This post is part of Special Reports.
Don’t spoil the fun. Don’t scroll down the pictures immediately.
I once entered a completely remote, isolated, exotic and magical world.
I followed not black but colored tire wheels leading to a yard of imagination.
A wondrous land where time sits still.
The gate is continuously a work in progress. There is no barrier. No door. No need for a key. No secret password. The setting is odd but inviting. Every one is welcome. If you look up the archway, the wheels are turning.
The main house has eyes, but it doesn’t pry nor judge. You can do anything here. But the house sees as if nothing ever happens. The flowers in front of it never die all year round.
One service car is a multitaskoid. It has a propeller in front so no gas required to be filled. It flies and can take you far as you wish. The driver is a friendly robot always waving its hand at his passengers.
There’s a wall filled with different-colored bottles with only the bottle necks that stick out. You can peek at the bottles. Each bottle peepholes offer different views.
There, the dolphin farts are more toxic then the car exhaust, cigarette, and coal fired power plant COMBINED!.
A lamp collects natural light at day time so it can lit the entire yard up when the night comes.
There’s a community of jury ducks. They hold conference discussing big decisions of progress and maintenance of the area.
A restaurant in the middle serves tacos, burritos, tortas, hamburgers, hot dogs, tostadas, enchiladas and quezadillas. On Saturday and Sunday, they serve special rico menudo. The food will never fill you up and only endlessly satisfy your taste buds. There’s lot of delicious food but no cook inside.
I thought the whole yard was quiet. My eyes seem to be the active sense that I didn’t hear music until I got to a rocking triangular barn. It is mainly made of computer chips.
There’s a playground where you can not only just play cards but also play music and party with uncorkable corks.
A headless woman showered herself with colors.
A red decorative loco van is parked that is used for Quality Control. A swarm of insects holds the van together. I think it might explode when things go horribly wrong.
I saw two blue-legged women entered a car through the roof.
A lonely, depleted-looking man sits in front of a house. But once you get closer and approach him, he smiles from ear to ear.
A guard with a gun, long tail, and a monitor head keeps the peace in the yard.
When I left the yard, I walked a little bit outside and I suddenly shrank into a pea size without even realizing it. I entered a place called Tin Can City.
These are not fantasy. These are real.
Enter the yard of imagination …
tire wheels leading to yard of imagination
time stands still
work in progress gate, no key, everyone is invited
house with eyes but does not judge, nothing ever happens
multitaskoid, no gas required, it flies and can take you far
each bottle offers different views
dolphin farts are more toxic
lamp collecting natural night to lit the yard at night
jury ducks
lots of food that will never fill you up but only satisfy your taste buds, no cook inside
rocking barn made of computer chips
rocking barn made with computer chips
playground
woman showered with colors
quality control van
insects holding the van together
it might explodes when things go wrong
blue-legged women entering the car through the roof
man in front of a house
guard with a monitor head
tin can city
… And like most, all good things must come to end. As I left East Jesus, I was reminded to snap back to reality …
danger reality ahead
.
East Jesus is an experimental, habitable, extensible artwork in progress since 2006 begun by the late Charles Stephen Russell in Slab City, California.
Since it is hard to enter address or anything on your GPS…
Directions to East Jesus: It is in Slab City in Imperial County, California, southeast of Salton Sea. From Salvation Mountain continue the road from where you were about a mile out. You will hit a T. Take a left. You will see signs such as East Jesus and Sidewinder Road. Take that road and follow the colored tires.
The Related Posts provided by wordpress is being retarded 😀 . See Watts Tower in LA
_____________________________________________
FEATURED BLOG
Follow this blog, and expect to smile, laugh, get musical, involve to some conversations, and to try to decipher some Life Confusions.
Categories: California, Special Report, Unique
The Sophomore Slump 
Good God…how I love this place. What a treasure trove Rommel. I am soooo jealous.
A treasure trove, they indeed are!
wow, you got me going there. Cool place and very interesting. Ill know Ill be going there someday when we head back west.
Consider the weather when you plan to go there. I was sweating like a sinner inside a church.
Fascinating. I made a trek out to a place called “Thunder Mountain” in Nevada. It was so creepy that I didn’t get out of the car. This place looks a little more friendly. Nice photos and I’m glad I read the story first. I didn’t cheat.
That’s what I like to here. I googled Thunder Mountain. Whoa! It looks like a cross between East Jesus and Watts Towers. Nice! I don’t why it’s creepy though. It’s definitely like this one, unusual places I always love to go to.
The “caretaker” had a camper on site and there was just a super creepy (chop your whole family into bits) air about the place. The art might have been interesting to photograph but, even with my 6’5 husband I tow, I was not getting out to test my luck.
I see what you mean now. Glad to know it’s not the art that scared you.
I was scared of my life when I went to this back side of Salvation Mountain where there are some graffiti. There are (I believe homeless) people who were just staying there. I was nervous. I still kept doing my own business and continued taking pictures of the graffiti.
Same thing also when I walked a street in LA when I went to Watts Tower. It just feels like a notorious neighborhood.
Sorry for all the prejudice… but yeah … I still continued despite my fear.
I understand. There are some interesting places here out in the desert but sometimes the free spirits and artists choose isolation on purpose. There is another installation further south called The International Church of the Car Forest. It looks fascinating as well but is on private property and I don’t think I will go there unless with an organized group or something for the same reasons. Better safe than sorry.
“The Related Posts provided by wordpress is being retarded”, hehe. Loved the ending 🙂
Seems like a weird and creative place you’ve found here.
Apropos related posts and the Watts Tower: http://artishorseshit.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/watts-tower-in-gtav/
Thanks for the linkage CG.
Amazing! The things people do.
Some people just have some wild imaginations. 😉
What a discovery! Very cool!
It’s a great discovery! Glad to have known about it.
I think this is one of your most beautiful posts that I have read. Beautiful photos and really beautiful words. I enjoyed that. =>
You gotta be mad to be genius some times. Ahihihi 😀
How wonderful, Rommel. Don’t you wish you just move in?
No, not really. My wheels would constantly spinning if I stay here thinking about creative things I’d do. 😀
Only you could come up with a post likes this Rommel! That place is definitely born of someone with an overactive and crazy imagination. Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing this. 🙂
I know. Time in your hands, kill time to squeeze those creative juices, and design. Whatta life they live.
must-visit place! i visit the official site of East Jesus. i cannot find a map. instead, a naked woman.
Ahihihi 😀 Their website is actually cool. They have videos that I watched. East Jesus is really off the grid. That’s why I included directions on how to get there.
How utterly creative is this place.. next time I’m in Cali I will make a side trip here..
Love your photos!!
Consider the distance from the main areas. It’s 2.5 hours away from San Diego, 3 from LA.
How different! I think it’s worth to visit 🙂
😀 I was thinking about whether driving there is worth the visit or not. It’s all fascinating, cool and awesomely different, but it is a bit of a drive from the main cities.
Wow, what an adventure thank you for taking me along; I love the words prior to the photos, which were equally as endearing.
Thanks Darla. Glad to know this post idea worked.
Rommel what an brilliant find, I’d love to go there even if it is a little macabre. The way you created the post is excellent too 🙂
Yeah it’s true, it’s apocalyptic, a bit graphic with all the skeletons, insects, old toys, broken rusty things, headless mannequins…. but I love it. 🙂
I was thinking of Slab City as I read this and viewed the photos. I was right!! What a cool place:)
I told you I’d go there. 😀 I was there for Salvation Mountain but found, to me, a better trash 😀 instead.
Great piece rommel!!! You have such a knack for finding beauty just about everywhere. Cool, very cool.
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder … ehem … beholder. 😀 Thanks for the strong compliment.
Only the very unique tend to live out there in the first place, but I think this must be the most unique I’ve yet seen. I love the bevy of legs! There’s lots of land out there…just think what another year or two will offer! 🙂 Very, very cool!
A junk art landfill, can you imagine! I see a lot of establishments there (in Niland) that are emptied out. 😦 East Jesus is continually changing. I think they only keep the ones from the original creator, Charles Russell.
beautiful art work!
Indeed!
Slab City was the most unique place we have ever visited. Great story! 🙂
I can see why. It certainly, with no doubt, a very interesting place – the geography, the people and their livelihood. I don’t really read a lot about it so it still leaves me wondering how it is. Thanks, Lu. Safe and happy trips always.
Great post 🙂 I loved that you separated the captions from the photos at the top of the post – my mind was going crazy trying to imagine all of those things! And then I saw the photos, and thought, “Oh, that kind of makes sense now.” It’s always great when people are capable of seeing and making treasure out of trash. Cheers!
Another man’s trash is another man’s art installation. 😀
Thanks for reading it the way I intended it to come out. 😉 That was just the way I was when I visited the place, wondering.
I was puzzled when I read your introduction, Rommel. The pics are incredible. What a creative imagination this Charles Russell had. It’s a pity he died before it was finished. 😦
Sad, I know. Even imagining more things he could be adding to his museum. He left a legacy though. And such a neat thing that he left a name for himself for everyone to recognize.
Clever and funny.
😀 😉
Well … you certainly woke me up this morning Rommel with this one 😉
Crazy imagination that one can only admire … and wonder what could fuel such artwork ….
Your intro was a *perfect build up …
… must go back and look through it again ….. and try and make some sense … LOL
It worked!
Slab City is a whole different world. It’s deserted and junky, not just literally. It definitely is a great setting for outdoor art installation such as this. Thanks for reading, poppy.
I got lost in your imagineering, Rommel, so when the photos came I’d almost forgotten about them. I loved your prose! I wanted to peek in those bottles and you know I could use that multi-flying menace to take me somewhere 🙂 Many thanks for an enthralling read.
The multitaskoid will give you a hard kick. It zooms at first so you have to hold on tight. But it’s beautiful once you’re in the air. 😀
Really interesting. I especially liked the buildings. I was reminded of this rock garden that was constructed on the coast of Staten Island. A man worked on it for 12 years and then the EPA tore it down. They said it compromised the coast line, although there was nothing there before along the coast line except for rocks and trash. I wrote a post about it on W.
12 years turned into waste – outrageous! How awful. Argh, the wolf of EPA.
Bravo, Rommel, Bravo. I’m going to reread this whenever I’m having a bad day.
😀 I’m glad it took your mind elsewhere. 😉
Wow! So creative!
Thanks!
Woaahhh…This CANNOT be real !!! Where am I ?? On Mars?
This is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G Rommel !!! The contrast of colors and creativity is mind blowing. Hats off to you for discovering this place ! ^_^
P.S Thank You So much for featuring my blog. Is it for real? Am I dreaming or what? I’m honored ! Thanks a bunch !!!
Also Really sorry for late response, I got caught up in my tiring routine ! 😦
Hope you are doing good.
Love, Zee ❤
Venus, Zee. Not Mars. I’m glad to finally get to feature your blog. It was a long time coming from my part as well.
I couldn’t be more thankful for your consideration and appreciation 🙂 ❤
Instead of the pipeline from Alberta, the US should consider how to use dolphin farts as an alternative source of fuel.
I was thinking something like that. It sounded like dolphin farts are powerful enough for some sort of energy source. 😆
a real treat for the imagination, Rommel. glad your adventurous spirit led you there and you generously shared your thoughts here. maybe i missed it in your post but is there a caretaker(s) for this place or it just exists?
Pretty awesome stuff. I loved the gate and the ‘gabled’ pile but the ducks…I found that disturbing. I’d love to let my friends do stuff like this in my yard but the neighbors, and the city, would have a fit.