North Shore Motel, Salton Sea

Abandoned North Shore Motel before demolition in 2008.

When the idea first came up in mid-2009 to drive to California and check out the Salton Sea, we were already too late to see the North Shore Motel standing. 

Site of the North Shore Motel - September 2010.

What remains of the motel now is a barren slab of concrete just across the road from the Yacht Club. The area is still hauntingly quiet and full of clues regarding a more promising time. The swimming pool has been filled in with concrete now and the desert brush is reclaiming the parking lot. Still, you can't help but let your mind wander and think about what it all must have been like when the destination was on the up and up.

1963. North Shore Motel in the top left.

My fascination with the Salton Sea and locations like the Yacht Club and the former North Shore Motel continues to grow the more I learn. The history seems hidden, a novelty of sorts, waiting for some future improvement to give it the proper context.  

What will become of the Salton Sea isn't exactly clear as there are still major environmental and economic hurtles to overcome if the area is to ever thrive again. However, one thing is for certain.  The area remains an incredible place to discover and explore. Even with the motel gone, the Salton Sea still lends itself to those looking for an escape.

View from the motel to the Salton Sea.

Tiles from one of the bathrooms baking in the sun.

An old grocery sign discarded in the parking lot.

The tennis court having seen better days.

Chimney Rock, Nebraska

Featured prominently on the state sign and state quarter of Nebraska, Chimney Rock was one of those places I learnt about as a kid because of the Oregon Trail video game. If your school also had the floppy disk version of the game then I'm not alone in this discovery. Chimney Rock was a geological marker for the rougher trails ahead.

On our Mount Rushmore road trip in 2007, my friend Andrea and I headed further south to try and reach the Colorado border. The day was all about exploring. We set out to drive across Nebraska and see what we could find. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of wide open spaces, small towns, and the occasional cornfield. 

Chimney Rock was a scenic spot to stop and wander. There we found markers for the Oregon Trail and Pony Express. All and all it was actually a really nice drive, and the kind of outing that was less about the destination and more about the journey.

Chimney Rock in the classic Oregon Trail game.

Winter Semester

Although I'm no longer in film school, the routine and doldrums of January echo with the same bleakness that I came to despise every year with the university winter semester.  Take note that I was going to school in Saskatchewan, Canada and that as far as Canadian winters are concerned, this province is one of the top contenders for long, drawn-out deep freezes.  

I've since moved back to Alberta, where throughout the season warm winds come down off the Rocky Mountains (known as Chinooks) and melt the snow.  Well it seems these have been incredibly short lived this year as we've had snow on the ground since the first major snowfall in November.  Again, bleak.

The winter semester, like the New Year, always kicked off with excitement.  You have plans for the year, you reminisce, you get to check out all these new classes, but a week later the novelty has worn off and you realize that spring is what you're really excited about.

Call it cabin fever, seasonal affective disorder, or whatever, it's all tough to deal with in long stretches.

What I recall about my winter semesters in the dorms was that these feelings were amplified.  Small space, no where to go, and trying to be inspired within a film program during one of the most uninspiring times of year.  Seems like the irritation hasn't worn off even now that I'm making money and doing what I like.  

I think I just needed to rant. Spring can't come soon enough!  

Campus snow art seen from my dorm - the one bright spot in a sea of cold.