Bombay Beach

Before making our way to the coast we decided to drive down to Bombay Beach in the Colorado Desert.  I had watched a documentary about this (almost) abandoned (accidental) resort town, but needed to see it for myself.   

In 1905, the Colorado River flooded the desert valley known as the Salton Sink for two years, creating the largest lake in California, dubbed the Salton Sea. Though it was an accident, developers flocked to the area they called "Salton Riviera," a "Miracle in the Desert."  Quickly Salton Sea became a resort destination, but by the late 1970s the ecosystem was deteriorating.  The sea was polluted and flooding brought the disgusting water further inshore.  Fish died and their rotting bodies were dragged on to the beach.  The sand became covered with fish skeletons. The town emptied.  Today only some 250 people live here.  The only person we met was a woman who had just bought a house for 15 000$.