The Kinetoscope is a circular mural inside an abandoned water tank by Christina Angelina and Ease…read moreOne in Slab City, California.  The larger than life canvas was originally covered in grafitti and filled with trash. In order to properly prep the space, discarded, half broken shovels were employed and a makeshift pulley system of Home Depot buckets was instated to lift out the sand. The truck was repurposed as lodging for a week, the closest toilet was a 5-minute drive away, and all involved went without showers. This was well worth it for the final result.   Visitors must climb a staircase to the top of the tank (roughly 15 ft), where there is a ladder to take them back down, into the structure. Once inside, amplified sound reverberation accompanies two series of artistically rendered female faces.  Faces are captured in a variety of freeze frames and combined to create motion, inspired by the work of photographer Eadweard Muybridge.    Each individual face embodies a specific emotion tied to a meaningful moment when Angelina trusted her intuition, an inherent sense often ignored by society. The subtle interconnectedness of these moments creates a sense of "magic" in its movement as each form contributes to the natural flow of the piece. Her use of totem animals continues through the incorporation of raven and rattlesnake skulls.   Faces sit atop a ghostwritten blend of Eastern/Western writing styles by Ease One. These hidden words form the lyrics to Society by Jerry Hannan and Eddie Vedder.   It's a mystery to me We have a greed with which we have agreed You think you have to want more than you need Until you have it all you won't be free   Society, you're a crazy breed I hope you're not lonely without me   This piece uses a limited palette to subtly unify elements of figuration, lettering and graf futurism in a sophisticated, stylized manner. The background is of latex paint, the rest is of spray paint.

Our wait to get to the big parking lot was 1 hour. Multiple cars drove past us on the right side on…read morethe rocks to avoid the wait but it was some bumpy terrain. There was only one line and two lanes open. We walked across so it was faster. Once across, we explored Algodones aka Molar City for a few hours. After a few errands and lunch, we walked back towards the gate and across. There was a small wait to cross back but definitely much faster then with a car. The agents were friendly.

Its much faster to walk across the border then to drive over. There was a longggggg line to cross…read moreover and we waited an hour just to get to the parking lot. The parking lot is big. All the agents were friendly.

Make sure you have registration on your bikes even if you're from a state like Texas that doesn't…read moreregister off road vehicles or the Mexico side workers who are too dumb to realize that will send you back. The United States border patrol was nice though they agreed that the Mexico side wasn't very smart....

This is a very busy border crossing. This is the Western Crossing which goes from Mexicali,Mexico…read moreBC to Calexico, California. There is a second crossing east of this one. There is talk of adding lanes and updating which would really help the lines. The day after President's Day, it was extremely busy and took extra long-about 2 hours- to get across. This makes it difficult for all those trying to get to jobs, etc. It's essential to check the Border Wait Time app to see how long the wait is for that day and time. It also tells you the best times to cross which has helped. I only recommend crossing here if it is necessary. I hope the update happens fast because this Border needs extra lanes and an updated system. Border Control agents work really hard to get people moving while still checking each car. Ours was really nice and helpful.

Republic of Slowjamastan: The Nation You Didn't Know You Needed!…read more Ever wanted to visit a country that's smaller than your average Costco but ten times more entertaining? Look no further than the Republic of Slowjamastan, a hidden gem off Highway 78 in the middle of literally nowhere. You'll know you've arrived when your GPS starts to laugh at you. The drive alone is an adventure, with nothing but open road and desert as far as the eye can see. Then BAM--out of the dust emerges a tiny "nation" with its own quirky flag, customs, and government (I'm pretty sure the sultan is just the most interesting man in the world). It's the kind of place that makes you question everything you know about borders and citizenship. Who knew sovereignty could be so much fun? This is the perfect spot to bring up at parties. You'll blow everyone's minds when you casually mention, "Oh yeah, I've been to Slowjamastan. No big deal. It's not on most maps yet." Instant conversation starter, and who doesn't love a little international travel brag? Is it ridiculous? Absolutely. But that's what makes it unforgettable. Pack a snack, bring a camera, and prepare to say, "Wait, what?" more times than you thought possible. 10/10 would recommend for anyone looking to spice up their road trip playlist and add "citizen of Slowjamastan" to their résumé.

I spent a lot of time in El Centro so I've definitely been to Calixco several times. Its about a 15…read moreminute drive from EC so it takes no time. I come to Calexico to visit family and then cross over to Mexicali to have some real fun. May not be the nicest or cleanest but it is what it is.

Just got back and guess what? It really hasn't improved any since 6 months ago. The people are…read morevery friendly-especially if you habla espanol. Fine dining=Applebee's. It's still quite windy and dusty. I go there for a reason and the city serves its purpose. I'm always happy to come home to San Diego

A perfect place to do a first pit stop after a 3 hour drive. It was the best location cuz:…read more*we needed to move the pup up front cuz Frenchies need cool air * basic small rest stop with perhaps 6 individual stalls stocked up with enough TP * clean enough but couple flies hovering over the bowl & no running water; lucky we had wipes & hand sanitizer *we filled up gas here, still California but a few more feet into Arizona the gas was $2 cheaper

would give it 0 stars if i could. wow where do i start. I grew up here as a little kid and my mom…read moregot me out of here at 8y/o(now i understand why). I moved back here after a divorce because i have a daughter and thought family here would help. Im educated, friendly, outgoing, and this place has been so disappointing. There are no jobs. Im met with such hostility as a mexinan-american girl who doesnt speak spanish. so many mexi-cali residents take the jobs here from california residents even the low skill jobs or retail jobs. its so sad. People are so unfriendly. very toxic here. very small-town mentality of people dont want to know you if they didnt know you as a child.people dont want you to do better than them and you can feel the envy radiate off people. High obesity rate. the residents here are getting ripped off by the rising cost of living but tbh they deserve it.

Yes this place is ok it could be better and the mall is getting a bit lonely but I wish their were…read moremore new better businesses like fun ones that we used to have because el centro really has nothing fun's they don't have trampoline park how they used too or a water slide or fun places.

I had to reception to check in but thought this place was pretty cool. The rocks along this area…read moreare circular which definitely makes it look like a pumpkin patch. They info posts about how they form which is really cool to read. The ride over is pretty fun too and you gotta make sure your vehicle is equipped to get through. Great photo ops too! This is a must see when visiting Ocotillo Wells!

What a unique natural formation of rocks that look like pumpkins in a pumpkin patch at Halloween!…read more Great place to capture the night skies over the unique landscape. A harrowing experiences for me to get there...the roads are really rough. But such a worthy endeavor.

Just the state line nothing special unless you want to stop by and take a picture with the sign…read more Otherwise it's a quick pass!

BOOOO!!!! Everyone knows these highway patrols lurk around the border area by the dunes praying on…read moreinnocent drivers and forcing them to take a BS tickets or threatening them with hauling them off to El Centro vs the station they actually work out of. The greed in this department can't go unnoticed! I can't believe the people haven't stood up and said enough is a enough. Here's a little story I'm sure you'll enjoy.... It's holiday weekend so plenty of traffic & plenty of slow drivers. Everyone knows you don't speed in this area because thats all the food these highway patrol can get. I'm following 2 cars and I have 2 behind me. I notice a cop coming up on all of us, lights going, so 1 by 1 we all get over to the right so he can pass. blows by me and another car to get to the slow grey SUV in front of us. As he's cutting us off to get behind this SUV the person in front of me and myself nerve left to avoid his wreak less driving. No sooner does he almost have this vehicle pulled over does he pull out and come after me... I'm thinking what the heck-right... Pulls me over, his excuse-air patrol said a white car was doing 95 in a 70. ok, so why were you pulling over a grey SUV? No answer just license & registration. SO I quickly pulled out the old trusty iPhone, made a video documenting the time, date, etc... and asked the officer if he actually witnessed this crime and of course he said no. So I asked him about pulling over this other vehicle, not matching his BS description then coming after me. His response was license and registration. So of course I'm pissed. GF is in the car, pissed because she knows I wasn't speeding. Kids in the back, nosey like kids are, noticed my speed prior to being pulled over and asked if 70 is too fast. Just not adding up. So I told the officer to have his supervisor come out and here's where it gets better... D-bag shows up and I explain to him the situation & he says he heard it over the radio so it must be true. WOW-really??? Then he goes on about how I better sign the ticket, accept guilt or he'll arrest me, haul me into El Centro & I can wait there to see the judge. Using my GF & kids as a leverage tool to get me to sign the ticket. Don't wan't them to have to be stuck waiting for me.....so After a few choice words for this not so honorable criminal I informed him of his errors, called him out on his lies and how he is disgrace to officers. He then proceeded to ignore his faults and my constitutional rights and told me to sign the ticket or he'll arrest me. So I signed the ticket and let the clipboard fall onto the hood of 1 of the cruisers. He immediately threw me in hand cuffs. I laughed at him and told him he just F'd up. My GF is filming the whole thing when he tells 1 of the other officers to ask her if she can drive. She asks him why I'm being arrested and he said its for not signing the ticket. So I told this jerk he might want to take a good look at the ticket, so he did and realized he better back his way out of this situation he just landed himself in. Told the officer to let me go & wrote the ticket for 80 in a 70 so he wouldn't have to "take me in" Nice cover buddy! If I didn't have my people depending on me to get them home I would have gladly had him take me to his station (not El Centro like he threatened) & have him explain to his captain how & why he broke the law and I would have loved to make a big stink out of this. Getting 3 cruisers off the road for an entire shift so his ego can get crushed and to let hard working, tax paying Americans know the injustices the so called honorable officers are imposing on us so we can refresh these so called protectors of our freedoms.

Galetta Meadows was one of the most unexpected art experiences I've ever had. It's pretty magical…read more You're basically driving through the desert and you suddenly come face to face with a 350 foot serpent or a herd of wild horses, mammoths, scorpions and on and on and on. The massive metal sculptures are scattered across the desert landscape in the area and are free to explore. It's almost like a treasure hunt. You drive from installation to installation looking for silhouettes in the distance hoping to see more. At one of our first stops, I met a couple of gentlemen who were working on a comic book inspired by the sculptures. They were taking photographs and had lots of information so it was really helpful. All that being said, I did have a particularly terrible experience that was exclusive to me and has nothing to do with the installations themselves, so I'm not reflecting it in the rating. However, it's a good cautionary tale for anyone reading these reviews. There are signs everywhere that tell you where you can and cannot drive and I was in a particularly large vehicle headed down a one-way stretch of road that had signs along the side that said not to pull off. There was a four-wheel drive vehicle coming towards me and my husband commented that it had appeared as if they almost didn't make it across a dip in the road. When they approached our car, they motioned to me to roll the window down and the driver proceeded to tell me that there was no way that my car was going to make it through. He confirmed that he almost did not make it himself and told me that I would need to turn around. Unfortunately, when I tried to do that, I got stuck in the sand. It was terrible and I felt like an idiot. I tried to dig myself out but my car was just too big and didn't have four-wheel drive. It's hot in the desert so after about a half an hour I called for a tow to pull me back the 30 ft to the main road. They wanted me to wait 3 hours and said it would be $2,500 to send someone out. So yeah, it was easily the worst experience of my trip and embarrassing to write about, but hopefully someone else can learn from my mistakes. Watch the signs, follow the designated paths, respect the terrain and if you have any doubt at all, just walk. That said, don't let my misadventure scare you away. Just be cautious and you'll have an incredible time driving around the desert. Looking at these enormous works of art against the red clay and blue sky is just as unforgettable as getting stuck in the sand.

A must-see if you're in the area. The artist, Ricardo Breceda, was commissioned to create these…read morestatues in situ. Admission is free and each set of sculptures are located in different areas. A map is available on line to make sure you don't miss any! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/190910471684613837/ The serpent is probably the most famous sculpture (and rightly so) but the others are also amazing in their detail. Truly unique works of art and 100% free!