Salton City Travel Plaza

I’m always on the lookout for good people-sketching spots, and this one’s got potential. It’s called the Salton City Travel Plaza, even though it’s technically in Thermal, California—across the Salton Sea from Bombay Beach. It’s pretty quiet out here most of the time, but it usually has enough people to make it worthwhile. And so far, I’ve only been here on Sundays. Still figuring out when it gets busier—maybe during lunch on weekdays. Worth keeping on the radar. 

It’s called a “travel plaza,” which I kind of love. These places always give me that road trip buzz, even when I’m just twenty five or thirty miles from home. I’m not sure where people are traveling to around here—the Mexican border isn’t far, but this stretch doesn’t feel like a destination. Still, it has that familiar vibe. And of course, there’s the mini store filled with random stuff. A lot of stuff I assume is for truckers and those weird redneck shirts with flags and eagles on them.

But you get a good dose of the locals here. Interesting areas tend to have interesting people to sketch. 

The interior feels like a miniature food court dropped in the middle of nowhere. Which, actually, is exactly what it is. I've been here twice, and it's been a steady trickle of people. A lot of the typical desert meth-head culture, people passing through, and just locals looking for something to do.

Thermal itself is pretty makeshift.

Even though the travel plaza is called "Salton City" and the actual town is Thermal, this area also seems to be called "West Shores".

Bring a paintbox if you visit. 2084 S Marina Dr, Thermal, CA 92274

Olvera Street/ Philippe's/Chinatown

I put these together since it's all one trip for me. All have great sketch potential. I like to hit Olvera Street first, get breakfast at Cielito Lindo (the number one, 3 taquitos and beans and cheese). What I like about Olvera Street is that it hasn't changed much over the years. I've been coming here my entire life, and it looks pretty much the same. Lots of architecture, people, mariachis.

The Plaza usually has free entertainment. It's a great sketch spot/hang.

Then I head down Alameda to Philippe's for a French dip sandwich for lunch. This is another spot that doesn't change much. Great spot for people sketching. I like their coffee, which is forty-five cents the last time I was there. I took a class here when our Olvera visit got rained out and we had a great time eating, drinking coffee and drawing. It's got a vibe, which is always number one in my book. 

Then I head down Broadway to Chinatown. The walk has all sorts of sketch stuff. Great for gritty city stuff. Good spot to do small paintings.

Then Chinatown. This is an obvious one for all sorts of great material.

Never know what you'll see around here...

General Patton Memorial Museum

Middle of Nowhere

I found this spot by accident (I don't remember how); it's in the middle of nowhere, in the Chiriaco Summit, about an hour from the Arizona border. This is another place for military vehicles. But the cool part is it's mostly tanks, trucks, amphibious vehicles, and various things I can't identify. 
Here is a link as to why it is here. It's an interesting story. Lots of history.
Great research spot for these types of vehicles and to explore shape language. This is not a government-funded museum. It's a little funky (in the best way). These are the best museums for sketching. The vehicles are out in the field in the back and in a small hangar. Not roped off.  Which gives you easy access and great views. This place is hot in the summer; the reason Patton picked this spot was that it was the closest to the harsh fighting conditions of North Africa. If you're heading to the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs, etc.), this is a good one to hit.

Some sketches from the museum.

One of the exhibits I love is "The Big Map. It's a huge 3D "map". It shows the area this training facility encompasses. And it was huge. But it really gives you a sense of where places are in relation to each other. From their website:

"One of our first exhibits was the Metropolitan Water District's Big Map. Built-in the 1920's to depict the 50,000 square miles of land surrounding the route of the proposed aqueduct, the 250,000 pieces were taken to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress for the funds to build the aqueduct. Without the water from the aqueduct, Gen. Patton could not have located the DTC where he did."

Inside, they have a wall of weapons. I'm not a gun guy, but I like drawing them. There are also weapons and artifacts throughout the building.

Fountain pen on rice paper.

The Chapel is still there.

The hanger.

Some of the more random vehicles.

Some tanks in the back.

The front frame was covered in fabric to resemble a tank from the air.

Another shot of the hangar.

Another random vehicle. I love how many ideas you can generate from unfamiliar industrial shapes.

Inside a lot more to sketch.

General George S. Patton Memorial Museum 62-510 Chiriaco Rd Chiriaco Summit, CA 92201

Monterey Bay

I've always wanted to visit here, so last summer I finally did. turned out it isn't one of my favorite spots. It really depends on exploring the surrounding areas, which are much more interesting than Monterey Bay's downtown. The area with the aquarium, etc., is extremely touristy — actually, really crowded with tourists. I stayed at a hotel right on the beach, thinking that being on the main strip would be fun. But it’s just not very interesting. It's a sea of souvenir shops, packed with people. None of it really inspired me to go out and draw or paint. I always say if you don't see anything to sketch, it's on you — it’s up to you as an artist to make it interesting. So, I broke my own rule. But when I drove around, I found some fun stuff. Just driving through the neighborhoods is fun. Old Fisherman's Wharf is cool, but again, touristy.

The drive up is worth it if you've never done the Pacific Coast Highway drive before. That was also why I wanted to go here. It's fun to do when you haven't in a while. Although I'm not much for the beach scenes (I know, what a buzzkill). I'd rather hit San Pedro and the Port of Los Angeles. I like the industrial scenes. More on that later.

You do see some really great scenery on the way up though.

The aquarium is cool. It could be a really interesting sketch spot.

I did like the mellow vibe around the area, off the main strip.

Salton Sea

I live between the desert and the mountains. The Salton Sea is close to me when I'm in the desert. It is an interesting landscape. Bombay Beach is a well-known spot here. It's sort of talked about like an "arts community". It feels more like people who are one step away from homelessness, and they sort of put the "arts" spin on all this. A lot of it is just junky broken down houses with no real zoning worries.

Still interesting though. On the beach, there are a lot of installations, etc. But the whole Salton Sea area is fun. They have one restaurant I know of, the "Ski Inn", which is more of a dive bar than anything else. When I went (only once), I was told the wait was 45 minutes for a burger. I said no thanks and left. It feels like one of those local places that take pride in being a little annoying. Like the places that cut off your tie. But not a bad sketch spot to draw the locals.

The Salton Sea itself is amazing and huge. Good place to bring a simple paint setup. The area all around the lake is interesting. I just like to cruise around, take side roads, and see what I discover. But remember, it's hot.

This guy was selling glassware in his yard. Good deals.

I also like to go past all this down to Brawley and down along the Mexican border. But that's another post.