Since arriving back in Inverness, I’ve done little more than sleep.

On Monday night and into yesterday, I managed a somewhat spectacular eighteen hours in the land of Nod.

I think I’ve been shattered not just by the jetlag but also two immensely packed weeks of travelling.

Today, my last day before going back to work, I’ve finally got round to the important stuff, like washing clothes and uploading photos.

The first batch (of photos, not washing) can be found here, including some taken on the flight over and around Salton Sea while mullet-hunting.

However, one of the big highlights of the first few days, if not the whole trip, was Salvation Mountain (website | Wikipedia).

Essentially a mountain in the desert covered in paint, it is a kaleidoscope of messages from the Bible on the ground, in caves and on vehicles. It’s an odd, garish and remarkable place – a wonderfully off-beat and surreal contrast to the bleak, featureless desert around it. It’s one of the top must-sees of California, and I’d certainly recommend a detour for anyone in the area.

But what most impressed me, other than the detail, effort and bright colours, was the positive message. For a country like the USA where Christianity is often portrayed as a hateful, uncompromising, flag-flying, gun-toting, warmongering, homophobic and anti-Arab perversion of what the belief is meant to be about, Salvation Mountain instead spoke refreshingly of the love of Jesus above all.

A simple portrayal of the Christian message, and one worth dwelling on.

After this came San Diego, L.A. and San Fransisco…