Backtracking a bit, we left Joshua tree national park and arrived at Bombay beach, Salton sea, CA. When we came in, Bombay beach looked like a run down ghost town to us. We parked at the beach to overnight with plans of leaving in the morning. The beach had odd art all over. I mentioned that previously. But although odd, the art was not random or thoughtless. It took effort and serious skills to put them together.

We enjoyed the sunset at Salton sea, and got up early to catch the sunrise. Both were beautiful. Salton sea itself is heavily polluted and smells bad. There’s crud if you step in the water. But it looked beautiful nevertheless. After breakfast we got on our bikes and decided to tour the town. The town is square with 5 or 6 blocks each way. We checked out the lovely art and took many pictures. Yeah, my blog is going to look stunning today!

We were very surprised when we found a community cafe in the town, open Friday through Sunday. Luckily for us, it was Friday. We went in and got our drinks. The barista was a lady who was originally from Pennsylvania. She was very friendly and gave us little bits of information about the town. We were surprised to hear that the town was not actually empty. Each house was occupied. Also, real estate there was expensive! Well, well! Another person named John walked in and we talked to him about how we were slightly concerned that our bus would get stuck on the beach. He offered help if necessary, and told us about a nice restaurant/bar in town that had a karaoke night. We biked along further and found a free book library where you could take books as you pleased. There was a house with butterfly origami. We stood admiring the art, and the owner came out and gave us origami butterflies. Now we were impressed and decided to stay another night.

We went out to dinner at the recommended restaurant called Ski Inn, and saw our friend John there. Food was good, but the most interesting part for me was the karaoke. Having sung karaoke online for more than a year, I figured I had to try it out live. Not sure how it sounded, but it was a great time for me. It was also a safe place to try singing onstage, since we knew no one there!

The next day we were able to pull out of the beach pretty easily, and were thankful to not become a part of the facebook page named “I got stuck at Bombay beach”! Went back to the cafe, and hung out for a bit. Our rig created some excitement as usual, and the chickens never fail to impress.

I spoke a lot about Slab City so there’s not much to add, except for one important point. They have art too, and a whole lot of it! We visited their art museum at East Jesus with spectacular art made from people with little to no means. The results were breathtaking and touching. You can see it for yourself in the attached pictures. Oh, the dog and chicken are looking bored. Over to them.

Rosie the dog: Bombay beach was cruddy all right. I am very much a water girl, and plunged into it. I came back looking slightly dirty, but had my fun. My self proclaimed “fearless” husband Kylo Ren, on the other hand, is a total wimp as far as water is concerned and won’t even step into a puddle. Anyway, the salty water made us both a bit sick so that was a bummer. But overall, I liked the beach. Slab City was a whole different story. There were odd looking dogs everywhere, running free and being nasty. Here I was happy to let Kylo Ren take the lead. He took care of the neighbor dog alright. Handy fella, my hubby. Oh hey, look who’s here today. It’s Baby, the big chicken. I didn’t think she could write! Over to her.

Baby the chicken: What?! Not only can I write, I have an elaborate security system set up for my chicken sisters to warn them of imminent danger. The human girls have unfortunately figured out my language and so it is no longer secret, but it still does the trick. More on our language on a later blog.

So I wanted to give you a little low down about our group. Lazy Laurie and I were born around the same time. So were Dandelion and Chocolate Sprinkles. I am sad to say Dandelion and Chocolate Sprinkles are no longer with us. Back in 2019, the human roosters decided to take a trip similar to the one they are currently taking. And, get this, they left us with their farmer friend. Dandelion was a fearless one. She and I could overcome any little bunch of chickens. But one day Dandelion disappeared. I never quite understood what happened. My theory is that she was either turned into soup by the farmer, or a hawk got her.

So now when I hear the younger chicks Crazy Cookie or Daisy complaining about this long trip, I have to peck their heads to remind them how much better they have it than us. Gen C is so spoilt! More about us later. But before signing off, I must let you know this important fact. I am number 2 in the pecking order. Good day y’all.