SALVATION MOUNTAIN

On Feb. 16 - 17. 2002, Daryl and I cabbed it to Silver Lake and hopped in an RV with some strangers from the L.A. Cacophony Society. We were off to visit Salvation Mountain and its creator, Leonard Knight. Salvation Mountain is Leonard's tribute to God. His first crack at spreading his good vibes was the "world's biggest hot air balloon" (300 feet high), which took ten years to sew together and paint but never got off the ground. Undaunted, he began the first Salvation Mountain, which collapsed after five years of daily toil. But instead of quitting, Leonard began again, this time packing the hill with adobe he mixed by hand near a stream and brought back in buckets on his bicycle handlebars. He must be seventy, but he's out there in the sun every day molding decorated caves out of hay and adobe (his latest additions) and chatting with admirers.

In two days, we managed to climb the mountain and get a tour from Leonard (and drop off some paint), set up camp at the edge of Slab City, consume mass quantities of beer (except me of course), play flaming t.p. golf, see shooting stars, see and hear target practice explosions from the training camp a few miles away, have a pitch dark pillow fight, get three members naked and out of the RV during truth or dare (i've never been more moved by a rendering of the national anthem), suck down about four boxes of whippits (actually, that was just three of us), rent a truck not fit for kindling that nearly caught fire, visit an army tank and bomb grave yard, shoot a rifle and go a-huntin' fer bargains at the local swap meet.

We had an awesome time and plan to keep in touch with the group. Unfortunately, we never made it back to Leonard's to help him paint his mountain. If we had, we would have been the first group to offer AND actually show up. Next time, we'll have to paint the first day, because the second morning is Hangover City in Slab City.

And a few links:
Salvation Mountain at Roadside America
Godfrey Daniels' interview with Knight
website and interview with Leonard from none other than Godfrey Daniels
Jaime Muldoon's site

Thanks to Karen for many of the pictures on this page!

The whole mountain, complete with mailbox in front.

 

Daryl and I about to go up the mountain. Possibly the only decent picture I have of the two of us.

 

Follow the yellow paint road... Walt (Vanessa is in front of him and out of the shot), Eric, Vanessa, Bob (?), Daryl and that's my rear, bringing up the rear.

 

A detail of the right side of the mountain. We're all climbing the path, and if you look closely, you can see me wavin' atcha right under the big pink heart that says Love.

 

God Is Love... My one and only attempt at mountain climbing - the view of the sky from the top was amazing, as the sun was going down. I am near the O in GOD at the top in my green Insanity shirt and requisite knit hat with daisies on it.

 

Daryl and I at the top of the mountain, with a lot of paint detail up the side. You can see the yellow road we hiked up.

 

One of Leonard's Salvation Wagons, covered with images, scripture and hippie-ass words of luv. Believe it or not, I think Leonard lives in this thing. A fixer-upper mobile home with natural air conditiong of sorts.

 

Another view.

 

Leonard gets thousands of gallons of paint donated to him from visitors and companies. This is the work area to the right and in front of the mountain. The colorful mound at the end is painted and decorated on the inside.

 

At the entrance to two amazing indoor grotto-type thingies. Daryl and one of half a dozen military boys on patrol. If "God Is Love" and "Jesus Loves" don't inspire peace, their M16s just might.

 

One of the upper walls of the hollowed out mounds. This one is on the left of the above photo, where it says Jesus.

 

A back-lit Ley next to one of Leonard's memos. The mounds are to his right.

 

Coming down the mountain... (which happens to be one of my favorite Jane's Addiction songs). Vanessa near the top (photo's left), me on the yellow path, Daryl toward the bottom of the hill.

 

After some cajoling, we got the military boys to pose for us. Our goal was to get them (and their weaponry) right under the God Is Love part, but Love will have to do.

 

Leonard asks Daryl if he's accepted Christ as his personal Lord and Savior, after which the mountain catches fire and implodes.

 

Me, Leonard and Daryl.

 

Sunset at Salvation.

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