# Year around Community in Slab City



## katbastard

I am seeking like minded people to net(work) with, live and share experiences in Slab City while we build a year around community there.


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## katbastard

open for talk ideas and all that.


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## venusinpisces

I am very interested in Slab City and have given some thought to relocating there once I start generating an income online.
Maybe you could give people an idea of the types of projects going on out there, such as solar power, gardening, available shelters, etc. Are there power hook-ups or do you need to bring a generator? I would be very interested in hearing anything and everything you have to say about it. I've looked over your photos of the site and it seems to be comparable to the mesa outside of Taos, one of my most favorite places in the country. Have you been there? 

One concern I have is the sign about toxic waste, which I wasn't aware of until today. Is all of Slab City a toxic waste dump? If so this would not surprise me since squatters are often swept into undesirable areas. Regardless, everything I've seen of it makes me think I would really enjoy the community of people out there. Tell us some stories, please. I've been itching to get down there for awhile now...


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## katbastard

the slabs is a diy waste land, you must have every thing you need to survive in a desert. food water and shelter. the community out there is there but it is not a friendly place at time, but if you are a good person it can be the most awesome community in the world. there is no place to panhandle or beg for thing, no free rides or hand out. this place is how you make it. you must make or bring all your own power, there is a solar panel distributor there, and your a few miles from town, for gas and food and such. there are many different projects going on by lots of people, best as i can say is do your research before you move out there year around. what i would like to do will be hard work, and now of the faint of heart, this summer will be hot, my first full summer there. i will be trying to find a good location for base, and laying down ground work for my project. even if i am doing this alone i will be out there. where ever place i stake out in the slabs, there will be lots of cleaning and gathering of building supplies, burning of the trash that is burnable and making art out of the rest. the sign you are talking about it the warning before you enter the east jesus trash garden. untill the last few years slab city has not been a real "squatter punk" place most of the trash left behind is very old and rusty. if you have any other questions give me a call at 515-770-3224


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## venusinpisces

Ok, I just answered my own questions. Apparently there is some controversy amongst the residents because of toxic waste being left there by other residents, so my speculation was incorrect. And there are no power hook-ups, which is a plus.

Here is an article about the site:
Design for Life: Slab City: Where Freedomâ€™s Still Free


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## venusinpisces

Oh, I did not even realize you had replied before I started typing!:blush:
Thanks for the info and I will definitely get in touch whenever I get down that way.


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## katbastard

find me on facebook if you wanna chat about this
www.facebook.com/katbastard


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## venusinpisces

Looks like I was right the first time. From Vice Magazine:
"Set beside the Imperial Valley in southeastern California, the Salton Sea area was supposed to be Hollywoodâ€™s answer to the Riviera back in the 50s. But its developers failed to anticipate the raw sewage that would run up the New River from Mexico and make survival impossible for many aquatic species. Rotting fish guts and toxic debris soon littered the shoreline. Construction projects were abandoned, and yet another impotent vision of luxury tourism was left flaccid. Thanks again, trash!

Today the entire Imperial Valley is an apocalyptic dustbowl in the center of the California badlands. We set out to explore this fetid bouillabaisse. What we found were remnants of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, a half-million-acre plot that was once the practice site for various governmental bombardiers. It is the place of business for the residents of a nearby compound known as Slab Cityâ€”a mostly insane coterie of fun-hunting drifters, vets, addicts, artists, and crazies who subsist on sautÃ©ed snake, lukewarm Tecate, money earned from scrapping bombshell fragments, and whatâ€™s left of their wits. Itâ€™s pretty much all that remains of the Wild West."

Read the rest at Vice Magazine: SLAB CITY - Life in the Pits of the California Badlands - Vice Magazine
SLAB CITY - Life in the Pits of the California Badlands - Vice Magazine


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## venusinpisces

The Vice article is snobby and mostly focused on taking pics of trash and empty beer cans, so it doesn't really give a full account of what's actually going on out there. This isn't surprising because the site is run by a right wing multi millionaire who believes in eugenics. Last night I found a much better article series that gives a more complete perspective on the more productive side of the slabs.
The Slab City Series–#2 Meet the Slabs | Adventure Blog | Travel Journal Blog | WanderingNotLost
Here is an extensive excerpt:
Over the course of the days that followed, I wandered around Slab City, talked to some people, and got to know my neighbors better. Jerry stopped by to show me the hot springs, a clothes-optional, high-traffic pool. Scot gave me a little walking tour through town. There was Bike Mike (assembles, fixes, and sells this vital form of transportation), Junkyard Joe (â€œHeâ€™s
totally nuts, but heâ€™s one of my best friends.â€). Builder Bob started the Range years ago and arranges concerts there every Saturday night. (â€œOnce the lights go out, you canâ€™t see how trashy the place is.â€)

Everyone has a nickname at the Slabs, so a conversation might go like this: â€œTell Spoon that Pigeon got her stuff.â€ â€œMoth lives in the cistern on the hill.â€ I never figured out if Cuervo was the guyâ€™s name or his drink of choice, but I knew he lives in the third bunker over and has a horse, a mule, two dogs (one is half wolf, I heard), and a red truck.

The library that Peggy maintained until her death in 2003 is in a peaceful bower of palo verde trees. The place seemed forlorn, but the books were still neatly shelved. Lynn runs the Oasis Club (as a volunteer), which is the Slab City hangout. Coffee: 50 cents or free for members; a cheap meal twice a week.

Individual enterprise is alive and well. If the sun can recharge it, cook it, heat it, or move it, the Sun Works can build it. â€œHe usually has a turkey cooking in his solar oven,â€ said Scot. Another guy has a water-delivery business. Heâ€™ll set you up with a 25-gallon water tank for $45 and fill it every month for $15.

Despite survivalâ€™s daily demands, art flourishes at the Slabs. Car art, fancy outhouses, and decorated trailers are everywhere. But nothing can touch Container Charlieâ€™s place, called East Jesus because itâ€™s east of Salvation Mountain. Container Charlie began decorating the shipping container he was living in, so the story goes, and didnâ€™t know when to quit. Now his chunk of the Slabs is the final resting place for homeless gallery installations, most of which would never feel comfortable in a house anyway. The effect is like wandering around in a Bosch painting. I stumbled through East Jesus, dazed and amazed, encountering more weirdness than I could properly absorb. Then, when I thought things could get no more bizarre, I heard the sound of a violin wafting from behind a wall of wine bottles. In an appropriately funky and cluttered performance space a blue-haired girl was playing the violin, a red-haired guy was on piano, and Flip was on guitar and vocals. They were working on their rendition of a Tom Waits song, â€œCome on up to the House.â€

Well the moon is broken/and the sky is cracked. The only things that you can see/is all that you lack. Come on up to the house.

Come on up to the house/Come on up to the house. The world is not my home/Iâ€™m just passinâ€™ thru. Come on up to the house.

Does life seem nasty, brutish, and short/Come on up to the house. The seas are stormy/And you canâ€™t find no port. Come on up to the house.

It was sensory overload. I left all sniffy and weepy.


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## venusinpisces

katbastard said:


> find me on facebook if you wanna chat about this
> www.facebook.com/katbastard


 
I don't do Facebook but I'll give you a call because I do have some questions. Thanks again!


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## chasterus

Some fact-checking is missing up there. "Apocalyptic dustbowl?" I beg to differ. "Remnants of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range"???? The range is as active as it ever was. What our young reporters found were the remnants of Marine Camp Dunlap, aka Slab City. The two border one another, but are not the same. There is more disinformation out there in print about Slab City than fact, and I think that's good, but sometimes it's a cause for irritation as well.


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## the ginger

i'll be there as soon as i am able (before collage) so that will be at least 4 years


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## venusinpisces

chasterus said:


> Some fact-checking is missing up there. "Apocalyptic dustbowl?" I beg to differ. "Remnants of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range"???? The range is as active as it ever was. What our young reporters found were the remnants of Marine Camp Dunlap, aka Slab City. The two border one another, but are not the same. There is more disinformation out there in print about Slab City than fact, and I think that's good, but sometimes it's a cause for irritation as well.


Yeah, I thought the article seemed a bit off where it said people salvage bomb shell fragments yet it's been shut down, because how long can people keep recycling when there isn't a fresh supply of material? Clearly, the reporter had a bias against the Slab residents and did a sloppy job on the article because of that. I wonder how long he talked to the people he interviewed. probably not very long at all. 

That's what happened with the documentary about the Mesa (I think it's called Off The Grid: Life on the Mesa). Basically it was some college kid who came out and bribed people to talk with malt liquor but not too many people wanted to talk to him. As a result, most of the footage he got was people shooting guns and acting crazy--but there is a lot more going out there that he missed out on because of the way he approached it. He missed the bike shop, the junkyard where you can get your car fixed, the earth domes that are built to stay cool through the summer, elaborate solar set-ups and water catchment systems, gardens, etc. Instead the movie emphasizes a bunch of shit-talking that makes it look like the whole place is made up of psychopaths shooting people all the time.  He did talk to people raising animals but, generally, it was about as superficial as the Vice article seems to be. That's why I said the second Slab article is better, because it's actually written by somebody that knows people out there.


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## venusinpisces

By the way, I don't think I could live out there year round except maybe temporarily to save money on rent. There's too much to do in the city for the time being. But kudos to those who do because you have to be very motivated and enterprising to live in that type of environment. I have a lot of respect for anyone who manages to pull it off.


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## katbastard

I am here in slab city right now, working my ass off getting this camp set up, any one wanna come down and help with some work? Beautiful hot s
Prings and nice cold water canal, got 55 gal water drum and hand tools, need some rope maybe some shade cloth, and some good people to kick it by the fire with
  [URL="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/tattooswithholes/IMG_20110319_112408.jpg"]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/tattooswithholes/IMG_20110319_112514.jpg[/URL


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## katbastard

View attachment 24187

setting up to build an earthship out here in the slabs, if your coming out here and wanna check things out, of give a hand at cleaning this place up, we can offer room and some bored to non-douche bag, non drunk every day, and non-junkies type of people.


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## katbastard

phase one clean up the "slab city junk yard"
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meet the people
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Ben
View attachment 24191
Kat Bastard
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and my little dog Dharma
View attachment 24193
and (girl) Kat when she is here.

working on building up solar power 
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to power our soon to be internet cafe and media center
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things we do for fun
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get tattooed
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rage the Range, an out door venue in slab city
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float down the canal on empty space bags, and
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paint shit.

come check us out...


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## Sc0ut

ill see you there, leavin outta nc in 3 weeks. was gonna go to rainbow but this looks more fun


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## katbastard

Sc0ut said:


> ill see you there, leavin outta nc in 3 weeks. was gonna go to rainbow but this looks more fun


 look foreword to seeing you man


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## LoopOfMistakes

My girlfriend and I live out there when the weather's not 110F+

We live in a truck camper and just sort of move around, but, the entire reason we live like that is because we realized that every problem in our lives were, and are being created by humans.. So, the only logical way to fix that, is to remove yourself from the presence of other humans..

We're starting to socialize a bit more, it's easier in Slab City with the older hippies, they tend to respect your space, but humans are a hard beast to trust.. Seems like all anyone does these days is fuck eachother over, so watch your back..

My girlfriend and I are a bit reclusive, but I know your face, so when we head back out there, if I see you, I'll say hey.


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## katbastard

weather has in been the 80's all week, today its 84 degress, by next friday it will be 100 again. thanks for the advice. i have been coming out here for 7 years now, i know all the true slabbers and alot of the snow birds alike. its a nice place if you are a good person, it can be not a safe place if your a douche bag. the community here is hit or miss, so that is why we are making our own community. come check out out, if your bored give us a hand.


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## LoopOfMistakes

We usually wait until around October to head back out. During the hot seasons, we travel up above sea level to stay outta the extreme heat. By October, if you're not done, my injuries will probably be healed up, so it'd be some good excersize to offer a hand.

As for nice people, I agree, lots of great people at the slabs, some of the only folks I can say I respect, but it seems that while the folks there have a good set of morals and no need for lawbooks (we all know that law is nothing but mental safeguarding for the weak and delusional,) a lot of them have no concept of respect for others posessions.. I've seen people there bust out car windows just to steal something stupid, like rope, or shovels.. I own a Mossberg 590 so I usually don't get those types around my camper, but man it pisses me off.. If I have extra rope or an extra shovel, I'll give it to someone in need, they just gotta ask, not bust out a car window that people in Slab City aren't likely to be able to afford to replace.

I guess it just never goes through a meth head or crazy mans mind.. Rob the obviously wealthy, not your fellow poor man.

Speaking of crazies, how's that dude with the parrot who keeps harassing Leonard? You've probaby heard of him, he threatened someone with a Machete and keeps offering people water.. Probably put something in it if he's not trying to repair his rep.


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## venusinpisces

Nice photo set! It looks like a lot of work though. I had some scheduling conflicts come up but I'm looking forward to getting out there in the fall or winter. Too bad I'll probably be hitching or I would bring some rafts--those space bags don't look like they're holding yall up too well.


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## Sc0ut

hey hows cell service out there? and what about sewage? do you have burn shitters or what?


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## katbastard

cell service is hit or miss, i am on the net through my android right now, super slow, as of monday afternoon, we will have out internet cafe up and running, somewhat at least, as for shitters, we are dig holes close to large ant hills right now, we ill move to humanure as we grow.

@*venusinpisces space bags work awesome, my fat ass can sit on one and it floats at the perfect level, i have a few pool noodles also, if people want to use them.*


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## katbastard

trying my aim with a 7.62 today.
View attachment 24268


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## katbastard

My camp mate, Ben, is taking off for a while, so i will be holding things down by my self. still got tons of work to do, the last few days we have build a wall out of hay bails and old tires, the wall blocks the wind from gusting in between the two trailers, and we have also raised some tarp shade anchored to my trailers and the trees, put up a 150 gal water tank for canal water, which is use to clean and shower with. next up laying down some dumpsted carpet and get ahold of some paint and an over head projector


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## katbastard

last two days where hella windy, but today is good, got lots of work to do before ben leaves tomorrow.


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## katbastard

*so the slab city clean up project is put on hold until i can get more bodies out here to help. as of noon today i will be the only person left, from camp, here in the slabs. and to top it off i found a new and super fucking awesome place to move camp too. going to be alot of work, and some money out of pocket for gas, but this new camp site is great and has lots of room to grow. and i can see it from my camp now.*

I will still be here and still working on things, and people are more then welcome to drop by, and visit, or help. i am planing the move some time in the next week or two


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## bradupsthepunx

this looks/sounds fucking awesome.


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## katbastard

thanx man, you should drop by and check things out


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## bradupsthepunx

im gonna try as soon as i can.


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## Lizzzzz

i'll swing by after i harvest norcal this fall. sounds rad. p.s. humanure is only good for growing if you're an organic vegetarian. i'm into the food not lawns thing and would LOVE to help when i get there


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## katbastard

Lizzzzz said:


> i'll swing by after i harvest norcal this fall. sounds rad. p.s. humanure is only good for growing if you're an organic vegetarian. i'm into the food not lawns thing and would LOVE to help when i get there


 
Thank you for the info, i need to do a ton of research on humanure still, one thing at a time though. look foreword to every one who wants to come out here and help. now lets see if i can get through this summer lol


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## Lizzzzz

you can do it!!!  badasses don't die!


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## katbastard

why thank you ma'am, i have a ton a work to do out here this summer, about to move the camp we are in now to this other awesome locale, it has to much room to grow and rad as fuck potential. but me and my giant mastiff puppy will be getting it done. the hardest part will be being alone, but now that i got a pretty good amount of power coming in from the solar and the internut, i will be able to have contact with the world and upload tons of pictures of the progress.


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## thisisme

this sounds super rad. id be interested in at least coming to check it out probably after nationals. what kind of work needs to be done? Also what are things i should make sure i bring along so i dont end up SOL? ive camped in the desert before but this sounds pretty intense. and one more question, is it possible to maintain gardens there? is that in the plans? im assuming so from the humanure talk


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## katbastard

well after nationals things around here will be super hot, and it seems i will be the only person holding down the fort. but a few people will be coming and going all summer. garden yes, soon. have not got that far yet. humanure will be a way to do something with out poop besides dropping in a hole for the ants. things to bring, first most is non douche bag attitude. after that. if you smoke bring your own smokes, if you drink, i ask that you do not get super wasted and have to be asked to leave. if your staying more then a few days, or use tons of drinking water please being pitch on that. i am paying 8 bucks to have filtered water delivered. 8 bucks = 55 gal. of drinking water. i have some extra tents around here, dont know what kind of shape they are in. pretty much this summer will be focused on getting the camp in order. after i get some more people here, the camp will be moving to a new spot not far from this one. so the move is the main project yet to be started. side projects are building a solar panel stand, painting, and gathering up reusable items from the junk yard. i am working on getting paint and brushes, and have arranged the use of a van to move every thing to the new locale. other projects are zine and media library/internet cafe. i need to find a wifi router or get some ethernet cords for the net side. i will be printing zines and books off the net to start the library. all kinds of shit, but being hot as it will be things will be slow going until fall. so this summer will be the move and set up of the new camp, and prolly swimming and chilling out until fall comes. this fall i will being gathering items to start a garden.


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## katbastard

oh if you just bring what you like to use and pitch on food and water, maybe a toilet paper you will be fine. i have shade during the sun, things too cook on and eat out of, and all that basic shit


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## venusinpisces

Gardening can be done anywhere but since the soil is both poor quality and toxic out there, it would probably be best to bring in your own soil and create raised beds. As for humanure, it really doesn't require that much research at all. Basically, you just want to compost the waste with either sawdust, sifted wood ash(just use a screen and don't burn particle board which contains synthetic, non-compostable materials) or lye, which are placed directly on top every time the outhouse is used. Periodically, the outhouse is emptied and then the material is allowed to sit covered by plastic for 6 months because this is the amount of time necessary to kill any harmful bacteria that could infest the garden. I participated in an outhouse excavation and was expecting the worst. However, it really didn't smell like anything besides regular soil so it wasn't too bad. As long as there is a bucket of sawdust in the outhouse there shouldn't be a problem. Here is a link to the Humanure Handbook website but keep in mind that the author makes it way more complicated than it needs to be since he's mostly writing for people with money. http://humanurehandbook.com/instructions.html


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## katbastard

venusinpisces said:


> Gardening can be done anywhere but since the soil is both poor quality and toxic out there, it would probably be best to bring in your own soil and create raised beds. As for humanure, it really doesn't require that much research at all. Basically, you just want to compost the waste with either sawdust, sifted wood ash(just use a screen and don't burn particle board which contains synthetic, non-compostable materials) or lye, which are placed directly on top every time the outhouse is used. Periodically, the outhouse is emptied and then the material is allowed to sit covered by plastic for 6 months because this is the amount of time necessary to kill any harmful bacteria that could infest the garden. I participated in an outhouse excavation and was expecting the worst. However, it really didn't smell like anything besides regular soil so it wasn't too bad. As long as there is a bucket of sawdust in the outhouse there shouldn't be a problem. Here is a link to the Humanure Handbook website but keep in mind that the author makes it way more complicated than it needs to be since he's mostly writing for people with money. http://humanurehandbook.com/instructions.html


 thank you for the info, but the soil is not toxic here, maybe at the bombing range, but i know lots of people here who mix the soil with potting soil here. you have to take in mind those magazine write up you read are mostly crap


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## katbastard

chasterus said:


> Some fact-checking is missing up there. "Apocalyptic dustbowl?" I beg to differ. "Remnants of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range"???? The range is as active as it ever was. What our young reporters found were the remnants of Marine Camp Dunlap, aka Slab City. The two border one another, but are not the same. There is more disinformation out there in print about Slab City than fact, and I think that's good, but sometimes it's a cause for irritation as well.


 
f.y.i. chasterus died a few weeks ago at the age of 45, he was a good friend of mine and i met him his first day in the slabs for new years 2005 digihitch gathering. he was doing the east jesus project out here, you can find the website here


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## venusinpisces

You could be right about that and I would definitely agree about the disinformation in most articles, as was mentioned above. I was mostly going on the advice of somebody from the Slabs who has set up a website saying that there is a lot of toxic dumping going on out there by residents. Of course, that person could just be referring to isolated areas, but it's not a bad idea to err on the side of caution if you aren't 100% familiar with the area where you're planting. You may know more about it than I do, though, since you've been living there. Even so, the existing soil does not look too fertile so you will definitely get better results with growing vegetables if you can afford to use pure potting soil.


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## katbastard

the plan is for potting soil, the soil here is sandy and rocky. people do dump shit here but it is isolated


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## katbastard

View attachment 24611
View attachment 24612


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## katbastard

View attachment 24613

this was every one at camp earlier this year


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## thisisme

katbastard said:


> things to bring, first most is non douche bag attitude. after that. if you smoke bring your own smokes, if you drink, i ask that you do not get super wasted and have to be asked to leave. if your staying more then a few days, or use tons of drinking water please being pitch on that. i am paying 8 bucks to have filtered water delivered. 8 bucks = 55 gal. of drinking water. i have some extra tents around here, dont know what kind of shape they are in. .


 alright, maybe i will wait til a little more towards fall to head out there? im not sure yet. alli know is i definitely am going to make it a point to check it out and help out at least for a minute. Just for the record i dont smoke, dont drink, and am easy to get along wtih. i dislike drama and prefer to keep things honest and simple. i have no problem pitching for water and food. i get foodstamps and a wingnut check every month so that shouldnt be a problem. im all about sharing what you got. however i am currently on a pretty restricted diet at the moment due to certain health issues so may need to have my own stash of certain items. i dont want that to be misinterpreted as being douchey. Oh and didnt yous say there was a spring there? is that drinkable too?


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## katbastard

keeping Private food is not douchy, my diet is kinda fucked also, i had my gallbladder removed last nov. working on getting a wing nut check myself. the canal is only used for dog water and cleaning so far. i will be looking in to getting a filter system some time in the future. people do drink it, i just have not got to that point yet. and i dont know about drinking water from the hot spring. i smoke, but i dont drink, well some times might have a cold beer is its the only thing cold around. and i am hella easy going as long as there is no drama. look forward to working with you.


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## thisisme

awesome! i look forward to it as well. ill be seeing ya


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## venusinpisces

Hmm. I just looked further into this and there is basically no way the soil out there isn't contaminated. Apparently, the only sources of water for the Salton Sea are urban drainage, agricultural runoff and the New River from Mexico, which dumps up to 25 million gallons of raw sewage in the water every day. That's why there were millions of dead fish washing up on Salton Sea beaches awhile back. Those contaminants are bound to seep into the soil of surrounding areas and also come back to the ground through precipitation. I'm not trying to be a hard ass about it but it's something to keep in mind for establishing a garden. I would also get a *really* good filter since the canal is going to have a lot of pesticides in it from surrounding farms.
This is reminding me of the time I went swimming in the Mississippi right off the river walk in New Orleans and came out with green film on my skin. :/


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## katbastard

word, well the canal is fresh water, no farm run off at all. it goes to the aquifer for l.a. all 122 miles of the canal is cemented it. we get maybe 3" of rain here a year, if we are lucky. and the salton sea is 3 or 4 miles away from slab city. read up on the canal, its called the coachella canal here
i swim in the canal every day, my dog drinks the water every day, i cook and clean with the water every day. how about this. stop reading what ever you are reading, get off of your chair get take a visit to slab city. then you will be able to tie in the facts and non facts of every thing you are reading.


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## venusinpisces

The source about agricultural runoff I found was a SLab City local who wouldn't swim in the canal due to pesticide runoff. It was probably a bit premature to post that information since the canal has recently been lined and the complaint was likely made before that happened. However, contaminants from the Salton Sea will travel through the groundwater(a lesser amount will still end up in the canal) and I would not trust any regulatory agencies to tell the truth about that. Just about anywhere you go these days that isn't remote wilderness is going to have some kind of industrial contaminants. I would have suggested using pure potting soil to anyone in an urban/agricultural area so that comment is not exclusive to the Slabs although the region does have some unique problems due to the proximity of the Salton Sea which is one of the most toxic bodies of water in this entire country. There is definitely a lot of disinformation floating around but, at the same time, the presence of millions of dead fish sends a pretty clear message. It doesn't hurt to take precautions, after all.


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## katbastard

very true, today i will be watching plagues of salton sea, i will let you know what they say. also there are a few kind of canals around here, close to the hot springs is a farm canal that runs pretty far, it could be that water he was talking about also. i might look in to buying some test strips to check the big canal out my self, do you know what kind of test strips i would need?


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## venusinpisces

The quality of test strips depends on how much money you want to spend, unfortunately. Basic ones are cheap and they will only pick up a few contaminants but a full lab analysis will run into the triple digits. Personally, I would rather spend that money on a water filter since at least it can give you something back for the investment. Anyways, I hope you keep up with the updates because the community you're setting up has the possibility to turn into something great. I do intend to get out of my chair to make a visit eventually.


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## katbastard

word, look forward to meeting you


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## dprogram

So hows it going out there in this heat man?


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## katbastard

its hot, yesterday 108 today 104. but after chillin in the canal for a few hours we where good to go


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## katbastard

*Slab City @ The Bastard (A)state Update*


by Kat N Dharma on Monday, June 27, 2011 at 7:50pm


*After getting moved to the new camp site with he help of Neda and Connor, Matt Pist dropped by with some awesome people, Magpie, Graig, and Lauren. Magpie is this awesome guy who writes some pretty rad books and zine and started Steampunk Magazine, Matt and Magpie will be back in the slabs in july filming an indie movie of Magpies writing. Graig and Lauren are swiss anarcho kids traveling in the u.s. for 3 months. After every one left the temps got as high as they have been all year, its been 110 and above for over two weeks now. With it just being me and Dharma the dog here, we are not doing much work besides maintaining shade tarps and keeping to the solar panels up and making power. Between getting more face tats and trying to stay out of the sun, I have became an admin of Squattheplanet.com helping Matt with every day website shit, its been keeping me busy and its awesome to be apart of something i believe in with all of my heart. Next week i will be getting a new deep cycle battery which will bring the amper hours to 350, and i will also be buying 3 more 51 watt solar panels, to boost the power making to 15 or 16 amps, my goal is to make more power then i am using, working on getting a mobile swamp cooler that works and waiting for this guy to remove the motor and tranny out of this r.v., he is selling the rest of the r.v. for 400 bucks, with an a.c. and propane fridge in it. Come this fall alot of things will be going on out here, some people coming out and helping with the project, Michelle is coming out to help build some garden space, got some kids coming to help with a humanure system. and i am going to get together a show maybe after i come back from the dharma punx retreat in Oct. and if i dont see ABU aka Michael Abouzelof getting his ass together to come down here to either play or sit and talk with me all night then i will punch babies! I also hope to see Ben and mychelle out here this fall also. Bonnie is talking about spending the fall and winter out here doing art and chillin with me. so lots of shit to look forward to and get me through the long hot summer. the next thing up is getting this r.v. out here. more to come soon!*


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## dprogram

Awesome. So you're getting the camper?


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## katbastard

hopefully soon, waiting for the guy to take out the motor and then he will tow it over here


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## dprogram

katbastard said:


> hopefully soon, waiting for the guy to take out the motor and then he will tow it over here


Awesome! I 'm glad things are going well. Since I read the post about vandwelling you linked to I've convinced myself I'm going to sell my bimmer and get a van. I just need to find a decent cargo van and some batteries.


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## katbastard

i tookthis picture this morning from the roof of the guest house.


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## xACABx

That's really cool Kat. I like that sunrise :3


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## viking

I'll be in cali in november/december. Maybe I'll stop by.


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## crazy john

if i can ever get out there you got an eager pair of hands to help


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## katbastard

look forward to see every one who wants to come out, we are working on getting a room and board thing going for people who want to come out and help. i have not been updating this thread like i should i will get to that soon. for now here is the link to the projects facebook page http://www.facebook.com/thebastardastate


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## dprogram

Hey Kat. Is there any way to grow food out there? It looks so desolate.... Raised beds maybe? Livestock?


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## acrata4ever

katbastard said:


> keeping Private food is not douchy, my diet is kinda fucked also, i had my gallbladder removed last nov. working on getting a wing nut check myself. the canal is only used for dog water and cleaning so far. i will be looking in to getting a filter system some time in the future. people do drink it, i just have not got to that point yet. and i dont know about drinking water from the hot spring. i smoke, but i dont drink, well some times might have a cold beer is its the only thing cold around. and i am hella easy going as long as there is no drama. look forward to working with you.



have you heard of dew harvesting? you can turn any dirty water aside from antifreeze polluted water into drinking water. even pee.


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## crazy john

dprogram said:


> Hey Kat. Is there any way to grow food out there? It looks so desolate.... Raised beds maybe? Livestock?


i dont know to much about his lil slice of heaven out there but i do believe hes doing a humanure thing. that shit is wahat i call recycleing hahah


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## katbastard

*So The Bastard (A)state will be moving again on to the out skirts of East Jesus. Making our Slab City Community that much better by working together and sharing resources. Any one who can help with the move which will be happening in a few weeks will be treated with beer and food. douche bags need not apply.*

*
*


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## CXR1037

katbastard, how long will you be out in the Slabs? I might be out there in October.


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## katbastard

a while i think


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## MrClean4Ever

Just made an account to post here.. I'm actually headed that way to ATTEMPT to live year round. After calculating the budget, it'd be just as cheap to just buy a generator and run an AC in my truck camper than it would be to hop RV parks and campgrounds.. Should be out there in 3 weeks to a month. Definately could use some contacts in a place I'm not familiar with. I can also try and help out with what I can if we hit it off well, once these muscle spasms fuck off (had a nasty bout with painkillers, almost withdrawn from those little demons. Never.. again.. Fuck those things, drugs suck, to me anyway.. If anyone else wants to do that shit, that's cool. I'll stick to weed and the occasional light drink, haha.) The girlfriend's coming along too, she could probably be of some help along with some of the other girls around the place. Warning though, she's tiny and not very strong.

On the topic of the slabs, how hot does it get in july and august? I hear people sayin 120 but it can't be like that every day.. I can imagine it being that hot if it's a scorcher.. Has to average out at about 105, 110, right? Haha.. Somethin tells me I'm in for a surprise.. Anyway, I wont have internet for much longer (a month maybe, max) so if we're welcome to drop in and you have a phone, hit me up with a private message and we can exchange numbers. Otherwise, I'm just gonna have to find you out there without communication. I know what you look like so if worse comes to worse, I'll just look for the tattoo's on your face at the range on weekends.


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## katbastard

the project i was starting is on hold indefinitely while i work on other projects in slab city


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