from that boat were mind blowing. It would be his first and last nice boat. He turned to drinking which eventually took his life in 82. He had a couple other flat bottoms after the Lavey but they were more or less junk from what I recall as a kid. One had a Cadillac engine in it he got to ride in it once just before he passed.

 

[boatpi]

Back in the 60's it was a cheap place to have a mobile andan outboard boat, fishing and water skiing.

 

[HCP3]

Anyone know how to find the old thread?

Search results for query: Salton

www.riverdavesplace.com

 

[SixD9R]

Great story but wow Bombay beach looks like a foreign shithole. Hard to believe that’s in America.

 

[Ziggy]

Wish they'd just open the valve at the river levee that failed in 1905 a few times a year.

 

[fmo24]

Wish they'd just open the valve at the river levee that failed in 1905 a few times a year.

That is the whole issue. No circulation. Since it was created by accident there is no natural flow. Years ago they talked about it but no money. This would be a huge recreation area if water was ever cleaned up

 

[Ziggy]

That is the whole issue. No circulation. Since it was created by accident there is no natural flow. Years ago they talked about it but no money. This would be a huge recreation area if water was ever cleaned up

They've been fighting with ways to save and clean it but there's always opposition to whatever plan is presented....aside from the costs.
1905 was accidental but before dams history shows the river had flowed into it many times before.
I think about Kitt Carson traveling back/forth through there pre-1900s and imagine it not being there. That'd be weird.

 

[HBCraig]

I drove all the way around it last year. Did not think it was that big. Would have been cool if it didn’t go to shit.

It's massive. I did some consulting work at Cal Energy on the east side of Salton Sea in the town of Calipatria. It was in July. There were billions of tiny white bugs, it was dusty, hotter than hell, ans smelled terrible. Very interesting how they get geothermal energy

 

[Shlbyntro]

So if the remainder of the Colorado was redirected to flow through it rather than past it and they still allowed all the same water rights, what does everybody think would happen?? Its a very interesting "thought experiment"

 

[Taboma]

So if the remainder of the Colorado was redirected to flow through it rather than past it and they still allowed all the same water rights, what does everybody think would happen?? Its a very interesting "thought experiment"

I think part of the problem with that line of thinking is, the Salton Sea is 235 feet below sea level at it's edge, so most of the Coachella Valley farmlands is also below sea level, this is of course why all water flows into, but not out of the Salton Sea. To get the CR to flow through, you'd have to flood all the farm lands to the south, unless of course you pumped it out.
Historically on and off, that entire vast area was a sea, Lake Cahuilla. It was dry between 1700 and 1905, when the CR flooded it again.

 

[Ziggy]

So if the remainder of the Colorado was redirected to flow through it rather than past it and they still allowed all the same water rights, what does everybody think would happen?? Its a very interesting "thought experiment"

I've always thought that'd be the simplest solution but it would eventually loose its salinity. Daytona Babe and all the LRJ's would have a shit ton more area to boat, lol.
My other thought was pipeline from Sea of Cortez to exchange water, maintain water and salinity levels....but that would involve cartels

 

[Taboma]

I've always thought that'd be the simplest solution but it would eventually loose its salinity. Daytona Babe and all the LRJ's would have a shit ton more area to boat, lol.
My other thought was pipeline from Sea of Cortez to exchange water, maintain water and salinity levels....but that would involve cartels

Getting the water in, salt or fresh is the easy part, getting it back out is where it gets complicated and expensive a - 235'

 

[Ziggy]

Getting the water in, salt or fresh is the easy part, getting it back out is where it gets complicated and expensive a - 235'

That's why I said the pipeline idea was to exchange water and maintain a level, a two way street so to speak. I don't believe it would need great volume to maintain.

 

[Shlbyntro]

Getting the water in, salt or fresh is the easy part, getting it back out is where it gets complicated and expensive a - 235'

Or a dam to control water flow into the sea off of where the dike broke?

I mean if they can pump it from havasu to LA.... surely the benefits of restoring the area would outweigh the relatively small costs. Theres gotta be some kind of economic/agricultural benefit of it being there vs not right?

 

[Taboma]

That's why I said the pipeline idea was to exchange water and maintain a level, a two way street so to speak. I don't believe it would need great volume to maintain.

So gravity flow in and then pump it back out through another pipeline ?

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

That is the whole issue. No circulation. Since it was created by accident there is no natural flow. Years ago they talked about it but no money. This would be a huge recreation area if water was ever cleaned up

Story is there is a train at the bottom that they didn’t get out, the New river flows into it from Mexico and I don’t think it’s very clean water

 

[Taboma]

Or a dam to control water flow into the sea off of where the dike broke?

I mean if they can pump it from havasu to LA.... surely the benefits of restoring the area would outweigh the relatively small costs. Theres gotta be some kind of economic/agricultural benefit of it being there vs not right?

If you could ever get the salinity reduced so the water could be exchanged by pumping it out for irrigation purposes, it might be viable.

 

[Taboma]

Story is there is a train at the bottom that they didn’t get out

I know I worked with an electrician who lost his flatty there during a 500 miler race and despite using a helo hoping to spot it, never located it, so it's still there on the bottom somewhere.

 

[Taboma]

The last time I was there was mid-60's during the summer. Dead rotting fish covered the beach covered with flies, kept gagging, it was nasty.

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

I know I worked with an electrician who lost his flatty there during a 500 miler race and despite using a helo hoping to spot it, never located it, so it's still there on the bottom somewhere.

Monster size fish in it also

 

[nowski]

Back in the day our next door neighbors had two places out there, one near the aqua-duct near the chocolate mountains and one near Bombay Beach.

We use to ride our mini bikes and go shooting at the place near the aqua-duct. The coolest thing was watching the guys water ski in that aqua-duct . Using the dirt road that parallels the aqua-duct guys would tie a ski rope to their dune buggies to pull the skiers in the aqua-duct, pretty in-genius if you ask me...

The place near Bombay Beach was used to let the kids go swimming while the parents spent time in the bar, typical trade off back in the day...

 

[guest hs]

Here are some pics of the Cracker Box (Party Pooper) and the Lavey (African Queen)

 

[ToMorrow44]

Some cool info in this video from 2008

 

[Taboma]

Monster size fish in it also

You couldn't pay me to eat one, but I recall reading stories of some Vietnamese poachers getting hauled in with a truck bed filled with Corvina years ago.

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

Back in the day our next door neighbors had two places out there, one near the aqua-duct near the chocolate mountains and one near Bombay Beach.

We use to ride our mini bikes and go shooting at the place near the aqua-duct. The coolest thing was watching the guys water ski in that aqua-duct . Using the dirt road that parallels the aqua-duct guys would tie a ski rope to their dune buggies to pull the skiers in the aqua-duct, pretty in-genius if you ask me...

The place near Bombay Beach was used to let the kids go swimming while the parents spent time in the bar, typical trade off back in the day...

State of Cal moved a bunch of , let’s say lower income peeps from Los Angles down to BB beach , drive down to Niland and go over to Red Hill kinda sad

 

[Dettom]

There’s a movie called Salton Sea, starring Val Kilmer, about a dope deal gone bad. Pretty edgy stuff. My cousin and her husband worked the cranes and dollies and are on the credits. He has a big movie crane company in LA, called Cranium Cranes. Lots of tweakers and hippies frequent the place now.

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

You couldn't pay me to eat one, but I recall reading stories of some Vietnamese poachers getting hauled in with a truck bed filled with Corvina years ago.

Back in the day everyone ate them but now nope

 

[Ziggy]

Story is there is a train at the bottom that they didn’t get out, the New river flows into it from Mexico and I don’t think it’s very clean water

New river is loaded with chemicals. Much flows over from Mexico.

 

[Taboma]

Here are some pics of the Cracker Box (Party Pooper) and the Lavey (African Queen) View attachment 972775 View attachment 972776 View attachment 972777 View attachment 972778 View attachment 972779

Hot damn, that picture of the Cracker at Long Beach Marine Stadium sure brought back some picture memories. My dad had a cracker almost just like that one he ran at Marine Stadium, with oil derricks in the background --- The boat's name was "Pelican" --- That was even before my time. Lost all those pics and other old boat pics in the fire --- fuck the house, it was losing the pics that's such a pisser.

 

[DrunkenSailor]

Desal plant in gulf of cali. Pump fresh water in and pump bad water out. Once salinity levels normalize use it as a reservoir.

 

[guest hs]

Hot damn, that picture of the Cracker at Long Beach Marine Stadium sure brought back some picture memories. My dad had a cracker almost just like that one he ran at Marine Stadium, with oil derricks in the background --- The boat's name was "Pelican" --- That was even before my time. Lost all those pics and other old boat pics in the fire --- fuck the house, it was losing the pics that's such a pisser.

Sucks about the pics man !

 

[highvoltagehands]

Some cool info in this video from 2008

Cool video. I’ve heard the salinity levels of Salton Sea can be up to 100x higher than ocean thus the fish die offs. Knowing how harsh ocean salt water can be on boats and trailers, I would think the SS today would wreck shop exponentially, on anything you ran there?

 

[Ziggy]

So gravity flow in and then pump it back out through another pipeline ?

My idea involved pumping salt water to/from Sea of Cortez but the easy route would be river water. Not sure sending the high salinity water down the river would be good ecologically and/or for irrigation. If the river ran abundantly then sending some into the Salton Sea annually or biannually could do the trick if they were to construct the desalination ponds they've talked about for years. It'd create a new resource but doubtfully Himalayan quality

 

[Ziggy]

Cool video. I’ve heard the salinity levels of Salton Sea can be up to 100x higher than ocean thus the fish die offs. Knowing how harsh ocean salt water can be on boats and trailers, I would think the SS today would wreck shop exponentially, on anything you ran there?

No doubt. I recall the Hydroplane boats racing in Mission Bay needing new props all the time from them being ground down by the salty water.

 

[JuevosRancheros]

Here's a good one. Arrived to a friend's property here at the Sea late last night. Kids going to ride dirtbikes all day. Didn't unload truck. Went to bed around 3am. Got up at 630 to take dogs out. All is good. Go back outside at 745 to unload and discover daughters bike gone. Locks cut on gate, tire marks to the back of my truck. Bike, cooler, gas can gone. Tailgate damaged. They took two other gas cans and a helmet that were outside about 20 feet away. 2020 Yamaha 250f, 2019 Yz125, and a 2019 kx 250f 20 feet away, unlocked went untouched. Hoooray thieves.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

Here's a good one. Arrived to a friend's property here at the Sea late last night. Kids going to ride dirtbikes all day. Didn't unload truck. Went to bed around 3am. Got up at 630 to take dogs out. All is good. Go back outside at 745 to unload and discover daughters bike gone. Locks cut on gate, tire marks to the back of my truck. Bike, cooler, gas can gone. Tailgate damaged. They took two other gas cans and a helmet that were outside about 20 feet away. 2020 Yamaha 250f, 2019 Yz125, and a 2019 kx 250f 20 feet away, unlocked went untouched. Hoooray thieves.

Jesus.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

Anyone know how to find the old thread?

(1) Restoring the Salton Sea | River Daves Place