1980 | Southbound, east of the Salton Sea
Don’t let the dry land fool you; at long intervals, heavy rains can come to the arid Salton Sea basin, and runoff bearing down from the conjoined Orocopia and Chocolate Mountain ranges could take out a highway or railroad in a few minutes. In anticipation, “training dikes” have been graded up to steer the flowing water toward bridges and culverts.
I was guided to this place by an L. A. Department of Water & Power engineer’s finger on a huge map. This picture was made just south of the old railroad water stop “Salton” — it holds a lasting impression for me. Today, I could not resist browsing satellite images of this area to see more of the facts of where I had been.