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 CABAZON,
CALIFORNIA—
A six-story
Tyrannosaurus Rex crafted by the late Claude Bell rises out of the desert
alongside Interstate 10 in Cabazon, near Palm Springs, California. The
T. rex was the second dinosaur designed and built by Mr. Bell. His first
creation was a giant green apatosaurus. Measuring in at three times life-size,
it's probably the largest dinosaur ever built. The cavernous belly of
the great beast, known locally as "Dinny," houses a dinosaur
museum and store, "Entrance at tail."
Constructed
out of great quantities of steel and concrete, Dinny was eleven years
in the making, the final magnum opus of an artist whose earlier work can
stll be seen at Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County, California. Claude
Bell died in 1989, but his oversized sculptures are still pulling in tourists
every day. The Wheel-Inn Cafe, located right next to the two big reptiles,
pulls in long-haul truckers, making Cabazon, California, the home of the
only dinosaur and truck stop in the country! If you're in the vicinity,
it's worth a visit!
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