Here are a few more quirky sights we've included in our desert travel guide.
THE WORLD’S TALLEST THERMOMETER
This steel sign commemorates the weather record of 134°F (57°C) recorded in nearby Death Valley on July 10, 1913. In honor of that temperature record, the sign is 134 feet (41 meters) tall and the maximum temperature that it can record is 134°F (57°C). It had to be reinforced when high desert winds snapped it in half in 1992. Although it stopped working for a while, the family of Willis Herron (the builder of the monument) rescued and renovated this quirky sight. There’s a touristy gift shop here. Info: 72157 Baker Blvd. in Baker, California. It’s visible from Interstate 15. worldstallestthermometer.com.
This steel sign commemorates the weather record of 134°F (57°C) recorded in nearby Death Valley on July 10, 1913. In honor of that temperature record, the sign is 134 feet (41 meters) tall and the maximum temperature that it can record is 134°F (57°C). It had to be reinforced when high desert winds snapped it in half in 1992. Although it stopped working for a while, the family of Willis Herron (the builder of the monument) rescued and renovated this quirky sight. There’s a touristy gift shop here. Info: 72157 Baker Blvd. in Baker, California. It’s visible from Interstate 15. worldstallestthermometer.com.
CABAZON DINOSAURS
This quirky attraction off Interstate 10 as you approach the Coachella Valley from Los Angeles is a fun excursion, especially for kids. Two enormous steel-and-concrete dinosaurs are named Dinny the Dinosaur and Mr. Rex. These roadside dinosaurs are best known for their appearance in the mid-1980s film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and the music video Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears for Fears.
In 1964, theme-park artist Claude Bell began construction of the dinosaurs to draw more customers to a restaurant he had on the premises. Dinny and Mr. Rex were both created from material salvaged from the construction of Interstate 10 and covered with spray concrete. Dinny was the first dinosaur to be used as a building. Today you can climb inside and take in the desert landscape. The World’s Biggest Dinosaurs Museum here includes 50 robotic dinosaurs, a dinosaur garden, and the Wafflesaurus Truck serving snacks and ice cream on weekends. You can get pretty close to the dinosaurs to take photos, but you must pay to enter the museum, and to climb into the structures. Info: 50800 Seminole Dr, Cabazon. Tel. 909/272-8164. Open daily 8am-8pm. Admission: $13, ages 3-12 $11. www.cabazondinosaurs.com. From Palm Springs: 17 miles (27 km) on Interstate 10 west toward Los Angeles (exit 106).
This quirky attraction off Interstate 10 as you approach the Coachella Valley from Los Angeles is a fun excursion, especially for kids. Two enormous steel-and-concrete dinosaurs are named Dinny the Dinosaur and Mr. Rex. These roadside dinosaurs are best known for their appearance in the mid-1980s film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and the music video Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears for Fears.
In 1964, theme-park artist Claude Bell began construction of the dinosaurs to draw more customers to a restaurant he had on the premises. Dinny and Mr. Rex were both created from material salvaged from the construction of Interstate 10 and covered with spray concrete. Dinny was the first dinosaur to be used as a building. Today you can climb inside and take in the desert landscape. The World’s Biggest Dinosaurs Museum here includes 50 robotic dinosaurs, a dinosaur garden, and the Wafflesaurus Truck serving snacks and ice cream on weekends. You can get pretty close to the dinosaurs to take photos, but you must pay to enter the museum, and to climb into the structures. Info: 50800 Seminole Dr, Cabazon. Tel. 909/272-8164. Open daily 8am-8pm. Admission: $13, ages 3-12 $11. www.cabazondinosaurs.com. From Palm Springs: 17 miles (27 km) on Interstate 10 west toward Los Angeles (exit 106).
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