Europe Made Easy
  • Home
  • Dining Guides
  • Europe Made Easy Guides: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Europe, Nice and the French Riviera, Italy, Madrid, Oslo, Paris, and Provence
  • Southern California: Palm Springs Made Easy, San Diego Made Easy, and The Amazing California Desert
  • Italy Made Easy
  • Paris Made Easy
  • Provence and the French Riviera Made Easy
  • Travel, Food and Fitness Journals
  • Europe's Best Walks
  • Travel Store: Maps, Luggage, and More
  • Made Easy blog
  • Facebook
  • Where to find our books
  • Past editions of our books
  • Contact us

Made Easy blog

Welcome to the Made Easy blog.

Facebook

Quirky sights from our desert travel guide "The Amazing California Desert." (Part 1)

11/17/2021

0 Comments

 
We’ve included some quirky sights like the world’s largest thermometer, enormous steel-and-concrete dinosaurs, and a dome said to have been designed by aliens. Here are two of these interesting sights from our book.
Picture
“Big Josh,” formerly known as “The Mecca Cowboy,” is one of the statues known as “Muffler Men.” International Fiberglass Company of Venice, California constructed most of the fiberglass statues before closing in the mid-1990s. The owners of Joshua Tree’s The Station, a former gas station built in 1949, rescued the gentle giant from a swap meet. For years, he stood in the town of Mecca near the Salton Sea. There are a handful of “Muffler Men” still around, like “Chicken Boy” in Highland Park, California and “Mutant Man” in Yuma, Arizona. They were created in an era where roadside businesses needed to catch the eye of potential customers speeding along the highways. Come check out “Big Josh” and see what he’s holding or wearing. During the pandemic, he covered his face with a mask!
Picture
Integratron: Aeronautical engineer George Van Tassel was obsessed with UFOs. He built this dome structure after he claimed that extraterrestrials from Venus gave him the blueprint. He wanted the dome to promote time travel and be an “electrostatic generator.” Today you can reserve a spot to have a sound bath, said to relax and rejuvenate. If taking a break from your life and listening to the music of crystal bowls appeals to you, then this is the ticket. The Integratron is in the Hi-Desert town of Landers (15 miles (24 km) north of Highway 62 on Highway 247 /Old Woman Springs Road).
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Andy Herbach is the author of the Eating & Drinking series of menu translators and restaurant guides, including   Eating & Drinking in Italy ,  Eating & Drinking in Paris , and  Eating & Drinking in Spain and Portugal . He is also the co-author of Wining & Dining in Paris and
    Wining & Dining in Italy. Karl Raaum is the co-author of the Wining & Dining guides. He has also contributed to guides to Provence, Spain, Amsterdam, and Berlin. The authors reside in Palm Springs, California.

    Archives

    January 2023
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly