Redemption . . . sort of

We discovered a far less hellish Salton Sea today while driving down the eastern shore. You could even describe this view from the state park visitors center as picturesque.

While there, we learned that the sea actually isn't polluted per se. Its problems involve algae blooms that result in high populations of bacteria which deplete the oxygen and trigger fish kills.

The lake is still fishable, though only four kinds of sport fish remain.At some spots, it's easy to imagine why so many people had visions of the sea becoming a booming tourist and recreational mecca.But harsh realities got in the way, as documented over the weekend in this LA Times article.
Just as on the other side, we saw tons of dead fish floating in the water and washed up on the shore, though the smell wasn't nearly as bad as on the west side. The park ranger blamed the smell on algae and bacteria rather than rotting fish.We also encountered a number of ghost-town motels.Even so, I might actually like the place. It could be an intriguing camping location.