We've only heard stories about the city we're heading to. Most importantly, it's rumored to be the last city in America with no laws. So I'm going to try to give you my take on what this lost city in the desert of California called Slab City really is. And our friends Justin Escalona, his girlfriend Marissa and his best friend Nick from the YouTube channel Playthegame Films were too curious not to tag along on the adventure. But before we explored Slab City, there was a fascinating place we simply couldn't avoid. So my favorite YouTube video ever, I'll call it, was filmed about this sea right here. So it's pretty surreal to be here. I will link it. Everyone should go watch it because it's amazing. All of this right here is all dead fish. It's not sand. I found an eyeball, like a skeleton of an eyeball. Damn. How crazy is this? This is not a beach. This is not sand. This is dead fish. In the 1950s, a catastrophic engineering mistake deviated the Colorado River into one of the lowest basins in the country, leading to the unexpected creation of the largest body of water in California, the Salton Sea. But after an entire town was created around it, the water started to dry up and became so salty that barely any living organisms survived. The water turned toxic, the accidental paradise was left abandoned and the millions of fish dead. It got stuck in a fishnet. There's still like some hints that all of this is just fish. Okay, so there's insects everywhere here. In this swampy water, it looks like, I don't know, it looks very toxic. It's been dry for a long time. Oh, whoa. Wait, slow down, slow down. This is the entrance. This is the entrance of Slab City. Slab City. Almost there. This is crazy. Are you guys good back there? This is crazy. Have you been there before? No, I've never been. Oh shit, yeah that's right there. Oh wow. It's crazy. I've seen it on film, but seeing it in person is totally different. Wow. It's surreal. When we arrived, we found what might qualify as the strangest entrance to a town: Salvation Mountain. A man called Leonard Knight spent 30 years of his life building this gigantic art piece. His desire was to spread a simple message he so deeply believed in: God is love. One of the craziest things I've ever seen in person. After his first attempt crumbled into the ground after four years of hard work, thousands of people came from around the world to donate paint. And he ended up coating the mountain with 100,000 gallons. He passed away in 2014 and his art has since then been qualified as a national treasure. You know, he was doing this when he was probably like between 80 and 82. Taking these hay bales and end over end. But now, as he's pumping them up there and bolting them in, he'd know time is running short. But he couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't see, he could barely work. I love this. This is the most inspiring thing I've probably ever seen in my life. These flowers, all of these flowers here, Leonard would take them, put a ball of clay on there and pow, and punch it with his fist. If nobody remembers my name or sees, you know, mentions me again when I'm done, cool. I don't care. Leonard did this and it's his baby and I'm just honored to be the dude that they let, you know, be here. Thank you. Hey, thank you. Yeah. This is why we do it. Everybody loves this place. They come from around the world. So now we're going to try and go to Slab City, which is about two minutes away. And we're going to try and meet some locals and see these people living in this lawless city, I guess, are like. Do you think we'll be able to meet somebody? I don't know. We arrived in Slab City and felt both shocked and weirdly welcomed. This is East Jesus. So you see the big statue over there? Oh shit. All of these things right here are just art installations. Oh my god. Look at this. I thought it was going to be super hostile, but it's like not. Yeah, it's very welcoming. It's like, come join. Okay, we have arrived at East Jesus. As we rolled in, we realized there's probably not a single city in the world like this one. Originally, Slab City was a military base used during World War II. But after the war ended, it was taken down and left abandoned, but is still located near an active bombing range. Quickly, the rumor spread about the abandoned land and dozens of squatters arrived and made it their homes for the winters. With no running water or electricity, this alternative living community now hosts thousands of retirees and army veterans every year. Many of the residents are attracted by the feeling of freedom and lack of government that comes with living in an uncontrolled, off-grid area in the middle of the desert. How are you doing, sir? How many people are we talking about here? Uh, first off, I must explain to you that, you know, I am certified insane. I really, I know. I have papers. I am certified insane. Uh, but this place is, is a power vortex. It's, you know, you feel this weird kind of, I don't know, charge in the, in the area here. And if, if, if you look out there, you see, you know, art everywhere. Like, What brought you here? How did you end up? Uh, bad luck and a poor guide. Bad luck and a poor guide. Bad luck and a poor guide, yes. This is a sheltered workshop for the work-ethic impaired. Work-ethic impaired means lazy. I have two jobs. Okay. Uh, I am a spiritual guide here at East Jesus and I empty the shit buckets. I do. So, That all over the... Yes, there's the whole, yeah, there's three of them there and I change them out and clean them out and scrub them out and everything. So, so basically, you have shit in one hand and shit in the other. A lot of people say this, this Slab City is lawless. How would, would you say it's lawless or would you say... No. No, not lawless. It's very courteous. Very courteous. And if you step over the line of discourtesy, then it's lawless. Yeah. Yeah, you know, pretty much that, you know, be courteous to your neighbor or they will, they will shoot you. Attract people who are willing to give more to a project than they got back from it. On paper, I'm a very stable person. I am certified insane. I have papers. Otherwise, I've traveled pretty much everywhere in the world. I'm here for six months and I go to Vietnam for six months. I have a wife and two grown stepdaughters. Wizard, thank you so much. Thank you so much. You're most welcome. Yes. I'll give you a hug. All right, yes. That's how you give a hug and look really good. I've found my home. You're going to move here, Darren? Dude, I'd love to come here once in a while and just set things on fire. That sounds so much fun. This is literally insane. Like this is, and that's the best part. There's, there's no logical correlation or association in anything that is made here. That's why it's amazing. So it's hard to have refrigeration here, so it's usually hard to get a cold beer. So, we bought some cold beer on the way and we're going to give it to them as a thank you. We have a bunch of beers for you guys, just as a thank you. They're still cold right now. Yeah, they're pretty cold. We just want to say thank you and yeah. It's inspiring. Thank you so much for having us. Cheers. He got so happy. I know. He hugged the beer. You went for the hug and you went for the beer. All right, so we're leaving Slab City. We're going to head home. It was a pretty incredible experience. Just people that live there are pretty much surrounded and immersed in love. It's a pretty amazing community of people just living for art and for the community. There's one thing you should ever do in your life, is to hit that subscribe button.
A car drives along a highway next to lush green hills.
"We've only heard stories about the city we're heading to."
Setting: Highway in a hilly, rural area — Bright, natural daylight.
Text: "An Experience by Yes Theory"
The view from a car windshield shows a road winding through mountains.
"Most importantly, it's rumored to be the last city in America with no laws."
Setting: Mountain highway — Bright daylight.
Text: "with no laws"
A quick montage introduces three young people in a fast-food restaurant.
"And our friends Justin Escalona, his girlfriend Marissa and his best friend Nick from the YouTube channel Playthegame Films"
Setting: Subway restaurant — Warm, indoor lighting.
People (2):
• standing, wearing gray hoodie, dark, styled hair — smiling
• standing, wearing white t-shirt, brown, shoulder-length hair — smiling
Text: "Justin Escalona"
The view from a car window shows a vast, shimmering body of water in the distance, across a desert landscape.
"But before we explored Slab City, there was a fascinating place we simply couldn't avoid."
Setting: Desert landscape near a large lake — Bright, harsh daylight.
A young man with blond hair and sunglasses walks and talks to the camera in a desert environment.
"So my favorite YouTube video ever, I'll call it, was filmed about this sea right here. So it's pretty surreal to be here."
Setting: Desert park area — Bright, direct sunlight.
People (1):
• walking, wearing white and gray textured sweater, blond, styled hair — speaking with a slight smile
Text: "--one hour away from Slab City--"
A man holds up a tiny, white, circular fish bone, identified as an eyeball skeleton.
"All of this right here is all dead fish. It's not sand. I found an eyeball, like a skeleton of an eyeball."
Setting: Shore of the Salton Sea — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, wearing black jacket — partially visible, focused
Two men stand on a beach made of fish bones, looking at the ground in disbelief.
"How crazy is this? This is not a beach. This is not sand. This is dead fish."
Setting: Shore of the Salton Sea — Bright, harsh sunlight.
People (2):
• standing, slightly bent over, wearing black jacket and blue jeans — looking down, amazed
• standing, wearing white and gray sweater — looking down
Two men walk along the shoreline made of fish bones, one pointing towards the water.
"leading to the unexpected creation of the largest body of water in California,"
Setting: Shore of the Salton Sea — Bright sunlight.
People (2):
• walking away from camera, wearing white and gray sweater and black pants — not visible
• walking away from camera, wearing black t-shirt and blue jeans — not visible
A montage of vintage photos shows the Salton Sea in its heyday as a bustling tourist resort.
Setting: Salton Sea resort (vintage) — Bright, vintage photo lighting.
People (1):
• swimming, sunbathing, boating and swim trunks
Text: "Greetings from Salton Sea"
A montage of dilapidated and abandoned buildings in the desert.
"The water turned toxic, the accidental paradise was left abandoned and the millions of fish..."
Setting: Abandoned town near Salton Sea — Overcast, flat light.
Text: "the accidental", "left"
A wide, sweeping shot reveals a shoreline completely covered in dead, silvery fish, stretching as far as the eye can see.
"dead."
Setting: Shore of the Salton Sea — Dusk, with warm sunset colors.
Text: "dead"
A young man in sunglasses holds a camera and talks to it, standing on the beach of fish bones.
"Okay, so there's insects everywhere here. In this swampy water, it looks like, I don't know, it looks very toxic."
Setting: Shore of the Salton Sea — Harsh, bright sunlight creating lens flare.
People (1):
• standing, wearing white and gray sweater, blond hair — speaking, looking concerned
A hand turns the handle of a rusty outdoor faucet, but no water comes out. The camera pans to show a row of identical dry faucets.
"It's been dry for a long time."
Setting: Abandoned park area by Salton Sea — Bright daylight.
View from inside a moving car as it approaches the entrance to Slab City, marked by a painted guard shack.
"Oh, whoa. Wait, slow down, slow down. This is the entrance."
Setting: Entrance to Slab City — Bright daylight.
View from inside a minivan, showing several young people in the back seats looking out the windows and talking excitedly.
"This is crazy. Have you been there before? No, I've never been."
Setting: Inside a moving vehicle — Bright daylight coming through windows.
People (3):
• sitting in middle row, wearing blue denim jacket over a colorful patterned shirt, brown hair — smiling, talking
• sitting in back row, wearing white t-shirt, brown hair — smiling
• sitting in back row, wearing white t-shirt, dark hair — smiling, waving
A man in sunglasses drives a car, looking out the window at a colorful painted mountain with a look of awe.
"Oh wow. It's crazy. I've seen it on film, but seeing it in person is totally different."
Setting: Driving near Salvation Mountain — Bright daylight.
People (1):
• driving, wearing black t-shirt, short, dark brown hair — looking out window, mouth slightly open in awe
A wide shot of Salvation Mountain, a large, colorful, man-made hill covered in paint and religious messages.
"When we arrived, we found what might qualify as the strangest entrance to a town: Salvation Mountain."
Setting: Salvation Mountain — Bright, direct sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, looking at the mountain, wearing black t-shirt
A montage shows photos and video clips of an elderly man, Leonard Knight, working on Salvation Mountain.
"A man called Leonard Knight spent 30 years of his life building this gigantic art piece."
Setting: Salvation Mountain — Bright daylight.
People (1):
• working, wearing plaid shirt, white hair — focused, weathered
Text: "Leonard"
A close-up of a painted mailbox at Salvation Mountain.
"His desire was to spread a simple message he so deeply believed in: God is love."
Setting: Salvation Mountain — Bright sunlight.
Text: "GOD IS LOVE", "JESUS I'M A SINNER PLEASE COME UPON MY BODY AND INTO MY HEART."
A man in sunglasses stands in the desert, smiling and talking to the camera with Salvation Mountain in the background.
"One of the craziest things I've ever seen in person."
Setting: Salvation Mountain — Bright, direct sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, wearing black t-shirt, short, dark brown hair — smiling, impressed
A young man walks through a painted cave-like structure within Salvation Mountain.
"thousands of people came from around the world to donate paint."
Setting: Inside Salvation Mountain — Sunlight filtering into the cave-like space.
People (1):
• walking into the structure, wearing white and gray sweater, blond hair — not visible
Text: "LOVE", "JESUS"
A montage shows clips of Leonard Knight, smiling, pointing, and interacting with people inside his creation.
"He passed away in 2014 and his art has since then been qualified as a national treasure."
Setting: Inside Salvation Mountain — Mixed indoor and natural light.
People (1):
• standing and pointing upwards, wearing plaid shirt, white hair — smiling, talking
A man with long hair and a beard speaks to the camera, gesturing around the interior of Salvation Mountain.
"You know, he was doing this when he was probably like between 80 and 82."
Setting: Inside Salvation Mountain — Natural light from openings in the structure.
People (1):
• standing, wearing blue t-shirt, long, brown, with a beard hair — speaking earnestly
The guide continues to explain Leonard Knight's process, pointing to flowers made of clay and paint on the wall.
"I love this. This is the most inspiring thing I've probably ever seen in my life."
Setting: Inside Salvation Mountain — Natural light.
People (1):
• standing, wearing blue t-shirt, long, brown hair — speaking
The guide stands with his arms crossed, speaking to one of the visitors.
"Leonard did this and it's his baby and I'm just honored to be the dude that they let, you know, be here."
Setting: Inside Salvation Mountain — Natural light.
People (2):
• standing, wearing blue t-shirt, long, brown hair — serious, speaking
• standing, wearing black t-shirt, short, dark hair — listening intently
A man sits in the driver's seat of a car, holding a smartphone and talking to the camera.
"So now we're going to try and go to Slab City, which is about two minutes away. And we're going to try and meet some locals"
Setting: Inside a parked car — Bright daylight.
People (1):
• sitting, driving, wearing black t-shirt, short, dark hair — speaking to camera
Driving past a welcome sign for Slab City, showing a collection of RVs, makeshift structures, and junk in the background.
"We arrived in Slab City and felt both shocked and weirdly welcomed."
Setting: Slab City — Bright daylight.
Text: "Welcome SLAB CITY"
The view from inside a moving car, looking at a bizarre landscape of scrap metal art installations.
"This is East Jesus. So you see the big statue over there? Oh shit."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sun.
Text: "Arriving at "East Jesus": Art Community"
A young woman in the back of a car looks out the window at the art community with a surprised and pleased expression.
"I thought it was going to be super hostile, but it's like not. Yeah, it's very welcoming. It's like, come join."
Setting: Inside car at East Jesus — Natural light from the car window.
People (1):
• sitting in car, wearing white t-shirt, brown, shoulder-length hair — smiling, speaking
A surreal art installation featuring a line of naked, dismembered Barbie dolls arranged in a centipede-like fashion.
"As we rolled in, we realized there's probably not a single city in the world like this one."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
An old, black-and-white aerial photograph of a military base with barracks arranged in neat rows.
"Originally, Slab City was a military base used during World War II."
Setting: Camp Dunlap (historic Slab City)
A photo of a man with long dreadlocks and a beard, sitting inside a makeshift shelter with his two dogs.
"Quickly, the rumor spread about the abandoned land and dozens of squatters arrived and made it their homes for the winters."
Setting: A shelter in Slab City — Warm, natural light.
People (1):
• sitting cross-legged on the floor and patterned shorts, long dreadlocks hair — calm, looking down
Text: "homes"
A man with long white hair and beard, wearing a tie-dye shirt and a vest, stands proudly in front of a school bus labeled 'THE COOL BUS'.
"Many of the residents are attracted by the feeling of freedom and lack of government that comes with living in an uncontrolled off-grid area in the middle of the desert."
Setting: Slab City — Bright daylight.
People (1):
• standing, wearing tie-dye t-shirt and a vest, long white hair and beard hair — calm, content
A young man approaches an older man with a long white beard who is standing amidst a sprawling sculpture made of junk.
"How are you doing, sir?"
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (2):
• standing, wearing black long-sleeve shirt and dark pants with suspenders, long blonde/white hair and beard hair — neutral
• standing, approaching, wearing black t-shirt and blue jeans — smiling
The older man, named Wizard, speaks directly to the young man, explaining that he is certified insane.
"Uh, first off, I must explain to you that, you know, I am certified insane."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, wearing black long-sleeve shirt, long blonde/white hair and beard hair — serious, speaking
Text: "Wizard"
Wizard answers a question with a wry smile, standing in front of a massive sculpture made of plastic bottles and other trash.
"What brought you here? How did you end up? Uh, bad luck and a poor guide."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, wearing black long-sleeve shirt, long blonde/white hair and beard hair — smirking
Wizard explains his two jobs: spiritual guide and emptying the communal toilets.
"and I empty the shit buckets. I do."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, wearing black long-sleeve shirt, long blonde/white hair and beard hair — speaking matter-of-factly
Wizard shakes his head 'no' in response to the question about Slab City being lawless.
"A lot of people say this this Slab City is lawless. How would would you say it's lawless or would you say... No."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, wearing black long-sleeve shirt, long blonde/white hair and beard hair — shaking his head, preparing to explain
Wizard explains that the community's 'law' is based on courtesy, and breaking that courtesy is what leads to a 'lawless' response.
"And if you step over the line of discourtesy, then it's lawless."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, wearing black long-sleeve shirt, long blonde/white hair and beard hair — speaking with emphasis
Text: "Then it's lawless"
Wizard makes a humorous, self-contradictory statement, followed by a flashback to him saying he's 'certified insane'.
"On paper, I'm a very stable person."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, wearing black long-sleeve shirt, long blonde/white hair and beard hair — smirking
Text: "2 minutes earlier"
The young man thanks Wizard and they share a warm hug.
"Wizard, thank you so much. Thank you so much. You're most welcome. Yes. I'll give you a hug."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (2):
• hugging, wearing black long-sleeve shirt, long blonde/white hair and beard hair — smiling
• hugging, wearing black t-shirt, short, dark hair — smiling
Three young men stand near a makeshift house made of old wooden cabinet doors, talking to another resident.
"Damn. It's not bad."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (3):
• leaning against a tire, wearing long-sleeve tan shirt — speaking
• standing, listening, wearing white t-shirt
• standing, listening, wearing blue denim jacket
The resident, a driftwood artist, explains his life choice to leave mainstream society.
"I decided to quit society and uh, become a driftwood artist."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, wearing long-sleeve tan shirt, short, dark hair — speaking
The driftwood artist critiques the routine of modern life while standing under a tree.
"You go to your job, you punch your clock so you can pay for your place to live, so you can pay for your vehicle, so you can maybe get a vacation once a year and get up and do it again every day."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Dappled sunlight through the tree.
People (1):
• standing, wearing long-sleeve tan shirt — speaking with conviction
The artist explains that the community will soon grow and they will play games like 'fire bowling' and 'fire soccer'. A still image shows people playing Jenga with flaming blocks.
"They're literally on fire?"
Setting: Slab City at night — The bright light from the fire.
People (1):
• gathered around the fire, playing
Text: "Fire Jenga at Slab City"
The young men thank the driftwood artist and shake his hand before leaving.
"Hey, thank you so much, man. You guys are welcome. Yeah, cheers."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (2):
• shaking hands, wearing long-sleeve tan shirt — smiling
• shaking hands, wearing black t-shirt — smiling
One of the young men looks around at the bizarre art with a huge, happy smile, declaring he's found his home.
"I've found my home. You're going to move here, Darren?"
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• looking around, wearing olive green long-sleeve shirt, short, dark hair — laughing, eyes wide with excitement
A young man finds a putter and a golf ball on a small patch of artificial turf and prepares to putt.
"Dude, there's a putter. Call me Tiger Woods back in high school."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• bent over, addressing the golf ball, wearing black t-shirt and blue jeans — smiling, concentrating
A young man holds a bowling ball and prepares to bowl down a makeshift dirt and wood lane.
"You start like this, right? Sure, whatever."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• crouched, ready to bowl, wearing white and gray sweater and black pants — concentrating
A young woman bowls and gets a strike, knocking all the pins down.
"I'm going to kick your ass. I'm ready, bring it on. Oh!"
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
A young man holds up a six-pack of Budweiser beer, explaining his plan to give it to the residents.
"So it's hard to have refrigeration here, so it's usually hard to get a cold beer. So, we bought some cold beer on the way and we're going to give it to them as a thank you."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, holding beer, wearing black t-shirt, short, dark hair — speaking to the camera
An older man with a long white beard and a black beret sees the beer and opens his arms wide with a joyful expression.
"We have a bunch of beers for you guys, just as a thank you. They're still cold right now."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• standing, wearing black outfit, long white beard hair — laughing, mouth wide open
The young man hands a can of beer to the older man, who takes it gratefully and gives a thumbs up.
"We just want to say thank you and yeah. It's inspiring. Thank you so much for having us."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (2):
• standing, wearing black outfit, long white beard hair — smiling
• standing, wearing black t-shirt — smiling
The young man walks away from the encounter, laughing and talking to the camera about the resident's happy reaction to the beer.
"He got so happy. I know. He hugged the beer. You went for the hug and he went for the beer."
Setting: East Jesus, Slab City — Bright sunlight.
People (1):
• walking towards camera, wearing black t-shirt, short, dark hair — laughing heartily
A young man with blond hair speaks to the camera from the passenger seat of a car as they drive away at sunset.
"All right, so we're leaving Slab City. We're going to head home. It was a pretty incredible experience."
Setting: Driving away from Slab City — Warm, golden hour light.
People (1):
• sitting in car, wearing white t-shirt, blond hair — speaking sincerely
The man in the passenger seat continues to reflect on the positive aspects of the Slab City community.
"just people that live there are pretty much surrounded and immersed in love. It's a pretty amazing community of people just living for art and for the community."
Setting: Driving away from Slab City — Evening light.
People (1):
• sitting in car, wearing white t-shirt, blond hair — thoughtful, smiling slightly
The driver of the car turns to the camera with a smirk and jokingly tells the viewer to subscribe.
"There's one thing you should ever do in your life, is to hit that subscribe button."
Setting: Driving away from Slab City — Low light from inside the car.
People (1):
• sitting, driving, wearing black shirt, short, dark hair — smiling, winking
Text: "(Matt has no shame)"
A final shot of the 'Welcome to Slab City' sign at sunset.
Setting: Slab City — Golden hour, sunset.