Quick Visit To Meteor City Trading Post

Above, Meteor City Trading Post. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While driving across Arizona last week while heading to Orange County, California, I made a stop at the newly opened Meteor City Trading Post that sits on old Route 66. It is located not far from the Meteor Crater turn-off.

Above, the grounds of the Meteor City Trading Post. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When we got there, it was around 9:15 in the morning. The store doesn't open until 10:00 o'clock. I didn't want to wait that long.

Before leaving, I did take a few pictures of the trading post. I donated to the previous owner who, unfortunately, died of cancer. He was planning to restore and reopen the trading post. To help fund the project, he sold t-shirts. So I bought one.

Above, there's something for dinosaur fanatics to see. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Fortunately, his estate sold the property and the new owner proceeded to restore and reopen the trading post. Its grand opening took place on Memorial Day.

Since I will be spending Christmas in Lake Havasu, I'll try to stop in either heading to or returning from Lake Havasu. 

Fossil With Skin Uncovered From the Asteroid’s Earth-Shattering Strike

Above, Thescelosaurus neglectus. Image by Nobu Tamura.

A fossil with skin from a dinosaur that is well-preserved has been found. It also is further proof that a mass extinction of the dinosaurs were caused by a meteor or asteroid hitting the Gulf of Mexico.

From AnimalsAroundTheGlobe:

Scientists have just made a mind-blowing discovery: a fossil dating back to the day the asteroid caused the mass extinction hit the Earth 66 million years ago. Found in North Dakota, it includes the leg of a thescelosaurus, complete with skin still intact! This dino fossil is so well-preserved, that it looks better than I do after a full night’s sleep. It’s an incredible find that everyone in the science world is talking or doubting about.

To read more, go here. 

I-10 Morongo Travel Center Opens In Cabazon

Above, the new Morongo travel center joins the Cabazon dinosaurs off Interstate 10. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Whenever I think of Cabazon, California off Interstate 10, I think first of the two dinosaurs that were built in the 1960s and Hadley Fruit Orchards (and their date shakes).

Now, the Morongo tribe has opened a new travel center in Cabazon.

MSN posted:

CABAZON, CA — The Morongo Band of Mission Indians has opened its Interstate 10 Morongo Travel Center in Cabazon that includes a 32-pump gas station, dog park, car wash, slot machines, a convenience store and other offerings.

Located behind Morongo’s existing gas station at Morongo Trail and Thunder Road, the new 6.7-acre Travel Center also has a bank of electric vehicle charging stations, eight Tesla superchargers, RV dumping, propane fills, six high-speed diesel truck pumps and diesel exhaust fluid.

To read more, go here. 

Best U.S. Road Trips, A U.K. View

Above, the Cabazon dinosaurs off Interstate 10 near Palm Springs California. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Ever wondered what overseas news organizations think are the best places to travel in the U.S.?

Well, one organization in the United Kingdom has posted a guide on what they consider to be the best U.S. road trips.

Before listing the best road trips in the U.S., Deadline News begins their guide with:

For many people, the ultimate road trip destination is the US because there are so many amazing routes to choose from with an abundance of attractions and landmarks along the way. Whether you fancy a coastline road trip, or to go from coast-to-coast across the mainland, there are some breathtaking, once-in-a-lifetime routes for you to choose from. 

To see what they are, go here. 

Biggest Tyrannosaurus Rex Discovered

Above, a tyrannosaur skeleton at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh. Photo by ScottRobertAnselmo.

Here's one for you dinosaur fans!

The biggest tyrannosaurus rex had been discovered in Saskatchewan, Canada in 1991. More details on the creature has been revealed in an article from National Geographic.

They wrote:

A fossil site in Canada has yielded the heaviest Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found—an animal that weighed an estimated 19,500 pounds in life, far heftier than most elephants alive today. 

The dinosaur, unveiled last week in The Anatomical Record, consists of a skeleton that's about 65 percent complete, including the skull and hips along with some of its ribs, leg bones, and tail bones. Nicknamed “Scotty,” the tyrannosaur was a senior by this species' standards, making it to at least the age of 28. 

Some 68 million years ago, the Canadian landscape Scotty knew was a subtropical coastal paradise—but life was no vacation. The dinosaur's remains include a broken and healed rib, a massive growth of bone in between two teeth—a sign of infection—and broken tailbones possibly maimed by another tyrannosaur's bite.

To read more, go here. 

A Child's Obsession of Dinosaurs Should Be Encouraged

Above, part of the collection of writer, director and dinosaur expert Donald F. Glut. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When people see a kid, or even adults, with collections of dinosaurs or has an intense interest in them, the parents of them should consider themselves blessed.

Kids who have a keen interest in dinosaurs have an enhanced intelligence.

Many of them also are very fond of movies featuring dinosaurs or fictional dinosaur monsters such as Godzilla, the dinosaurs of King Kong, the Rhedosaurus from The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and others.

Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons has an article that says kids with an obsession for dinosaurs should be encouraged.

They wrote:

If your kiddo has a dinosaur obsession, you should be thrilled. Science calls this an “intense interest” and says it will drive a child’s learning as well as help foster lifelong curiosity. 

In fact, above-average intelligence is not unusual for kids who are enamored with dinosaurs, or any subject that generates a natural strong interest. 

The same thing goes for a focus on cars, trucks, trains, dolls, drawing, etc. If a child shows an incredible fondness in something, it can be a very good thing. 

In this post, I’m going to talk specifically talk about dinos because it’s such a popular interest among kids.

 To read more, go here.

4.5 Magnitude Quake Hits Cabazon

Above, the Cabazon dinosaurs.

Cabazon, California, best known for Hadley Fruit Orchards store and the Cabazon dinosaurs, was hit this morning by an earthquake.

The Los Angeles Times wrote:

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.5 shook a large portion of Southern California early Tuesday morning, authorities said. 

The U.S. Geological Survey put the epicenter of the 4:49 a.m. temblor about 7 miles north of Cabazon.

That's another thing I won't miss about leaving California.

To read more, go here. 

Dinosaurs For Sale

Above, a six-foot dinosaur for sale. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While on my way today to pick up some Hawaiian shirts for Aiden at the re Aloha Shirts store in Westlake Village, I spotted a garden art store next to the freeway with some cool dinosaurs.

I made a mental note to stop in on the way back. So I later did.

Above, a rack of dinosaurs. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Generally, the dinosaurs (they have six-foot ones and smaller ones) sell for about $2,500. But they are currently having a sale. The six-footers are on sale for $1,800. They are very tempting!

Above, yours truly with a 6-footer. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As a joke, I sent a text to Denise (who is down in San Diego with her cousin):

Mommie, I want one of these! I don't have room at my apartment. Can we keep it in your yard until we get our own place? Pleezzze?

I figured she'd repond with, "You're kidding, right?" But she thought I was serious.

She replied that since she lives at her mom's house, her mom doesn't like other people's things there or anything on the grass. If it were put in the back yard, she said, "my dogs would piss all over it."

This continued on for a bit and I ramped up my "begging" and making it sound even more whiny and childish. Yet, she still thought I was serious.

Above, some smaller dinosaurs that are available. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Finally, she was getting exasperated and I told her I was kidding and said, "You need to learn when I'm pulling your leg!" She took it fine.

Still, I wouldn't mind having one. If I really wanted to get one, I'd just go ahead and buy it.

Above, a side view of the smaller dinosaurs. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The business is called Fountains and Garden Art. The store is located in Woodland Hills, next to the U.S. 101 freeway at Fallbrook Ave. Their address is 23210 Ventura Blvd. Phone (818) 223-8ART.

Above, the store. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Should I send this to Don Glut?

Don Glut's Monster Museum

Above, Jerry "Karlos Borloff" Moore and Don Glut. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Several years ago, horror host Karlos Borloff (Jerry Moore) of Monster Madhouse paid a visit to the "House of Glut" in Burbank, California. I met them later for dinner at a local Italian restaurant (if this is the same visit, I think it is). Above, is a photo of Borloff and Glut during that visit.

Earlier, Borloff shot a tour of Glut's home museum on video. It is posted on YouTube, but I have embedded it here so you won't have to search for it.



Here's a more recent photo of Glut with yours truly (taken by Yuu Asakura with my crappy cell phone camera) during my stop at Glut's to present to him a plush toy of Dino, the mascot of Sinclair Oil. I had a quest to find some for Don and myself after I saw some at a gas station in Yellowstone National Park last June. I wanted to buy them then, but I was on a tour and time was pressing and the gas station was crowded.

Above, Don Glut and Armand in the kitchen with the Sinclair plush. Photo by Yuu Asakura.

Cabazon Dinosaur Photos

Above, Dinny and Mr. Rex. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A few days ago, I blogged about the Cabazon Dinosaurs that I visited last weekend.

Since much of that blog post went a little bit into their history, I only posted two photographs of Dinny the brontosaurus and Mr. Rex, the tyrannosaurus.

I took more photos of them and here's ones I didn't post:

Above, Mr. Rex. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, some sort of prehistoric snake near Dinny. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the doorway into Dinny's tail. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, another view of Mr. Rex. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Dinny. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, it almost looks as if Mr. Rex is about to stomp
 through the palm trees. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the other side of Dinny. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Ruby's Diner In Cabazon

Above, the Cabazon Ruby's Diner. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On the way home from the General Patton Memorial Museum and Joshua Tree National Park yesterday, I made another stop (besides the Cabazon dinosaurs) in Cabazon: Ruby's Diner.

On the way to the General Patton Museum, I noticed several billboards advertising Ruby's Diner in Cabazon. Ruby's Diner is a 1940s style restaurant chain named for the mother of the founder, Doug Cavanaugh. I decided to give them a try.

Above, a portrait of founder Doug Cavanaugh's mother Ruby on display behind the cashier's counter. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Cabazon Ruby's Diner is next door to Hadley's Fruit Orchards store, at which my family has stopped for date shakes since the 1960s. I stopped by Hadley's after Ruby's, but that will be the subject of another blog post.

Ruby's started in 1980 with the first restaurant to be opened in 1982 in Newport Beach, California. Now, there are several Ruby's Diner restaurants besides the one in Cabazon.

Above, vintage signs adorned the walls of Ruby's Diner. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I went to the Cabazon restaurant for breakfast. Fortunately, they had large parking spaces in their parking lot that are suitable for RVs and I got there early before the crowds. When I went inside, I immediately liked the "malt shop" look of the restaurant. In the section I was seated, there was an overhead oval track with a 1957 Chevrolet going around and vintage signs were displayed on the walls. I'm probably dating myself when I admit to remembering some of the signs on display.

Above, the 1957 Chevy revolving on an overhead oval track. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I ordered the corned beef and eggs and it was well-prepared. The waiter was dressed 1940s style and he seemed to enjoy his job. I was pleased that the food was good. I'd hate to go to a restaurant what was all decor, but with lousy food.

Above, the counter of Ruby's. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

According to their website, there's a Ruby's Diner at the nearby Woodland Hills Promenade Mall on Topanga Canyon Blvd. I'll have go there to try out their hamburgers.

Above, the cooks at work. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If I should be in the Cabazon area again, I will make it a point to stop in at Ruby's Diner.

For more on Ruby's Diner, go here.

Cabazon's Dinosaurs: Roadside Kitsch

Above, "Mr. Rex". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While on my way home from Joshua Tree National Park today, I stopped off at Cabazon's dinosaurs to photograph them.

Back in the 1960s, my grandmother retired to 29 Palms and we would pass the dinosaurs on Interstate 10 while en route to visit her. Each time we passed them, we noted the progression of their construction. The first dinosaur built was the big Brontosaurus and then the Tyrannosaurus rex was built later.

Above, "Dinny". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The dinosaurs were featured in Pee Wee's Big Adventure around the "Large Marge" segment of the movie ("Tell 'em Large Marge sent ya!").

According to Wikipedia:

The creation of the Cabazon dinosaurs began in the 1960s by Knott's Berry Farm sculptor and portrait artist Claude K. Bell (1897–1988) to attract customers to his Wheel Inn Restaurant, which opened in 1958 and has been closed for a long time. Dinny, the first of the Cabazon dinosaurs, was started in 1964 and created over a span of eleven years. Bell created Dinny out of spare material salvaged from the construction of nearby Interstate 10 at a cost of $300,000. The biomorphic building that was to become Dinny was first erected as steel framework over which an expanded metal grid was formed in the shape of a dinosaur. All of it was then covered with coats of shotcrete (spray concrete). Bell was quoted in 1970 as saying the 45-foot (14 m) high, 150-foot (46 m) long Dinny was "the first dinosaur in history, so far as I know, to be used as a building." His original vision for Dinny was for the dinosaur's eyes to glow and mouth to spit fire at night, predicting, "It'll scare the dickens out of a lot of people driving up over the pass." These two features, however, were not added. With the help of ironworker Gerald Hufstetler, Bell worked on the project independently; no construction companies or contractors were involved in the fabrication. The task of painting Dinny was completed by a friend of Bell's in exchange for one dollar and a case of Dr Pepper. 

A second dinosaur, Mr. Rex, was constructed near Dinny in 1981. Originally, a giant slide was installed in Rex's tail; it was later filled in with concrete making the slide unusable. 

The Wheel Inn Restaurant is still closed and the area surrounding the dinosaurs looked run down during today's visit. But despite this, it appears that the dinosaur attraction is still open for business.

Were Dinosaurs Warm-Blooded or Cold-Blooded?

Above, the Godzilla mural at Toho Studios. He has his own
way of generating internal body heat. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Throughout my school years, we were taught that dinosaurs were cold-blooded. New research is finding that really wasn't the case.

The Japan Times reported:

PARIS – A new method to chemically analyze dinosaur egg shells has allowed scientists to gauge the extinct lizards’ body temperature, researchers said on Oct. 13. 

The findings support recent work by other teams that dinosaurs were neither warm- nor cold-blooded, but somewhere in between, researchers wrote in the journal Nature Communications. However, it also indicated that body temperature differed between dinosaur species.

Of course, Godzilla has his own way of heating through the radioactivity that was absorbed from H-bombs.

To read more, go here. 

"Dino Don" Gets His "Dino"

Above, Don Glut and Armand in the dissection room* of The House of Glut. Photo by Yuu Asakura.

Sandwiched atop the craggy, rugged and jagged peaks near the Borgo Pass and the sleepy little hamlets of Goldstadt and Burbank, stands an ancient castle that the locals call The House of Glut. Herein, resides the old keeper of dinosaur artifacts as well as memorabilia of monsters and mad scientists, Donald F. "Dino Don" Glut.

On this very evening, I paid a visit to Herr Glut and delivered to him a new dinosaur artifact, a plush of Sinclair Oil Company's "Dino" mascot.

During my recent vacation to Yellowstone National Park, I searched far and wide through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah for this rare artifact and finally found a specimen at a Sinclair gasoline station in Utah.

After several weeks passed, I gained enough courage to make the trek to The House of Glut to deliver this prized dinosaur specimen to Herr Glut.

As Dino Don was very busy plotting his next reign of terror upon Burbank and Goldstadt, I made haste after handing him the specimen (and taking the obligatory photograph to memorialize the event in the dissection room*) to the flatlands of the San Fernando Valley.

Needless to say, Dino Don was very pleased to receive this priceless specimen to include it in his dinosaur collection.

*Commonly known as "The Kitchen".

Tyrannosauridae Teeth Fossils Found In Nagasaki

Above, the Godzilla slide at the Kurihama Flower Word in Yokosuka. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Mainichi Shimbun has posted an interesting story on the finding of two dinosaur teeth fossils in Nagasaki Prefecture.

According to the article:

FUKUI (Kyodo) -- Two fossilized teeth of what could be the largest carnivorous dinosaur that existed in Japan have been found from a layer of earth some 81 million years old in Nagasaki, the city and a Fukui prefectural museum said Tuesday. 

The teeth belonging to the dinosaur, estimated to be about 10 meters long, are the first fossils of a large dinosaur among the Tyrannosauridae family to be found in Japan, according to the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. 

"Other fossils have been found in Nagasaki as well, leading us to reaffirm that various dinosaurs existed there," said Kazunori Miyata, chief researcher at the museum. 

The teeth fossils were unearthed in May 2014 from the same area but whether they belong to the same individual remains unclear, the museum said.

Beginning Friday, the fossils will be put on display at the Nagasaki Science Museum and replicas at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.
.
To read more, go here. 

Sinclair Oil "Dino" Stuff

Along with the Sinclair Oil Corporation's plush "Dino" Bronto toy, I bought a couple of Sinclair's hitch covers for the motorhome (I bought two in case I lose one). They are the trapezoid logo hitch covers.

Here they are:

I'll have to meet up with Don Glut to get his Dino to him.

In Case Anyone's Wondering...

Above, Sinclair Oil's Dino stuffed toys. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A few days ago, I mentioned seeing stuffed Dino toys advertising Sinclair Oil Corporation at a gas station in Yellowstone National Park.

I also mentioned that dino exprt, writer, director and Godzilla fan Donald Glut would like one, should I find any on our way back home.

Well, after several stops at different Sinclair gas stations in Wyoming, Idaho and Utah, I succeeded in picking up a couple.

As soon as it can be arranged, I will meet with Glut to present him with his Sinclair Dino.

Sinclair Oil Corporation

Above, a Sinclair gas pump at Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

About a couple of weeks ago, writer, director, Godzilla fan and dinosaur expert Donald F. "Dino Don" Glut mentioned Sinclair Oil Corporation due to its dinosaur logo.

Sinclair has been pretty much a regional oil company with gasoline stations in the Rocky Mountain states and in the midwest. On my current trip to Yellowstone National Park, I have seen many Sinclair stations, and there are some inside the national park.

Our tour group stopped at one station in Yellowstone (there were some bison lounging nearby) for a break.

Above, Sinclair Oil toys for sale at the Yellowstone National Park gas station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I took the accompanying photographs at the station and posted them on Facebook.

Some have asked about Sinclair Oil and here's what Wikipedia has to say about the company:

Sinclair Oil Corporation is an American petroleum corporation, founded by Harry F. Sinclair on May 1, 1916, as the Sinclair Oil and Refining Corporation by combining the assets of 11 small petroleum companies. Originally a New York corporation, Sinclair Oil reincorporated in Wyoming in 1976. The corporation's logo features the silhouette of a large green dinosaur. 

In 1969, Sinclair was acquired by the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO). Federal antitrust provisions required the new entity to divest itself of certain Sinclair assets, and as a result, the East Coast operations of Sinclair were sold to BP (which has since purchased ARCO). After the acquisition by ARCO, the dinosaur was phased out, but at least one service station, in Winona, Minnesota, retained the original look through the 1980s. Many Sinclair stations in the Midwest continued to use the dinosaur logo along with ARCO's "diamond spark" logo. At least some Sinclair stations partially retained the Sinclair brand for a time, using ARCO's blue rectangular logo including the "spark" graphic, but with the word "Sinclair" substituted for ARCO. 

In 1976, ARCO spun off Sinclair by selling certain assets to Robert (Earl) Holding. Sinclair has been owned by the Holdings since 1976. Assets divested in the spin-off included ARCO's retail operations in the region bounded by the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, and the rights to the Sinclair brand and logo, resulting in many stations along Interstate 80 keeping the dinosaur logo. The ARCO stations in Texas, New Mexico, Illinois and some portions of Oklahoma were not affected by the divesture, and they continued as part of ARCO until ARCO pulled out of those states in the 1980s.

Sinclair is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Above, Sinclair Oil's "Dino" toys. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Upon our return trip home, I will make it a point to stop at a Sinclair gas station and, hopefully, pick up some "Dino" toys. Don Glut indicated that he'd like to have one.

Destinations: Best International and U.S. Dinosaur Museums

Above, the format for viewing the best in dinosaur museums.

People who are Godzilla fans generally became such as they were already big dinosaur fans as kids. Or, could it be the other way around, Godzilla got them interested in dinosaurs?

Well, regardless of the order they became dinosaur and Godzilla fans, they are in luck as Destinations Travel Magazine has published their top picks in international and U.S. dinosaur museums in their "2015 Idea Book."

You don't have to buy the magazine (unless you want to) as Destinations Travel Magazine has posted their "2015 Idea Book" online for your viewing pleasure.

To see it, along with their picks for the best U.S. and international dinosaur museums, go here.

Dinosaur Tooth Fragments Found In Nagasaki

Above, the Toho Studios Godzilla statue has all of his teeth. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Japan Times reported that three fossilized dinosaur tooth fragments have been found in Nagasaki Prefecture.

They wrote:

FUKUI – Three fossilized dinosaur tooth fragments have been discovered in a layer of earth 81 million years old in Nagasaki Prefecture, researchers said Monday. 

One of the three is from an ankylosaur, a bony-plated herbivore from the Upper Cretaceous period, estimated to be 5 to 8 meters in length, the joint team from the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum and the city of Nagasaki’s board of education said.

The other two tooth fragments came from carnivorous dinosaurs, but those haven't been identified as yet. A Godzillasaurus maybe?

To read more, go here.