Day Five (08.27.09) I never had any intention to interview Leonard Knight when I first thought about heading out to Salvation Mountain. The conversation we did end up having just struck up after we went to thank him for letting us tour his site. Leonard lives in a little trailer right next to Salvation Mountain, and not surprisingly, the trailer is decked out in paint just like everything else in the vicinity. His lifestyle and focus have clearly defied convention.
You'll notice my low angles, and it's because I wasn't that concerned about my footage as much as I was about having a real conversation. Leonard is nearly 80 years old, and who knows how much longer he'll be around to talk about his mountain or give personal tours. More than just a subject for a video, I really do respect Leonard Knight for what he's accomplished in such a unique way. This edit over all the others was interesting to construct because Dave was using my mini-cam to capture footage also. It made it a lot more interesting to cut between dialogue. All around, this experience proved to be a great cap to an already amazing road trip.
Day Five (08.27.09) Of all the places we visited, Salvation Mountain was the one that made me realize I was never going to forget this road trip. Much like the Salton Sea in general, this man-made mountain of paint is so incredibly different and unique, it's almost dream-like when you find yourself practically alone in a setting like this. Created by Leonard Knight, I first came to know of Salvation Mountain from the movie Into the Wild. There's a scene where Emile Hirsch's character is given a tour by Knight and I was captivated. I never really pictured myself getting there necessarily, but it's funny how those plans came together - how my interest in Indio lead to the Salton Sea which lead to Salvation Mountain.
Another interesting fact about this site is that it's built on government land and for years had been threatened with removal. Until 2002 when senator Barbara Boxer took interest and helped Salvation Mountain gain special designation as a national treasure - an honour held by only one other landmark, Mount Rushmore. The coincidence in this is that the last major road trip I went on before this one was to Mount Rushmore - you can see the edits here. Dave and I took full advantage of the experience. When we arrived Leonard was giving a tour to a group of girls, and we all met up as he told us we could walk the yellow path up to the top of the mountain if we wanted to. Naturally we said yes, we had no idea he'd let us walk on his art, but when considering how hands-on the construction must've been there's really no better way to experience it.
We walked the winding path, marveling at the intricate details (like the litte coloured flowers) and were rewarded with a spectacular view at the top. The setting sun gave the desert a rich golden hue, and the colours of Salvation Mountain only looked further saturated by the contrasting monochromatic landscape that surrounded it. There were miles of desert, hills, and small glimpses of civilization. None more present than Slab City - a community of nomads, off the grid. But ultimately, it was quiet and refreshingly secluded. A scene that almost forces you to be alone with your thoughts; comfortably at peace.
While the messaging (God is Love, etc.) is strong, and the display eccentric, there was nothing scary about Leonard himself. If there was one word I'd choose to describe him it's passionate. He really just wanted to make his mark, to express love, and devote his life to a higher purpose - whether religious or not you have to value his commitment and vision to make a positive impact. After we came down from the mountain and had our private look around, we approached Leonard to talk (see the next video). I'm still pinching myself that several thousand kilometers from home we found ourselves talking casually, face to face, with the man who built this hidden treasure in the middle of nowhere.
Had I been more on the ball I would've thought about getting this clip together before the Olympics. Instead, it took creating a new videography page to realize that there was probably more footage from my Alaska: Edits that I could showcase. I'm sure releasing my Indio Outio edits also influenced my focus on creating a few more travel clips this month too.
In my books, 1998 is a world away. I was just in my early teens, barely out of puberty, and still learning how to use my first video camera. The cruise I took to Alaska with my family was something that I probably appreciate more now than I did in the moment, which isn't saying I didn't have fun, I just didn't realize how unique the experience actually was.
The journey began in Vancouver. Still, the memory that sticks with me most was leaving the harbor and getting to see all of downtown and North Vancouver from the ship. There was just so much going on - boats, planes, people, etc. It's also a big deal to me that the photo of me shooting video standing on the deck (click over to the Alaska: Edits to see it) is still one of my fav pics, and the first picture of me ever in filmmaker mode with one of my cameras - as you can imagine countless others have now followed.
I would say there's a good chance of more of this old footage popping up as I get a chance to go through it again. At this point, so much has changed in the time that's passed, I feel lucky to even have this stuff to share. What a cool way to rediscover your own history.
