Image of the Month
Image of the Month
Leonard Knight & Salvation Mountain
Leonard Knight is a true desert man. Working, living and worshiping his god in his favorite place in the world, the Southern California desert just outside Niland, CA. He’s been out there 26 years building this mountain out of an existing desert mountain and painting on it. He has no electricity, no running water and no Wal-Mart near him to get groceries. Sometimes he eats cat food, and other times people buy him lunch at the local burger Joint in the very small town of Niland. He always a salad and iced tea.
In early January of 2009 I got venture out to the Southern California desert once again. But not to visit L.A or get a picture in front of the Hollywood sign (again…), but to visit a mountain, a man and type of love I’ve never felt before.
After seeing the movie Into the Wild, the story about Christopher Johnson McCandless. The movie and story of Chris deeply and quickly connected with me in a way no other story has. His passion for traveling and finding more about him to better himself.
The first time I saw or heard about Leonard Knight and his mountain was in Into the Wild. Immediately I had the obsession to go out and talk with Leonard Knight. So in early 2009 me and my family took a small tent camping trip out to Southern California. We visited some of our favorite place’s such as Venice Beach, San Diego and Palm Springs. The tripped wrapped up with what I was waiting for the whole time, we started the drive down from Palm Springs to Salvation Mountain.
Just behind Salvation Mountain is Slab City. An old 60’s Air Force base bulldozed and taken over by travelers, RV’ers, outlaws, campers and people wanting to ‘Live on the cheap’. No rules, no running water, no fences and no electricity. Pick a spot where ever you want, preferably by shade cause it can get hot out there. Again, you’re in the middle of the desert…
But to come back around and back on subject, I got to meet Leonard Knight that trip. The man I had been waiting to meet for so long was finally shaking my hand. I stood on top on the mountain, I walked Slab City and even ate lunch with Leonard.
When I took this photo he was sitting on a small hump on the bottom the mountain talking to me and my family and very, very good friends of ours that made the drive out there with us. We talked with Leonard for a good hour and listened as he went on about his life and his mountain.
“No church in the world could ever come close to it, and I’m sitting here in Niland with a wheelbarrel and no education and no smarts at all, and my god it made it in to Congress”
Leonard’s mountain has been protected by Congress as a national monument. He was very excited about that.
After a very great weekend in Slab City and at Salvation Mountain, it was time to head out. I’ll always remember Leonard Knight and hold him high as one of the people I hold close to my heart and respect very much.
“Don’t get complicated with Love, Keep it Simple!” -Leonard Knight.
Here’s a link to a small video I made with footage I took of Leonard talking with us.