A few days ago I happened to see an episode of the Science Channel show Mysteries of the Abandoned, and they had a segment about the Salton Sea and the ghost town of Bombay Beach. The story seemed vaguely familiar — and then I remembered that Huell had featured the area in a couple of different episodes.

I’m pretty sure that I probably caught a few glimpses of the Salton Sea back in the 1960s as my family traveled south along Highway 86 from Indio to Brawley, but until now I had no idea about the history of the lake, let alone the negative impacts that have occurred over the years due to fish die-offs, increasing salinity, agriculture runoff, and a pervasive noxious odor. As usual, Huell has a lot of fun in this 1999 episode of Visiting as he chats with a few of the town’s remaining residents, although he does briefly mention the controversy about the water quality. But there’s an incredible amount of history in this remote desert spot; if you’re curious to learn more about Bombay Beach in the 1950s and beyond, there are tons of articles and videos to be found online — enough to keep you busy for quite awhile!

Huell travels to one of the most bizarre and wonderful beaches in California as he spends the day at “Bombay Beach”. Located on the Salton Sea, he tours the town and talks with the locals about the community and the inland sea that was created in 1905 by a flooding of the Colorado River.

(Click on the linked image below to see the video.)