Salton City is briefly mentioned in the article. It and the Salton Sea are quite interesting places to visit and are certainly worth checking out. Parts of it are incredibly creepy, parts quite beautiful in a barren and lonely sense.
It's close to the Coachella Valley, but you should have seen the look on the concierge's face when we explained we weren't there to golf and shop. :-) Besides just seeing the sea itself, I recommend Salvation Mountain, Slab City, the obsidian fields, and the world-famous (?) Date Shakes in Westmorland.
An engineering boo-boo flooded a giant depression, became an LA weekend resort boomtown in the 50's, and now a lot of is boarded up.