I drove down to Salton City and wandered around the beach of fish bones. It's a surreal place - grids of streets but almost no houses, and electricity poles just about still standing. There are couple of rows of palm trees on what might have been the drive the Salton City Yacht Club, but is now just some boulders. People also live here, but it's about as far from the romantic beach resort of the 50's as one could get.
I drove on to Salvation Mountain and Slab City.
I can't recommend it enough!