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!