By ZOGTONE

heading north on old highway 111, i leave "calipat" (as the locals call it) and point the truck toward an even bleaker and dismal desert outpost. niland was once a small burg with a booming downtown district comprised of stately 40's desert architecture along side a busy railroad depot... while over on old 111, it was teeming with long haul truckers, jarheads, dove hunters and sport-fishermen stocking up on all their needs at the plentiful bait shops, bars or all-night diners that this town was known for. but alas- those days are long gone.
during WW2 uncle sam decided he wanted the nearby chocolate mountains (named for their distinct brown hues) to bomb the hell out of. this goes on to this very day, as i witnessed from the ground shaking and plumes of smoke behind the majestic peaks some 20 miles to the east. i'm told that the terrain closely resembles iraq, iran or whatever mid-eastern location we decide to level next. the old marine training facility "camp dunlap" about 3 miles east of town, closed down decades ago- taking with it the g.i. dollars but leaving miles of cement slabs that has since become the community of "slab city". more on this bizarre plot of land, its inhabitants and legendary salvation mountain next time.
niland appears to be nearly deserted today. the landmark 24 hour highway diner "gaston's" was razed. old man gaston died and all thats left is the sign standing alone by the side of the highway. the bait shops are gone (no one has seen the beloved salton sea corvina, croaker or sargo since 2003) and the remnants of old service stations advertise gas at $101.9 a gallon...shit i miss those days. the old mexican eatery "ballestero's" is still open though...and i took time out to devour one of the cheesiest, greasiest, most delightful chile relleno burritos i can recall. with those great home-made flour tortillas that smell like slightly singed pancakes. the cute, giggly daughter of old man ballestero wouldnt pose for a picture, but she took one of the crazy old gringo feeding his face.
but wait a minute... whats that lime green car across the street all painted with "god is love" passages and scripture? hey...its leonard knight himself!!! praise the lord and pass the lead based paint. you'll get to meet him next installment...