I liked the juxtaposition of the city and the country on this one.

A shot of the desert basin from the top of a mountain.  Composition stinks, but that's what happens when you shoot at night without a tripod.

Salton Sea, CA

The Salton Sea is basically a giant engineering mistake.  It's fed by a number of rivers, but it has no way to drain.  As a result, the lake has been experiencing dramatic environmental degradation over the past few decades.  The salinity levels have been rising to a point where it's now saltier than ocean water, and pretty much the only fish that can survive is tilapia.  

I took this shot right next to the renovated yacht club; a beautiful building the belies the environment outside.  Walk outside, and you're hit with the noisome, stale air.  The coastline is littered with decrepit buildings and hundreds of dead fish and the water looks like tar.  Would you hitch your boat up here?

More of Thermal, CA