Plagues and Pleasures

I have been captivated by the Salton Sea for sometime now; I love looking at pictures from the past and present that I come across of the place. Going out there has been on my to do list for quite awhile and I have even made plans to go, but it seem to fall through every time. For now I will have to be satisfied with this enlightening Documentary of the people and places of the Salton Sink.

The Documentary was entertaining and tragic all at the same time. I was a little bummed that they didn’t cover Leonard Knight and his Salvation Mountain a little more in depth. However I was extremely excited to find that they had an extra 11min movie all on him and his creation in the extras.

This used to be one of California’s greatest treasures and is now our eye sore. Sadly, I am of the opinion that not much can be done to revitalize the sea and yet I hope that I am wrong. We are told in the movie that California has lost %90 of its wetlands and this is one of the last remaining. I hope not only for our sakes they might be able to figure out some way to lower the salt content but for the environments. The Salton Sea is for the birds.

Rent this DVD, I think you’ll be shocked by its history, saddened by its present state, and amused all at the same time.

Be warned they do interview an 80 year old man who sits by the highway and waves to passer biers in the nude.

Let me leave you with two quotes from the start of the movie that describes in its own words The Salton Sea

“Where Utopia and the apocalypse meet to dance a dirty tango.”

“It draws a unique group of outsiders looking for an awfully beautiful life on the edge of a beautifully awful paradise”

America's First Theme Park Without A Theme

Two days after we hit the real Knott’s theme park we ventured out to the mutated mega-ride farm and then we went again the next week for Faith’s Birthday. I know there seems to be some confusion; why would I continue to go if I have such disdain for the place (as written from my trip in 2006 and Calico)? Well, first and foremost because it’s free…almost. For a month out of the year I can take myself and another person for free and then up to 5 more people for $12. That’s a hard deal to pass up even with my lofty principals.

Also, maybe it’s being a year out from having Disneyland Passes that I no longer need to juxtapose the two parks. On the other hand, maybe it was just cleaner this time around. Things certainly didn’t seem as dreary and decrepit as they did when we went in 2006. Of course, that’s not to say that it was on par with the upkeep of Disneyland but then again should I expect them to be able to keep up with that behemoth monster of a kiddy company?

Besides, it being cheap to go and that the place seemed a little tidier, the main reason for our not just going once but twice…Faith. My daughter loved it! She loved the log ride, talked about how scared she was to go down the drop, but wanted to go again. She loved going through the Calico mines, riding the stagecoach, holding and kissing toads, riding the Mexican teacups, the racecars, the snoopy bus, and tugboat. A week has passed and she still talks about what rides she rode while there. Seeing her so giddy with excitement makes the whole trip worth the effort. Her exhilaration reminds me of being young and how much I loved my parents taking me when I was her age.

This however, does not mean that I am an avid fan of the Cedar Rapids Co.. There is still much to be discourage about in this theme park and to be honest if I paid $40 a person to get in I would probably be a down right, stark-raving, lunatic.

First lets begin with what my title suggest, that this once was America’s first theme park is no longer a theme park. Despite the fact that Grand Rapid’s still touts this as their slogan! The truth is there is no theme to this park. Everything is mish-mashed together making it an eye sore.

While taking in the gun fighting show (which was actually pretty entertaining despite a couple innuendos) every 10-20 seconds a coaster whizzed by our heads making a loud raucous all the while little teeny poppers were screaming at the top of there lungs. Thus ruining the whole effect of being sucked into the old Wild West.

We took a real steam train around a little loop. It could have been cool for the little youngsters but all there was to see were weeds and great towering pylons. While on the stage coach we could see behind the buildings into the trash littered break spots and scary Halloween haunt mazes.

I could go on and on with how the themes are ruined by there colossal coasters, but you get the point. It’s not that I’m against the massive rides, in fact I like going on them myself. It’s more the principal. It just seems like if that’s what this company wants to be known for then invest in and make a commitment to delivering Southern California with the best rides around. Out do Six Flags. Get rid of the theme park altogether and simply be an amusement park or a Coaster park. But stop already with selling us on the idea that this is still Knott’s in something rather than in name only.

Though the Theme Park that is not a Theme Park annoys me to no extent that is not what would drive me insane if I had to pay the outrageous prices. It’s that after you pay to get into the park, they want you to continue to pay to ride some of the coasters. Why should I have to pay more money to go on a rock climbing wall or to be bungeed through the air? You have already taken a big chunk of my money to get into the park presumably to ride the rides. So why do you add these attractions that end up costing more?

Beyond that, what is the deal with the wasted space of Ghost Town. Why do I want to pay ridiculous prices to shop for knick-knacks? The place is lined with little craft spots, vendor upon vendor piled on top of one another trying to get a small piece of my cash. If you don’t have enough imagination to actually do something with the wasted space then just tear it down and do what your good at, put up another monster roller coaster!

Lastly, all add that there is a possibility that I am just venting and angry because I am still bitter that they took out the Soap Box Racers!

Knott's Berry Farm 2nd Annual Trip

The Real Knott’s Theme Park: Calico

Somewhere in the desert twilight just outside the Barstow lights, the Spirit of Walter Knott lives. While his name might be plastered all along Buena Vista sights and Cedar Rapids moguls might pedal his name for their profit, there is still a spot, a blimp on the map, that shines like silver with Knott’s glimmering touch. Calico is such a ghost town.

The town is a mixture of odd, historic, amusing, and amazing. It was once a thriving mining town that hit the payload with silver and Borax. 86 million was extracted in silver and 45 million in Borax while the town was booming. At its height over 1,200 people lived in the town, had 22 saloons, their own "Chinatown, and red-light district.

But, when Walter Knott found the town it was in ruins; Dilapidated. Everyone had gone; mining had come to an end. It was literally a ghost town. Knott bought the town and moved various local pieces to his Orange County theme park (that you can still find there). But he didn’t just level the town and keep the historic memorabilia. No the town has his signature stamp all over it. It has a replicated school house, bottle house, mystery shack, and talking dummies. Of course, the Knott family no longer owns the property, they gave the land over to the state and it is now a national park. Thankfully, our grand state has kept the soul of the town alive.

Two major fires have hit Calico; eighty percent of the original town is gone, but that shouldn’t stop a person from visiting a bygone era. It still looks and feels like an old western ghost town, only mixed with modern quirkiness.

A couple weeks back we decided to go out there and check the town out. Actually, our Sister In-law Michelle was heading out to scope out some photography sites and possibly get a Christmas pic of her kids. Since she knows I enjoy visiting these kinds of places she decided to invite us along. To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled about going to Calico. I just thought Faith would like to hang out with her cousins and I would finally get a chance to see the Stephen and Michelle’s new house.

I figured we would probably be there about an hour, walk around and look at knick-knack shops, take some pictures and call it a day. But to my utter delight the place was awesome! We ended up getting there about 12pm and leaving around 5:30! The only reason we left was that the sun was going down, the town was closing up, and it was getting cold.

There were lots of different things to do while hanging out in Calico; great places to take pictures, pan for gold, watch gunfights in the street, take a train ride, walk through a mine, see the mystery shack (this is a replica of the same one that was once in Knott’s Berry Farm, but IMHO the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz was far superior), and check out the cemetery.

We also ate at the Restaurant in Calico, it was all right but nothing to brag about. I recommend the Firehouse Chili which is homemade. Also if you have children, keep in mind that the children’s meals are adult prices. It might be better to go into Barstow and eat at the McDonald’s Train station (which I can no longer stomach since be marooned there for hours when our car broke down) or hit up the first Del Taco also located in Barstow.

So next time save your money, stay away from the multi-mega- million dollar corporation that dangles Knott’s name like a carrot on a stick and head out to a little town in the desert that still carries on Walter Knott’s Spirit.

Calico Slide Show