The slow disappearance of the Salton Sea has moved dramatic art pieces, like this tetrahedron that once rose mysteriously from the water, onto a broad expanse of beach where some of their magic evaporates with the sea.
Tetrahedron Beached
Category: Coachella Valley
Salton Sea Ω
When I added the “Ω” to the title of this image, I imagined endings across multiple dimensions of time: Certainly, a sunset is the end of a day, but I was also thinking on the longer scale of how the slow march of evaporation and desert climate are continuously shrinking the Salton Sea. In a more personal sense, this was likely to be my last visit to the Sea—at least in anything like its current state. All of those combined finalities made this one worthy of being the omega.
Desert Valley Train
Even a huge freight train is just a tiny chain in the stretch of desert.
Car Guys: Chevy vs. Ford
When it comes to classic car guys, the Chevy (wagon) versus Ford (truck) debate leads to some serious vehicle comparisons in the evening California sun.
Road into the Desert
I-10 runs across the dry ancient lakebed that is now Coachella Valley and but the absence of easy bridges over the stark divider has produced some odd impacts on the resulting sprawl.
Shelby Cobra (Real, Or Close Enough)
A real Shelby Cobra is a multi-million dollar machine, so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the most kit-car-copied vehicles in existence—so much so that my default assumption upon seeing a Cobra-shaped vehicle is to assume it’s a replica. In this case, I’m not so sure—could this be the real deal?
Ultimate California Sky
Never has so dramatic a sky of natural beauty been accompanied by so bland a human foreground of golf courses and subdivisions, but that’s the paradox of California for you.
The Old Indio
Dawn light illuminates the old Indio, California—a farming city of date plantations and strange water projects. In the distance, the oncoming scourge of sprawling subdivisions may signal the end of this particular era.
Sunrise on L&G
The bright rooftops in the foreground are L&G Desert Store, a local grocery established in 1979, an ongoing representation of what Indio was during an earlier era, before it was encrusted with subdivisions.
Date Palms in the Rain
Winter rain in Coachella Valley brings deep, somber hues to the monoculture arrays of date palms. I usually aim for depth and variety in my images, with a sense of definite space, so it’s an engaging game to depart from that and focus on a single plane and hypnotic pattern.
Rebuilding the Palm Plantation
Early morning sees quiet at the old construction site, where this home at the site of an old palm plantation (which had fallen into disrepair) is being renovated. I love the chaos amid the grid of palms.
A “Nope” Cloud Over Coachella
A terrifying cloud (I swear, it makes sense) is the antagonist of “Nope,” and I saw echoes of that shape in this cloud above the San Jacinto Mountains and the Empire Polo Club.
Pirates of the Salton Sea
The Bombay Beach Ruins now feature this fanciful pirate ship, but at its core is another sculpture with a far different 1950s-automotive-aerial aesthetic. I wonder what inspiration caused the artist to transform one piece into another—or if this was the work of a second artist? I’m reminded of old masters reusing canvases, painting over earlier works to repurpose the raw materials.
Sunset on 2025
We’ve reached the end of 2025 and I’ll celebrate with what I think is one of my best shots of the year—and also just chronologically one of the last shots of the year. The tiny camper van and far-off lights add a sense of scale, saying “goodbye” to the distant events of that past time. Happy New Year!
Swing Is Dry Now
The Bombay Beach Ruins is a sculpture garden on the shallow shores of the Salton Sea, and this particular swing is the site of some of my favorite pictures—but the gradual evaporation of the sea has stranded a symbol of whimsy and magic on the beach as, well, just a regular swing now.
Decaseconds 