Broughton Quarterly - Spring 2009 - (Page 22) MID-CENTURY, NOT SO MODERN In 1964, Claude K. Bell started work on what would become one of the California desert’s most offbeat attractions—an homage to prehistoric dinosaurs, built along the road to mod-happy Palm Springs. BY JENNY ANGELICI hirteen years had passed since the last time my husband and I had seen those kitschy dinosaurs off Interstate 10 in the California desert. Never stopping, just glancing out the window of our fancy German car as we raced towards our destination. Although we occasionally contemplated taking a closer look at the extraordinary creatures out in the middle of the nowhere, a weekend in Palm Springs filled with golf and martinis beckoned, leaving no time for quirky roadside attractions. This time it was going to be different—really different. A decade had changed us. With two little boys, and minivan to boot, instead of martinis for motivation it was dinosaurs we desired. Our trip to the desert was not about hitting little white balls and nibbling on alcohol soaked olives. We were going back to the desert in search of dinosaurs. This time we were stopping. On our way to Cabazon, the anticipation grew as we 22 broughton Quarterly SPRInG 2009 T found ourselves traveling down memory lane, reminiscing about how the dinosaurs played a role in the movie Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and had even made an appearance in a 1980s Tears for Fears music video. As we approached the off-ramp, the excitement of seeing the dinosaurs began to wane. I don’t know what I was thinking. Did I really expect everything to look the same? Our fossil friends weren’t even visible from the freeway. Instead, a Burger King held court on a concrete mound, obscuring the view. However, our spirits began to rise as we saw, peeking behind progress, a familiar face: Dinney, the 150-ton Apatosaurus, was welcoming us on this cold cloudy day with his red hot glowing eyes. And Mr. Rex, the handsome 100-ton Tyrannosaurus, was grinning as we approached. While admiring these structures, I began to wonder who had built them. Although helpful, the staff knew only that Towering over the desert a short distance west of Palm Springs, the Cabazon dinosaurs were originally built to attract customers to the owner’s Wheel Inn Café. Fast food restaurants have replaced the café, but the toothy giants remain.
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