On our way out of Palm Springs, we did a quick drive-by of Kenny Irwin's Robolights, in the daylight. If you'd like to see what's behind the walls, check his Facebook page for info on requesting a tour.
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Robolights
On our way out of Palm Springs, we did a quick drive-by of Kenny Irwin's Robolights, in the daylight. If you'd like to see what's behind the walls, check his Facebook page for info on requesting a tour.
Bono's Orange
Bono's Historic Orange was once a Route 66 roadside produce stand. Today, there is only the orange -- a giant roadside orange.
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| Bono's 1936 Route 66 orange stand. |
Bunnies
The Bunny Museum
Twenty-some years ago, Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski began exchanging daily rabbit-related gifts. This continued until the collection grew to the point that they joked about living in a bunny museum. In 1998, they made it official and opened the Bunny Museum in Pasadena. The museum recently moved north to Altadena and the collection contains over 35,000 bunnies.
If you can charge an admission fee, it's not hoarding; it's a museum.
An Educational Institution
The Museum of Jurassic Technology
I could tell you all about The Museum of Jurassic Technology, but I won't. This museum's "incongruity born of the overzealous spirit in the face of unfathomable phenomena" must be experienced first-hand. Submit to your curiosity and sojourn to Culver City to explore the museum.
Nuestro Pueblo
Watts Towers
Simon Rodia began building his Nuestro Pueblo from steel rebar, wire mesh, and other collected scraps in 1921. Rodia abruptly quit building and decorating, gave his property to a neighbor, and left town 33 years later. After Rodia departed and his house that sat under the towers burned down, the City of Los Angeles condemned the structure and ordered that it be torn down. Actor Nicholas King and film editor William Cartwright purchased the property with intent to save it from destruction. They petitioned the city to perform a test to establish the safety of the towers. The city agreed and tests were performed in 1959 in which attempts were made to pull the towers down. The towers did not give under the pull of 10,000 pounds of lateral force. The towers were permitted to stand. Ironically, the towers have been cared for by the city that once condemned them since 1975.
The towers are currently undergoing restoration that is expected to be finished in mid 2020. However, tours from outside the fence are still available during the restoration.
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| Rodia was only 4 foot 10 inches tall. |
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| Rodia's towers are the masts of a ship. Step back and you can see that the property is shaped like a boat. |
A wall built by software developers?
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| If software developers built walls, I suspect they might look something like this. |
Antique Trucks
Motor Transport Museum
The Motor Transport Museum was a chance discovery -- a happy accident. As I was driving towards Campo, I saw flags and a sign promoting the museum. I passed the museum. A half mile later, I turned around. I'm glad I did.
The museum contains one of the best collections of mostly-unrestored antique trucks that I've encountered.
