Sunday’s adventures began in Mecca at the Salton Sea.  I drove out there mainly to see the North Shore Yacht Club which has been on my “to see” list for about a dozen years.  I wish I’d gotten to see it in the abandoned state.  I’m glad it was saved & restored, but it feels pretty soul-less to me.
http://www.greetingsfromsaltonsea.com/northshore.html

The dogs enjoyed sniffing around and crunching on dead fish (much as I tried to stop them).  Evidently, the tilapia die of oxygen starvation and wash up on the shore.  I’ve read about the stench — but no smell when we were there.  And I think the bone population is way down from what it used to be.

[don’t forget, all my photos open to larger versions when you click on them]

 

On to Indio.  The Riverside County Fairgrounds — which hosts an annual Date Festival.  Several of the buildings feature stylized Middle Eastern elements.  There were other buildings that I couldn’t get to since the fairgrounds were locked up tight.  I saw some five foot fencing which I was tempted to hop — but didn’t.

A mid-century looking parabola with painted murals of the Taj Mahal and other scenes.

 

Some other stuff in Indio:

 

This motel building features a normal looking double decker office (I assume with manager’s room upstairs).  I have never seen a pylon slice through a building quite like this.  I would assume the motel’s name would have been painted at the top…

… but there’s an obvious former Travelodge sign on the property.  So, I can’t explain that pylon since I’ve not seen any Travelodges with that sort of office:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadsidepictures/93794943/

 

From Cathedral City:

 

Then, it was back through Palm Springs to shoot what was in the shade on the previous afternoon.  I also shot some L.A. area stuff on the way home.  This place in Orange must have been related to the famous Johnie’s Broiler (now Bob’s Big Boy) in Downey:
http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/ca2.html

I find no info online connecting these two locations.  And what’s odd — is that the building associated with this sign is a former 1960s era Taco Bell.   So, I assume Johnie’s adapted the building.

Note the character on the signs — in Orange:

And the Downey sign which I believe was built in 1966 when Johnie’s Broiler moved into the Harvey’s Broiler building.   Note you can still faintly read “Fat Boy” in his cap like the sign above:

 

More photos from this trip over at Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

I was able to wrap up the SoCal desert stuff on my list with this trip.  The next few trips will focus on the San Diego area.  Since I’m limited to weekend traveling right now, it will probably take three or four trips for that chapter.  We’ll be back on the road in mid-February.

dj & the dogs