On my recent vacation, I was able to read The Salton Sea by Debbie Bentley. I have always found the Salton Sea an interesting and odd place, a man-made accidental giant lake formed in 1905 when the Colorado River broke through its levees and was allowed to fill the Salton Sink (a below-sea-level region near Palm Springs and the Anza-Borrego Desert). For a time in the 1950s, the Salton Sea was a mecca for boating and other watersports activities. It attracted fishermen and bird-watching until it started evaporating as its fresh water supply had been cut off, making the salinity level so high it resulted in fish kills and exposure to the run-off fertilizers in its sediment.

Red Hill Marina
©Debra Bentley from the book The Salton Sea published by Daylight

Bentley’s book does a nice job summarizing the rise and fall of the Salton Sea and potential resolutions. It documents the current status through haunting photographs of abandoned areas once frequented by tourists.

Many travel to the Anza-Borrego area in the spring to see the incredible wildflowers bloom; the Salton Sea would be an interesting side trip to that journey, and Bentley’s book is a great introduction to your discovery.

Bombay Beach
©Debra Bentley from the book The Salton Sea published by Daylight

Years ago I traveled to the area and stayed at La Casa del Zorro in Borrego Springs, a fantastic resort with a spa, a great restaurant and activities including golf. It closed for a while, but I was pleased to see it reopened. From here, I drove to Phoenix through some outstanding sand dunes in California on the way.  A neat road trip!

— Francis X. Gallagher, publisher and CEO

Red Hill Marina County Park
©Debra Bentley from the book The Salton Sea published by Daylight

Red Hill Marina County Park
©Debra Bentley from the book The Salton Sea published by Daylight