Quirky Sights Featured in "Palm Springs Made Easy" and "The Amazing California Desert" -

Palm Springs, CA

We are local residents Andy Herbach and Karl Raaum of Palm Springs, and authors of “Palm Springs Made Easy” and “The Amazing California Desert.” We are sharing some local quirky sights in the Greater Palm Springs area like the world’s largest thermometer, enormous steel-and-concrete dinosaurs, and a dome said to have been designed by aliens.

Here are a few of these interesting sights from our travel guides:

“BIG JOSH”

“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! 61943 Twentynine Palms Highway in Joshua Tree. Tel. 760/974-9050. wwwthestationjoshuatree.com.

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. 72157 Baker Blvd. in Baker, California. It’s visible from Interstate 15. worldstallestthermometer.com.

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. 2477 Belfield Blvd. (15 miles [24 km] north of Highway 62 on Highway 247/Old Woman Springs Road). Tel. 760/364-3126. www.integratron.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 a dinosaur walk. 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 9am-6pm (Fri-Sun until 7:30pm). Admission: $15, ages 3-12 $13. www.cabazondinosaurs.com. From Palm Springs: 17 miles (27 km) on Interstate 10 west toward Los Angeles (exit 106).

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Andy Herbach is the author of the Eating & Drinking series of menu translators and restaurant guides, including Eating & Drinking in Paris, Eating & Drinking in Italy, Eating & Drinking in Spain and Portugal, Eating & Drinking in Germany, and Eating & Drinking in Latin America. He is also the author of Paris Walks, Unique Paris, Wining & Dining in Paris, Wining & Dining in Italy, Europe Made Easy, Paris Made Easy, Amsterdam Made Easy, Berlin Made Easy, Barcelona Made Easy, Madrid and Toledo Made Easy, Nice and the French Riviera Made Easy, Oslo Made Easy, Provence Made Easy, Wales Made Easy, Palm Springs Made Easy, San Diego Made Easy, Southern California Made Easy, Las Vegas Made Easy, and The Amazing California Desert. Karl Raaum has contributed to all the Made Easy travel guides and is the co-author of Wining & Dining in Paris, Wining & Dining in Italy, Palm Springs Made Easy, San Diego Made Easy, Southern California Made Easy, Las Vegas Made Easy, and The Amazing California Desert. The authors live in Palm Springs, California. www.madeeasytravelguides.com.