The Salton Sea

Welcome to Diane and Ellie, joining me here in logging their own cycling treks! It will be fun to have partners "alongside" even when they are thousands of miles away!

Today's ride took me to a new landmark: the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is an inland saline lake, located in the Sonoran Desert in Southern California north of the Imperial Valley. The lake covers a surface area of 376 square miles (974 km²), making it the largest lake in California. However, it varies in dimensions due to changes in agricultural runoff. It averages 15 by 35 miles (24 by 56 km).

The sea falls within the territory of both Riverside County and Imperial County (I guess I entered Imperial County some time without realizing it). Like Death Valley, it is located below sea level, with the current surface of the Sea at approximately 225 ft (66 m) below sea level. The Sea is fed by the New, Whitewater, and Alamo rivers, as well as a number of minor agricultural drainage paths and creeks. The Salton Sea of today was created by accident in 1905, when heavy rainfall caused the Colorado River to swell and eventually breach an Imperial Valley dike. It took nearly two years to finally control the Colorado River’s flow into the Salton Sink and stop the flooding.

I took a side trip over to the coast, took a brief dip (without drinking any of the water, mind you), and continued on pedaling through heavily irrigated farmlands. Thankfully, it's also flat for a ways.

Total distance this year by the end of today: 147.8 miles. Maybe some day I'll get to the point that I can do this much distance in a day!!